Lowenfeld/Akeson Early Childhood Symposium, to be held on a Saturday in February at the California School for the Blind, is a production of Blind Babies Foundation, Northern California AER, the California School for the Blind.  CAPVI sponsors and helps with publicity and food for the Symposium.  Currently, the theme for 2011 is expected to center on early childhood Orientation & Mobility.

CTEBVI (formerly CTEVH) conference, to be held March 10-13, 2011, at the Oakland Convention Center Marriott.  This conference features an extensive exhibit hall (free to anyone who visits it), boasting many of the latest assistive technology devices, as well as an array of service providers (for instance, Junior Blind of America and California Council of the Blind).  CAPVI has an exhibit hall table, holds its annual general meeting at this conference.  Come into the exhibit hall, sign up to be on our email lists, regular snail mail newsletters, check out our brochures.   Some of the workshops will include topics such as  successful eye-patching, prevention of eye-poking, young v.i. adult panel on job skills and their jobs, high school age v.i. students, and junior high students.  We are considering facilitating a parent lunch meeting for networking and exchange of ideas. 

    In 2010, CTEBVI offered free conference registration to families who were already members of CTEBVI.  CAPVI was able to offer 23 free memberships to families so that they could take advantage of the free registration.  These memberships were open to anyone, although in consideration of the applicants, preference was be given to parents of children with visual impairments who are NAPVI/CAPVI members, residents of California, single parents, parents of young children, parents/families whose primary language is not English, parents/families with economic hardships, parents/families of color.  CAPVI's offer was used by eleven families in 2010.  We hope to offer free memberships in CTEBVI next year as well.  Keep in touch with CAPVI and CTEBVI!