WVSDB Fall Conference.
October 11-13, 2017
Low Vision/Blindness Presenters
John Panarese
Mac for the Blind
John is the director of Mac for the Blind, and he provides training on all Apple products, as well as sell a variety of audio training materials.
Donna Brown
West Virginia School for the Blind
Donna has taught in various capacities at WVSDB for 34 years. She is currently the Technology Integration Specialist at the School for the Blind.
Cindy Camp
Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP)
Cindy Camp has worked in the field of deaf services for more than 25 years. She holds a Master’s degree in English, is a nationally certified interpreter, certified in mental health interpreting in AL, as well as a C-Print captionist and trainer. She is Marketing and Communications Specialist for the Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP).
Fabiana Perla
Salus University
Fabiana Perla has been teaching Orientation and Mobility for over 30 years. She is currently chair of the Dept. of Blindness and Low Vision Studies at Salus University and directs their O&M program. Her main interests include working with families and promoting student ownership of their learning experience.
Trina Britcher
Harrison County Board of Education
Trina has been an itinerant teacher of students with blindness and low vision for 36 years. She teaches braille literacy courses for Marshall and WVU. Trina is the educational materials coordinator for Space Camp for Interested Visually Impaired Students. She is a test developer for the Braille Challenge in Los Angeles. One of her favorite things is mentoring vision teachers. Trina has been married for 34 years and has three children: Sarah, Matt and Gabe.
Dan Oates
National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation (NOAH)
Dan is retired from the West Virginia School for the Blind as an Educational Outreach Specialist. He earned his Master’s in Education from the University of Pittsburgh in 1981 and has held national certifications in teaching the visually impaired, orientation and mobility and low vision therapy. He currently serves on the National Board of Directors for NOAH (National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation). He currently works at Space Camp as an Education Program Manager for Space Academy for Educators, which is the teacher program at Space Camp.
Since his retirement, he has become involved in local history again and is currently reprinting his book, “The Hanging Rock Rebel”, detailing the experiences of a local confederate soldier during the Civil War.
He is the coordinator of Space Camp for Interested Visually Impaired Students (SCIVIS), which is in Huntsville, Alabama. He was selected to the inaugural class of the Space Camp Hall of Fame in 2007. Dan travels extensively and has spent time in Russia, Australia, Ireland, and the Caribbean.
Kevin Maynus
WV Division of Rehabilitation Services
Kevin Maynus graduated from the WV schools for the Deaf and the Blind in 1989. He earned his Bachelors degree's in Criminal Justice and Sociology from Fairmont State College in 1995. He earned his Masters of Education degree in Special Education to Teach the Blind and Visually Impaired from the University of Alabama, Birmingham in 1998. Kevin is well know for his expertise in advocacy efforts in the area of Blindness and other disability Civil Rights issues for the past 25 years. Kevin has served and worked with WV State and National Legislators with issues relating to Blind and Visually Impaired. He has served on many councils and committees. Kevin has worked for the Division of Rehabilitation Services for the past 9 years and prior to joining the agency he spent 13 years working for the Mountain State Centers for Independent Living.
Michael Wood
VFO
Michael Wood has been working in the Assistive Technology Industry for 14 year. He has a bachelors degree in business and marketing. Originally he worked with students that struggled with reading and writing, but more recently has expanded his knowledge into the Blindness and Low Vision field. He has worked for Freedom Scientific, now part of VFO, for 12 years.