Home

Welcome to the 2024 AER Biennial International Conference website!

Join us as we celebrate our 40^th anniversary! AER is taking over the Le Meridien/Sheraton Hotel in uptown Charlotte from July 24-28, 2024. We have big plans in store for you as we celebrate in what will surely be an informative and fun gathering of everyone working in education and rehabilitation of people who are blind or have low vision! Just imagine five days of curated sessions, events, and special celebrations.

Known as The Queen City, Charlotte is the home to nearly 80 breweries, museums, parks, botanical gardens, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, and it also happens to be the banking capital of the south. As you can tell, we are excited about the educational opportunities you will experience during this exciting week, but also for taking you to our first-ever AER International Conference in North Carolina.

Plan now to join us for the AER International Conference 2024! It will be the experience of a lifetime.

The Call for Presenters is now open! To submit your proposal, click on the link in the upper right-hand corner (Abstract Submission Home). Should you present? Here's what a few of our esteemed members who have presented recently have to say!

One of the many benefits of being an AER member is attending and sharing at conferences. AER has continued to develop its system for submitting proposals and preparing to present, as well as sharing the presentation once the time comes for the conference. It is amazing how much I learn from those attending sessions through the terrific conversation that is generated among attendees; we truly all learn from each other. AER Staff and volunteers make the setup for the presentation smooth and painless from beginning to end, including making connections for technology. audio connections in rooms that are larger and need amplification, and accessibility. After the conference, AER can share participants’ feedback about the session to learn any suggestions and ideas that attendees submitted.

I encourage anyone who is willing to submit a session proposal to jump in and share what you are passionate about. The experience of presenting and being with colleagues is one of the highlights of being part of a professional community.

Chris Tabb

Since 1996 when I was a doctoral student at the University of Arizona, I have attended and presented at the AER International Conference. The conference provides an opportunity for me to share my latest work, whether about preparing to be a nondriver or low vision driver, competencies beginning TVIs should demonstrate with braille, building students’ tactile graphics literacy skills, or professional development available through Project INSPIRE. I think attending and presenting at a conference is important for all of us regardless of our professional role or number of years in the field. We all have a lot to share and a lot to learn from our colleagues. I look forward to attending YOUR presentation in 2024!

L. Penny Rosenblum, Ph.D.

I have been a member of AERBVI since 2002. In that time, I have been an active member of my local chapter, Northeast AER. In 2022 I attended the International Conference for the first time and had the opportunity to present, with three of my colleagues. Attending the International Conference was a new and unique experience. I got to know people from all over, whose names I had encountered in books, emails, and listservs, over the years. I was able to meet new people, who are now close friends and collaborators. I highly encourage people to get involved and share their ideas through participating and presenting at the International Conference. You have a lot to share as a professional in our field, and other members of AERBVI need to hear what you have to offer. If you have never attended the International Conference, you should give it a try. You will not be disappointed.

Daniel Norris

In addition to learning, we are going to have fun too! The theme of our 40th anniversary conference is One Community - Many Voices in Concert. which echoes AER's new Mission Statement (the mission of AER is to be the unifying voice of specialized education and rehabilitation professionals, yielding the highest quality services to people who are blind or have low vision).

Plan on attending the 40th Anniversary Gala and other fun-filled evening events. Stay tuned for details on our off-site excursions.

Who will attend the 2024 AER International Conference? 
We are expecting over 700 vision and other professionals will attend the conference. Orientation and Mobility Specialists, Teachers of the Visually Impaired, Vision Rehabilitation Therapists, Assistive Technology, Low Vision Therapists, professors, and so many, many more professionals will be in attendance and looking for products and services to help them do their jobs and better support their students and clients.

Visit us often. This site will be updated regularly as new information is ready for our attendees, presenters, and exhibitors!

Looking forward to seeing you in Charlotte in July 2024!