Meet APH Scholar Julie Hapeman

Julie Hapeman is a Certified Orientation & Mobility Specialist (COMS) for the Milwaukee Public School System. She serves on the district’s Assistive Technology Access Team, is a Certified Assistive Technology Instructional Specialist (CATIS), supports other Teachers of the Visually Impaired (TVIs) within the program, and works as a Certified Vision Rehabilitation Therapist (CVRT). 

Julie has used her position to work as a leader within the state of Wisconsin in developing programs and institutions for those who are blind and low vision. She is involved in professional development and student programming at the Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired (WCBVI), applies for grant programs for students, and is organizing a statewide White Cane Day event for students all over Wisconsin. She created a coding program, is an active member of the Wisconsin Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (WAER),and provides grant funding trips for students to Chicago’s Orientation and Mobility specialists.  

“Through instruction with the white cane, strong beliefs in the abilities of all students who are blind and have low vision and the highest of expectations, Julie impresses all who are fortunate enough to know her,” said Dawn Soto, Outreach Director at the Department of Public Instruction at the Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired (WCBVI). 

Using APH Products  

Julie has found ways to include APH products in her many roles as she serves a wide variety of students with blindness and visual impairments.  

“In my orientation & mobility teaching, I have been especially fond of the Wheatley Tactile Diagramming Kit — so much so, I had Patty Wheatley autograph one of our Velcro board covers. Putting it together with Tactile Town has allowed me to work with a student to map entire neighborhoods we were exploring,” said Julie.  

Students in her coding club are frequent users of Code Jumper and Code Quest.  

“Another game that my students love — and request — is Treks. After learning to play with the street names that came with the game, we created our own street names, based on the streets they were learning in their part of town or the names of major streets throughout the city. My students have had the opportunity to introduce this game to newer students who also learn to enjoy the competition,” said Julie. 

Looking Toward the Future 

“If I am able to attend the 2024 Annual Meeting, I will share what I learn immediately with my colleagues in Wisconsin. I would do this locally at my district’s staff meeting and with my LEA, students, families, and paraprofessionals. I would also share state-wide through our WAER professional listserv. As my doctoral dissertation involved direct research on the use of coding tools to learn new indoor routes, I will be presenting what I learned from my research along with tools (including from APH) I have used to link coding and O&M concepts at the Wisconsin Collaborative Vision Conference (WAER) this May,” said Julie.  

We have no doubt Julie’s position as an APH Scholar will lead to the impact on many students lives. 

“Julie would certainly make an impact and bring about change with the knowledge she will gain as a Scholar, not only in Wisconsin, but across the nation. But more importantly, the input that Julie can provide to APH as a Scholar will prove invaluable,” said Dawn. 

More about the Program  

Each year, EOTs are asked to nominate someone they feel provides outstanding service in their region. Through a scholarship, awardees attend the APH Annual Meeting in Louisville, KY as a guest of APH. APH pays for all expenses in attending the conference, including transportation to the meeting, conference registration, and hotel accommodations. 

APH invites these scholars to share their experiences with the rest of the users of APH products and services via webinars and course reviews. During the spring Trustee Advisory Committee Meeting, scholars will be asked to participate in a panel discussion about their service to individuals who are blind or have a visual impairment as well as participate in the review of APH products and services with the committee. 

We look forward to meeting all our APH Scholars 2024-2025 Scholars at this year’s Annual Meeting.