8th Annual Statewide Symposium for Vision Professionals in Kansas
November 7, 2025
This one day FREE training focuses on the research and practice in effective specialized instruction for students with a visual impairment. Vision professionals, along with general and special education professionals who work with students with a visual impairment, are encouraged to attend.
Lunch is included! The discounted rate for symposium attendees at the Drury Hotel ends on October 16th. Don’t delay – register today!
Additional Information
~FREE! Includes lunch. Hotel expenses not included.
~This is an ACVREP RPPLE approved event and participants will be eligible for continuing education points. Add this event to your calendar now and watch for more information coming soon!
~Sponsored by: KSSB, Kansas Instructional Resource Center, Kansas Deaf-Blind Project,
Nanopac, and KSSB Family Infant Toddler Services.
Deaf-Blind Pre-Symposium Training
Join The KS Deaf-Blind Project on Thursday, November 6th, from 10:15 am to 5:30 pm at the Wichita Public Library.
This year’s Deafblind Pre-Symposium Training is focused on AAC and Literacy in Action: Matching Tool to Learners with Complex Needs
Presented by Donna Clemens and Sarah Mossberger, this training will explore how to identify and implement AAC systems – both low and high-tech – that align with your student’s current level of concept development and communication. Through examples, guided discussion, and practical group work, teams will gain strategies to plan and implement communication support that reflect the unique needs of learners who are deafblind or have complex profiles.
Cory Scheer is the Founder and CEO of TrustCentric® Consulting, an organizational and leadership development firm. TrustCentric® helps leaders, teams, and organizations become more trustworthy, focused, and productive by: using empirical evidence to define reality, implementing a proven trust building framework, and walking alongside clients to develop clear, obtainable, and long lasting data informed strategies for success. In addition to over 25 years in leadership roles in multiple sectors, Cory has obtained an Executive MBA (Rockhurst University) and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis (University of Missouri). Cory has worked with small businesses, school districts, corporations, nonprofit organizations, higher education institutions, state governments, ministries, the military, and municipalities to provide vital support and clear direction on how to ensure people, practices, and policies become more trustworthy so that key performance indicators improve. Cory is the author of Closing the Trust Gap: Taking Action on What Matters Most for Leaders, Teams, and Organizations (Trust Gap Book).
Dr. Cathy Smyth is an independent research and educational consultant out of Fort Collins, Colorado. She is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Utah Visual Impairments Program, an adjunct Professor at Lindenwood University for the Early Intervention Sensory Impairments program and a partner in podcasting for Feeling This Life. Dr. Smyth has been an early intervention provider for families of young children with blindness and low vision for over thirty years.
Stephanie Walker serves as the Outreach Specialist for the Southcentral Region, covering Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas. With a Master of Arts in Special Education focusing on Visual Impairments and Orientation & Mobility from Texas Tech University, Stephanie has over 20 years of experience in the field. Her roles have included TVI and COMS in both Texas and Colorado. She is also the webmaster for Texas AER. Stephanie is pursuing her doctorate in Educational Leadership and Innovation. Previously, she was the State Lead for the Texas Sensory Support Network at ESC Region 11, where she offered technical assistance and professional development throughout the state. Stephanie lives in Texas with her family. You can reach Stephanie at swalker@aph.org.
Taylor McDonald is a Teacher of the Visually Impaired and the Lead Orientation and Mobility Specialist for Equalize Sensory Services. She mentors, inspires and educates the Equalize Team and others throughout the country, through “Stepping Out”, a program she created focused on helping O&M’s grow in confidence when conducting assessments. Taylor was born with a visual impairment, but slipped through the cracks regarding vision services, like many low vision students do. This is one of the driving forces that Taylor uses to help her connect to students and families. Taylor loves to educate students and mentor teachers. She hopes that through her life experiences and professional training, she can help students and teachers grow into all they were created to be.
Paige Buckingham has been a Speech-Language Pathologist for 35 years. Her career has included 32 years in public schools working with students from birth to age 21. While most of her time was spent as a Special Education Facilitator focusing on Assistive Technology and Related Services, she also worked as a general education teacher and Speech-Language Pathologist. Having failed retirement, Paige is now an independent consultant for Buckingham Educational Services & Training, LLC (BEST) and the Assistive Technology Lead Facilitator for Kansas Infinitec. Paige presents nationally as a pre-conference speaker, keynote, and presenter at numerous state and national conferences on Executive Functioning Skills and the Impact on Behavior, Assistive Technology, and Augmentative Alternative Communication. She co-authored Harnessing Collective Efficacy in AAC 2025, Buckingham and Zillinger, Closing the Gap Magazine.
Kia Boyd received her Masters in Library and Information Sciences in 2020 and has worked in public, school, and special libraries for 7 years. She is now the Director of the Kansas Instructional Resource Center, where she manages a collection of adaptive curriculum and materials for the blind and low vision students in Kansas. She also manages the yearly Federal Quota Registration.
Lisa Karney is an Education Program Consultant for the Kansas Department of Education. With over three decades of experience in special education and teacher training, she specializes in inclusive education and policy implementation. Lisa has a Master’s degree in Deaf Education, a Master’s degree in Adaptive Special Education with an emphasis in Autism. She has taught in a variety of settings including: resource rooms, itinerant settings, etc. Lisa is deeply committed to empowering educators through innovative strategies and collaborative approaches.
2025 Vision Symposium Agenda
7:30-8:00 Registration
8:00-8:30 Welcome
8:30-9:30 Keynote Speaker (Cory Scheer) The Trust Advantage – Unlocking Leadership, Team, and Organizational Greatness
9:35-10:35 Session 1
10:45-11:45 Session 2
11:50-12:50 Lunch & Vendor Fair
1:00-2:00 Session 3
2:10-3:10 Session 4
3:15-3:30 Wrap Up and Raffle Prize Announcements
Sponsored by:
