Each year since 2003, Ex Officio Trustees (EOT’s) throughout the United States nominate those who they feel have provided outstanding service in the blindness or low vision field in their region. Members of the Trustee Advisory Committee (TAC) are then challenged with the task of selecting three to five of these nominations to become APH Scholars. Through a scholarship, Scholars attend the APH Annual Meeting held in Louisville, KY each October. First-time attendees receive an all-expense paid trip as guests of APH, which includes transportation to the meeting, conference registration, and hotel accommodations.

Applications are scored on the following criteria to determine selection for attendance at the APH Annual Meeting.

• An explanation of the benefits the nominee will receive at the APH Annual Meeting.
• Specific APH products used in the nominee’s professional life and how they utilize them.
• Creative “outside of the box” APH product application.
• Methods the nominee uses to encourage the use of APH products with students and/or among peers.
• Specific ways in which the nominee will disseminate information obtained at the APH Annual Meeting to peers and colleagues.

During the Annual Meeting, Scholars participate in a panel discussion about their service to individuals who are blind or have low vision. They also participate in the building of the TAC committee reports, with commendations and recommendations provided for APH during their spring meeting.

APH understands that the Scholars’ expertise and insight is very valuable to the field. For this reason, APH will work with each Scholar to create a webinar for professional development or contribute to the APH Hive learning management system. Many of these same Scholars will go on to become EOT’s, recognized as outstanding teachers, and receive other awards and accolades. We want to thank these APH Scholars for their contributions to the field!

Congratulations To:

Andrea Montano – Developmental Vision Specialist/Instructional Lead

Nominated by: Patricia Beecher – Superintendent, New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Julie Hapeman – Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist (COMS), Milwaukee Public Schools; Certified Assistive Technology Instructional Specialist (CATIS)

Nominated by: Dawn Soto – WCBVI Outreach Director and APH EOT

Patricia Gallardo – Senior Child Development Consultant

Nominated by: Sandy Shin – Braille Institute Vice President, Marketing & Communications and EOT