The Nominations Committee is seeking nominees for the following positions

February 20, 2008

Dear Fellow Members of NE/AER,
It's that time of year again! The Nominations Committee is seeking nominees for the following positions on the Northeast Chapter Board of Directors:

• President-Elect:

  This person will serve a 2-year term as President-Elect, a 2-year term as President (without further election), and then 2 years as Past-President. The duties of the President-Elect currently include acting as the liaison between the Board and the Conference Planning committee, assisting the President as requested, and assuming the responsibilities of the President if the President should become unable to do so.

• Secretary:

  This person is responsible for the records of NE/AER, and preparing and distributing the minutes of Board meetings in a timely fashion.

• Treasurer:

  This person is the chief financial officer of NE/AER and is responsible for completing and presenting regular financial statements for the Board, preparing an annual budget for the chapter, and reporting the financial status of the Chapter to the membership at the annual conference.

• Board Member at Large (5 positions):

  These people, in conjunction with the officers, are responsible for the conduct of business and act as the policy making body of NE/AER. Members at Large contribute actively on various standing and ad hoc committees within the chapter.

Nominees must be individual voting members of the NE/AER Chapter. The terms will begin on July 1, 2008 and last until June 30, 2010. Board Members attend 3 meetings a year (generally in November, February, and May) and financial assistance with travel expenses is available to assist when needed (except for the November meeting, which happens in conjunction with the annual conference).

We are striving to maintain a balanced representation of our chapter (geographically and in terms of populations served). Continuing board members are from Quebec (1), New Hampshire (2), Connecticut (2), Massachusetts (1), and Rhode Island (1). There are no continuing officers or members at large from Maine, Vermont or the other eastern provinces of Canada (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland). Of the continuing board members, 4 serve primarily children and 3 serve primarily adults.

If you, or someone you know, would like to serve on the Board of Directors, please fill out the included form completely, and return to me by March 28, 2008 at the address on the form. The nomination form may be completed electronically and emailed to me at Cindyrb@sbcglobal.net. Please consider becoming (or staying) involved in the business of running our great chapter!

Sincerely,
Cindy Reed-Brown, M.Ed. COMS
Nominations Committee Chair

Nomination Form (MS Word) | Call for Nominations (MS Word)

Awards

Visit the award section to view last year's award winners and how to nominate individuals at this year's conference.

NE/AER Grant Application available.

Download Grant Application (MS Word).

UMass Boston Graduate Student Named New Student Representative on the NE/AER Board

Lea Stein, a student in the Orientation and Mobility Master's program at UMass Boston has been named the new student representative to the Board of the Northeast Chapter of The Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (NE/AER).

The Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) is the only professional organization devoted solely to matters related to vision impairments. AER represents professionals in the field of education and rehabilitation to the people who are blind/visually impaired.

As part of her professional duties Ms. Stein escorted Tom Sullivan, noted author, composer, and motivational speaker during the NE/AER Regional Conference on November 16, 2007 in Quincy, MA.

Mr. Sullivan spoke about his life experiences growing up blind and the obstacles he faced on his pathway to an exceptionally successful career in a variety of fields. Mr. Sullivan is a special correspondent for ABC's Good Morning America, authored several critically acclaimed books, and provided his motivational speaking seminar to over one-thousand corporations.

UMass Boston is New England's only academic center for preparing Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments and Orientation and Mobility Specialists, two key specialties that help people with visual impairments learn, find employment, and travel safely.

Both academic programs are run through The Northeast Regional Center for Vision Education (NERCVE) an established center within the Institute for Community Inclusion and academically affiliated with the Graduate College of Education at UMass Boston.