CAPVI (California Association of Parents of the Visually Impaired), in collaboration with CTEBVI (California Transcribers and Educators for the Blind & Visually Impaired), is sponsoring the Parent Institute to be held on Saturday, April 12, 2025, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM during the CTEBVI Annual Conference at the San Francisco Airport Marriott Hotel in Burlingame. All sections of the conference will be interactive, allowing for dialogue and the ability to ask for clarification addressing your concerns as parents, kinship, or legal guardians.
9:00 -10:00 AM Registration (second floor): Pick up registration information and conference map. Prior registration will be set up by giving your name. Same day registration is available in person, or at https://www.ctebvi.org/conference/
9:00 – 9:45 AM Meet and Greet. Come hear about CAPVI and meet other parents raising children who are blind, low vision, or deaf/blind. Share best practices, trouble shoot together, network with each other.
10:00-11:00 PM Christian Knox presents: The (Legal) Pitfalls Parents Make in Educating their BVI Children and How to Avoid Them. Concerned about your child's special education? With over 20 years of experience in working with special needs children and practicing law, Ms. Knox previously served as a Special Education Hearing Officer and traveled throughout the State of California conducting administrative hearings and issuing decisions. Join her to learn how to ensure assessments drive appropriate services and accommodations, what to do when IEPs aren't properly implemented, and how current policy changes may impact your child's education. Bring your pressing questions.
11:15-12:15 PM Discover Camp Abilities CA with CA School for the Blind Adapted Physical Education Instructor Molly Armstrong and Adapted Physical Education Teacher Taylor Guy from KIPP Northern CA Schools. For most children in the United States, running and jumping and hanging out with friends is a given. But for children who are visually impaired, nothing is a given. Until, that is, they arrive at Camp Abilities. Camp Abilities provides the environment, the support and the expectation that ALL children can participate on the ball field, or the tennis courts. Camp Abilities is an educational sports camp with one-on-one instruction for children who are visually impaired, blind, or deafblind - it’s one week where running and jumping and making new friends IS a given for all youth and young adults. The camp provides inclusive activity options that supports the growth and development of all students. Learn about the camp’s mission, programs, ways to get involved and activities including biking, swimming, hiking, individual and team sports. We will highlight effective strategies for involving students, families, and volunteers, showcasing how their participation enhances the camp experience. Remember to look for the CA School for the Blind Summer Academies Camp Abilities California Program being offered this summer!
12:30-1:15 PM Lunch Socialize over lunch with other parents and families in the BVI Community. Lunch will be provided.
1:15-2:00 The Power of the IEP (Individualized Education Plan) with TVI (Teacher of the Visually Impaired), advocate, and mother of a child with visual impairment, Carlton Anne Cook Walker from BEAR (Blindness Education and Advocacy Resources). Carlton will present over Zoom. Carlton knows how daunting it can be for us parents preparing for our child’s IEP team meetings and the very detailed document that will determine our child’s supports and services. She has been an advocate for 15 years and has supported numerous parents throughout the United States giving them valuable input based on her experience as a TVI, an advocate, and a mother working on numerous IEP Teams throughout the nation. Empower your child's education by strengthening their IEP, understand key terms, identify important considerations, and advocate effectively for the improvement of your child’s educational experience, happiness and success.
2:00-2:45 PM Exhibit Hall: Students and parents can access about 40 vendors. Talk to vendors about the latest technology, local and national service organizations for the blind, network, and so much more!
2:45-3:00 PM Share out what you learned today, what will you incorporate into your plan/lives moving forward? Next steps and networking with other parents.