Wrapping Up Annual Meeting 2025

Last week APH hosted the 165th Annual Meeting. Hosting a collection of APH Ex Officio Trustees (EOTs), EOT Census Assistants, TVIs, APH Staff, and a variety of professionals across the field; Annual Meeting serves as a place for attendees to connect right in the heart of Louisville Kentucky. We spent the week learning what it means to “Thrive,” as we look toward the future together.  

Preconference 

Annual Meeting began with a few introductory sessions, as well as forums with the National Prison Braille Network.  These sessions included: Building a Foundation for the Tactile Journey, Quick Draw: Tactile Graphics for Monarch, Embossers, and Beyond, and A Deep Dive into User Stories and Consumer Perspectives. 

State of the Company 

Dr. Craig Meador welcomed everyone to the official start of Annual Meeting with a state of the company address. He spent his time on the stage reflecting on his own gratefulness to work alongside people who are passionate about what they do, and reminding everyone in attendance just how much their work matters.  

“This work we are engaged in is powerful… the work gives back. The actions we take in our roles feed into the success of the people we serve,” said Meador.  

Award Winners 

Alongside his welcome speech, Dr. Meador recognized the four winners of APH’s awards honoring outstanding innovators in the field. 

•  The Louis Award was presented to Isaac Shapiro, Co-CEO and President of Cleanlogic for their dedication to accessible packaging and work to increase the number of adults with disabilities employed across the United States.  

• The Navigator Award was presented to Lee Nasehi, the President and CEO of VisionServe Alliance for their continued work in serving the blind or low vision community.  

• The Horizon Award was presented to Ray Kurzwell, which was accepted on his behalf by Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind. Ray was honored for his work in developing accessible technology, specifically in the development of text-to-speech programs. 

• The Wings of Freedom Award, the most prestigious award given, was presented to Dr. William Wiener for his continued work in Orientation and Mobility throughout his career. His continued work includes his time as an editor on all editions of Foundations of Orientation and Mobility.  

Concurrent Sessions and APH Solutions 

Throughout the remainder of Annual Meeting, attendees spent time in specialized sessions, exploring products in the Solutions Hall and Tech Solutions Hall, as well as seeing demonstrations of products up-close at the Demo-Stage.  

Each of the sessions gave attendees valuable insight into a variety of topics, while reminding everyone what it means to not only do the work, but to thrive in it. Session topics included, but were not limited to, Dots to Devices: Supporting the Braille Journey with APH Tools, eBraille in Action: Creating, Converting, and Reading the Next Generation of Files, Thrive with the ConnectCenter, and Shaping the Dot Experience Together.  

General sessions brought the full group of attendees back together to focus in on important developments in the field and how to continue serving the blind or low vision community well. General session topics included: Breaking Barriers in Digital Learning, Managing Expectations Amidst Change and Challenge in Education, and Bringing the Gamified Learning Experience to the Monarch’s Tactile Surface. 

The Solutions Hall, Tech Solutions Hall, and Demo Stage gave attendees a chance to get hands on experience with everything from Monarch and Paige Connect to tactile maps of The Dot Experience Museum Layout! 

Looking Forward 

As we close this year’s APH Annual Meeting, we want to thank all of our attendees for spending the week with us diving deeper into product developments, new services, and learning more about the ways we can continue to thrive in this work together. We hope to see everyone back at Annual Meeting 2026 to celebrate the opening of the world’s most accessible Museum, The Dot Experience!