Dear AccessWorld readers,
You have all heard the old saying, "Build it, and they will come." Well, AFB and the Illinois AER built it, and, believe me, it came… the rain that is. The 2013 AFB Leadership Conference in conjunction with the Illinois Statewide AER Conference 2013 was held April 18-20 at the Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel. Despite the torrential rain and storms that delayed and canceled flights in Chicago and the entire eastern United States, the conference went on with barely a hiccup.
While we all regret that a few presenters and some registered attendees were not able to make it to the conference, those who attended were met with informative presentations, great opportunities for networking, and the chance to speak with a great group of exhibitors. I want to extend a thank-you to our conference partners: The Chicago Lighthouse, Hadley School for the Blind, Friedman Place, Illinois School for the Visually Impaired, Illinois State University, Northern Illinois University, Second Sense, Spectrios, and Vision Forward. A thank-you also goes out to all exhibitors and presenters.
Conference attendees were also able to attend the Migel Award Ceremony and Luncheon where Jim Fruchterman and Dr. Kay Ferrell were presented with the American Foundation for the Blind Migel Medal, the highest honor in the blindness field, for their outstanding contributions that have had an impact on countless lives of people with vision loss.
It was a very successful conference. In fact, preparations are already underway for the 2014 AFB Leadership Conference to be held at the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge. I encourage you to hold the date and plan to join experts and colleagues for intensive pre-conference sessions on February 27 and full-conference sessions on February 28 and March 1. You can check back for the agenda and more meeting information by visiting the AFB Leadership Conference page.
Sincerely,
Lee Huffman, AccessWorld Editor-in-Chief
American Foundation for the Blind
