ENVISION OPENS 11TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN DENVER
Multidisciplinary Program Promotes Collaboration On Low Vision Research and Rehabilitation, Honors Outstanding Achievements in Supporting Those Who Are Blind and Visually Impaired
Denver – The 11th annual Envision Conference kicked off at the Grand Hyatt Denver this morning with a keynote address by Joshua A. Miele, Ph.D., a dynamic researcher, advocate and motivational speaker who turned the personal tragedy of losing his sight in a childhood attack into a lifelong mission to help improve life for others who are blind and visually impaired. Presented by Envision, the Wichita, Kan.-based not-for-profit organization that supports those who are blind and visually impaired, the multidisciplinary conference draws in ophthalmologists, optometrists, occupational therapists, teachers of the visually impaired, researchers, academics and others to discuss the latest revelations and advances in low vision and low vision rehabilitation.
This year’s conference was made possible in part by Precision Vision (www.precision-vision.com), the La Salle, Ill.-based developer and producer of vision testing devices, and LC Industries, the Durham, N.C.-based manufacturer, distributor, e-commerce business and retailer whose operations provide jobs for many who are blind and visually impaired.
Dr. Miele is the founder and director of the Description Research and Innovation Lab (DRIL, formerly the Video Description Research and Development Center), at San Francisco’s Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, where he is also an associate director. He leads a team of engineers and scientists dedicated to addressing a wide variety of accessible information challenges in education, employment, and entertainment. His presentation at the Envision Conference 2016 Opening Plenary Session was entitled, “Connecting the Dots: Accessible Technology, User-Centered Design, and Self Determination.”
Lylas G. Mogk, J. Vernon Odom, Honored With Envision Awards
Envision also presented two awards to outstanding individuals during the Opening Plenary session. Lylas G. Mogk, M.D., an internationally recognized expert on age-related macular degeneration (AMD), received the Envision Oculus Award, a peer-nominated honor presented to individuals or organizations whose careers or programs have had a significant impact on people who are blind or visually impaired through professional collaboration, advocacy, research or education. J. Vernon Odom, Ph.D., received the Envision Award in Low Vision Research, a peer-selected award presented to a mid-career senior investigator in low vision and vision-rehabilitation research who has completed six or more years of post-terminal or professional degree research.
Dr. Mogk is the founding director of the Center for Vision Rehabilitation and Research, part of the Department of Ophthalmology of Michigan’s Henry Ford Health System. In addition to working with her team to help individuals with vision loss maximize their independence and quality of life, she speaks regularly on macular degeneration and visual rehabilitation, and is the co-author (with her daughter Marja Mogk, Ph.D.) of “Macular Degeneration: The Complete Guide to Saving and Maximizing Your Sight.” Dr. Mogk also is chair of the Michigan Commission for the Blind, advisor to the Michigan Bureau of Services for Blind Persons, former chair of the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s (AAO’s) Vision Rehabilitation Committee and board member of the National Accreditation Council for Blind and Low Vision Services.
Dr. Odom is Professor of Ophthalmology at West Virginia University, where he heads the West Virginia Lions Visual Function Laboratory. His research has centered on assessment of visual function using electrophysiology and psychophysics, including work on International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision (ISCEV) clinical standards. His laboratory is currently investigating strategies to assess quality of life in patients with reduced vision and non-invasive strategies to assess systemic diseases and toxic exposures. Dr. Odom also has actively promoted outreach services though programs including the Appalachian Vision Outreach Project, the Vision Initiative for Children and the Appalachian Vision Rehabilitation Project.
“We are delighted to honor Drs. Mogk and Odom for their widespread and impassioned efforts,” said Heather L. Hogan, Envision’s Senior Vice President of Foundation and Mission Services. “Both of these professionals are making great strides in increasing awareness that individuals who have been born with or suffered vision loss or impairment can still enjoy so much that life offers if given the proper attention, opportunities, tools and training. This is an inherent message in Envision’s mission and we applaud all that they and so many others continue to do.”
Envision Conference offers more than 90 hours of clinical education and research sessions pertaining to low vision. Ophthalmologists, optometrists, occupational therapists, medical researchers, students and instructors from leading low vision optometry schools and other professionals and academics come together to focus on improving the quality of low vision care through collaboration, advocacy, research and education. Many sessions qualify for accredited continuing education credits from a long list of organizations including the Council on Optometric Practitioner Education (COPE), the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation & Education Professionals (ACVREP), the American Optometric Association Commission on Paraoptometric Certification (AOA-CPC) and the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC).
Envision Conference 2016 continues here through September 10.
About Envision: Envision (www.envisionus.com) promotes advocacy and independence for those who are blind or low vision. Founded in 1933, Envision is one of the largest employers of individuals with vision loss in the nation. Headquartered in Wichita, Kan., Envision’s mission is to improve the quality of life and provide inspiration for the blind and visually impaired through employment, outreach, rehabilitation, education and research. For more information, visit www.envisionus.com.