You are invited to attend the 2009 Professional Development Training conference especially designed for Vision Rehabilitation Therapists and professionals working with people who are blind or visually impaired. This training is sponsored by The Mid-America Conference of Rehabilitation Teachers (MACRT) and The Association of Southeastern Rehabilitation Teachers (ASERT). First time attendees may apply for a stipend for $200.00 (please go to Scholarship/Stipend page to download the application).
Please set aside Thursday, November 12th, through Saturday, November 14th and join us in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We will meet at the: Doubletree Hotel Milwaukee City Center, 611 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53203.
MACRT - ASERT strives to provide stellar professional development opportunities to Vision Rehabilitation Therapists, rehabilitation professionals and educators. This year the theme is "Brewing Best Practices in Vision Rehabilitation". Each training session provides participants with a myriad of fresh and innovative resources and teaching techniques.
This year program has exciting presentations including adaptive technology, current best practices in diabetic self management, reversible and irreversible dementia, and a falls prevention program for seniors, just to mention a few.
An optional tour will be provided on Thursday, November 12, 2009. In the downtown area, we will tour Audio and Braille Literacy Enhancement (ABLE) Inc. and the Wisconsin Regional Library for the Blind. Transportation will then be provided to the Badger Association for a tour followed by dinner at the Chancery, which is a local restaurant with a variety of fun food and drinks. Transportation is being sponsored by the Badger Association but the cost of dinner is on your own. We will leave the hotel on Thursday at approximately 4:00 pm returning by approximately 8:00 pm. Please sign up on the conference registration form if you plan to participate. We hope you will join us to learn about these local organizations serving people who are blind and visually impaired in the southeastern Wisconsin area and to enjoy good company and dining. For those who do not wish to participate in the tour option, the downtown Milwaukee area has many restaurants and shops to visit and enjoy.
The Doubletree Hotel has offered us a room rate of $80 for single, $100 for double. The cut off date for our special room rate is Sunday, October 11, 2009. A personalized Web site for MACRT- ASERT has been created for your convenience at
http://doubletree.hilton.com/en/dt/groups/personalized/MKECCDT-MAC-20091111/index.jhtml. Please make room reservations separate from conference registration. Round trip transportation from Milwaukee's General Mitchell airport is available directly to the hotel via the Airport Connection service. Please call 414-769-2444 or visit their website at www.mkelimo.com.
Please make plans to join us in Milwaukee.
See you there!
Sincerely,
Jennifer Ottowitz
Click on the links below to download Registration Form and Tentative Agenda
Registration Form
Tentative Agenda
Jennifer Ottowitz, CVRT
Badger Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired
912 North Hawley Road
Milwaukee, WI 53213
Phone: toll free 877-258-9200 or 414-615-0123 fax 414-256-8748
jottowitz@badgerassoc.org
Hotel information:
The conference will be held at
Doubletree Hotel Milwaukee City Center
611 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53203
Phone: 1- 414-273-2950
For your convenience, a website has been developed for the MACRT/ASERT conference to enable you to reserve rooms online. The website is
http://doubletree.hilton.com/en/dt/groups/personalized/MKECCDT-MAC-20091111/index.jhtml
Room rates:
Single = $80.00 per night
Double = $100.00 per night
Please make room reservations separate from conference registration.
The Doubletree Hotel Milwaukee City Center, in the heart of downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is adjacent to Midwest Airlines Center convention facilities and is within walking distance of the Bradley Center sports and entertainment complex, the Milwaukee Public Museum and IMAX Theater, and the many shops and eateries of Grand Avenue Mall.
General:
Mitchell International Airport (MKE) is a ten minute drive from the centrally located downtown high rise Doubletree hotel, which offers reserved valet parking for your comfort and convenience. At the Doubletree hotel in the center of vibrant downtown Milwaukee, guests experience warm Wisconsin hospitality in the perfect location.
Attractions like the Milwaukee Art Museum & War Memorial Center, Discovery World at Pier Wisconsin on the shores of beautiful Lake Michigan, Potawatomi Bingo Casino with its Northern Lights Theater, the Summerfest/World Festival Grounds, U.S. Cellular Arena, Miller Park (home of the Milwaukee Brewers), the Milwaukee Mile, Wisconsin State Fair Park, and Pettit National Ice Rink are all less than ten minutes from The Doubletree Hotel Milwaukee City Center. Visit the microbreweries that carry on Milwaukee's proud beer heritage, experience an abundant array of ethnic eateries, or explore the Historic Third Ward neighborhood, with its many art galleries and antique shops. The Miller Brewing Company and Harley Davidson museum are also nearby attractions.
Transportation:
The hotel can be accessed by a short cab ride from either General Mitchell airport or the Intermodal Station which houses commercial bus lines and Amtrack. The Wisconsin Coachline bus service offers round trip service to Milwaukee from both Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports as well. From Milwaukee's General Mitchell airport, round trip service is also available directly to the hotel via the Airport Connection service.
For more information on this service please call 414-769-2444 or visit their website at http://www.mkelimo.com/
We are in the process of planning an exciting and informative conference. So whether you prefer to brew coffee, tea, or a malt beverage, we hope that you will join us in the "Cream City" of Milwaukee, Wisconsin in November.
The snow doesn't usually start falling until December!
