For the past thirty years, the Getting In Touch With Literacy conference has been a forum for discussion, explorations, and conversations about literacy for individuals who are blind or visually impaired. People have met colleagues and built connections through these in-person conferences since 1993. The last two years have made it difficult to maintain and foster connections.

You are a valued member of this community, and while we wait to gather again in 2023, we invite you to participate in a series of virtual conversations. Eight virtual sessions will capture the spirit of in-person interactions with robust conversations using a variety of breakout rooms and other online meeting tools.

Tickets are required to attend the virtual conversations. Cost per ticket is $30.00. Each ticket allows access for up to two people. In keeping with our desire to stay connected until the 2023 Conference, we encourage you to invite another member of our literacy community to join you on your ticket. Feel free to invite a co-worker, colleague, or even someone you met at the last Getting In Touch With Literacy Conference.

For those that applied their conference registration to the Conversations on Literacy, your tickets will be issued at no further cost.

For our university personnel preparation programs, a special rate is being offered. Please contact Janie Blome for more information. This is a wonderful opportunity to connect university students with colleagues around the world.

ACVREP CEUs are available for each session.

Join us between now and October 2023, as we build excitement towards the next in-person Getting In Touch With Literacy Conference to be held November 29 - December 2, 2023, in St. Pete Beach, Florida!

The facilitators of the third virtual "Conversations on Literacy: Content and Connections" will be Dr. Karen Blankenship, Dr. Francs Mary D'Andrea, and Mary Ann Siller on September 27, 2022, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. (ET). You don't want to miss this discussion on informal student assessments, using data to develop next steps, how to foster interest in reading and writing, and more! Dr. Karen Blankenship has been a certified TVI since 1976. She has been an itinerant teacher, professor at Vanderbilt, and a coordinator at a special school. She is currently retired but continues to consult on QPVI and literacy.

Frances Mary D'Andrea, PhD., is an assistant professor of practice at the University of Pittsburgh. Prior to joining the faculty at Pitt, she was an educational consultant specializing in literacy issues for students with visual impairments, and was an adjunct instructor at several U.S. universities. She became a teacher of students with visual impairments in 1982 and has taught in specialized schools, resource rooms, and as an itinerant teacher. From 1995-2005, she worked at the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), and helped establish their National Literacy Center. She represents AFB on the Board of the Braille Authority of North America (BANA), and serves as secretary for the International Council on English Braille. Mary Ann currently teaches children birth through twenty-one with visual impairments in Texas. Through her work with the Texas Education Agency and American Foundation for the Blind, she enjoyed training teachers and parents with the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC) for children with visual impairments; designing national education projects, developing sensory and descriptive language programs for museums, designing and managing multi-year grants, developing school-to-work curriculum; conducting parent/professional trainings at state, national, and international levels, and developing legislative supports to enhance policies impacting children and adults with visual impairments. She continues to be truly inspired by the children she teaches who are blind or have low vision.

Mary Ann earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary and Special Education with an endorsement in the Education of Students with Visual Impairments at the University of Texas at Austin; a Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction with Diagnostic Assessment and Learning Disabilities certifications from Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi; and an Educational Administration certification from Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.

For the September 27 conversation: Register Now for Conversations Session Three!

Topics and dates for the additional Conversations on Literacy will be announced as they are confirmed.

GITWL 2023 brings together the most current thinking on all forms of literacy for individuals who are blind or visually impaired, including print, braille, auditory, tactile graphics comprehension and the use of assistive technology.

Presentations will address the needs of a range of ages and all levels of ability, including conventional and functional literacy. Plus, more than 60 concurrent workshops and additional poster sessions will focus on specific areas, including:

• Assessment, instruction and support

• Assistive technology and tactile graphics

• Braille Instruction and Tactile Literacy

• Cultural Linguistic Diversity and English Language Learners

• Early Childhood Literacy

• Legislation and Policy Affecting Literacy

• Literacy and Additional Learning Needs

• Low Vision

• Transitional and Vocational Literacy

• Literacy In Everyday Life