News Release: Kent Cullers, the world's first blind physicist, to speak at the one hundred thirty-fifth annual meeting of Ex Officio Trustees of the American Printing House for the Blind

APH News & Press

Kent Cullers, the world's first blind physicist, to speak at the one hundred thirty-fifth annual meeting of Ex Officio Trustees of the American Printing House for the Blind

News Release: Louisville, Kentucky, September 29, 2003

Dr. Kent Cullers, physicist and astronomer, will deliver the meeting's keynote address before over 300 Ex Offico Trustees* and "Special Guests*" of the American Printing House for the Blind (APH), on October 16. The theme of the meeting is The Joy of the Journey. Dr. Cullers has been involved in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) since 1980 and currently works for the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California, where he is Director for SETI Research and Development.

Awards will be given to three nationally acclaimed professionals in the field of blindness. Dr. Susan Spungin, Vice President of Education and International Programs for the American Foundation for the Blind, New York, will receive APH's coveted "Wings of Freedom" Award and Dr. Sally Mangold, a renowned braille educator, will receive the "Creative Use of Braille" Award. Billy Brookshire, Senior Blindness Training and Development Specialist for the Texas Commission for the Blind and immediate Past President of Association of Education and Rehabilitation (AER), will receive the Virgil Zickel Award for his APH product, Loving Me.

The conference will be held at Brown Hotel, Fourth and Broadway, Oct. 15-18, 2003.

In addition to meetings and lectures for professionals in the field of blindness, the conference will feature displays open to the public from 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM, Friday Oct. 17, and from 8:00 AM until noon, Sat. Oct. 18:

APH InSights 2003, an exhibition of artwork by artists who are blind or visually impaired. It features seventy-two artworks by artists from the U. S. and Canada. This is the twelfth year for the competition. Participants range from preschool children to senior citizens, and include professional artists as well as hobbyists and school art classes. Judges selected the art works from over 400 entries in a wide range of media, including painting, drawing, sculpture and photography.
A display of new products produced by APH.
The premier showing of two traveling exhibitions prepared for national circulation by the APH Callahan Museum.

*ABOUT APH EX OFFICIO TRUSTEES AND THE ANNUAL MEETING:

In 1879, the U. S. Congress passed the Act to Promote the Education of the Blind. This act set up a system to provide free schoolbooks and other materials for blind students and named the American Printing House for the Blind as the national central source of these educational materials. The system through which these specialized materials are distributed is known as the Federal Quota Program. American Printing House for the Blind Ex Officio Trustees are responsible for overseeing the implementation of this program in the various states and regions they represent. The Ex Officio Trustees come to Louisville each year for the Annual Meeting to provide insight and exchange information about developments in the field of blindness. "Special guests" such as parents, teachers, and administrators and other educators involved with the field of blindness may also attend this meeting.

Contact Roberta Williams, Public Affairs and Special Projects Manager, for more information. Telephone: 1 -800-223-1839 or (502) 895-2405; e-mail: rwilliams@aph.org