Low Vision News Dec. 2004 President's Message This issue of Low Vision News contains lots of information, mostly about our upcoming triennial conference in London. We are now just four months away from this exciting event, and the deadline for early bird rates is approaching. Plans for the meeting are taking final shape now, and The Royal National Institute of the Blind’s early and comprehensive push to get things off the ground has definitely paid off: They have received over 700 abstracts for the meeting! If you haven’t registered yet, please take advantage of the last early bird rates, by registering as an ISLRR member before January 6, 2005. These rates save you a good deal of money, and your registering as an ISLRR member saves you even more than your annual ISLRR membership dues! Please register yourselves, and encourage others to join ISLRR and register for combined savings! I look forward to seeing you all in London in April! Aries Arditi ISLRR Co-sponsors International Low Vision Workshop ISLRR recently co-sponsored (with Lighthouse International, through its Cecilia and Paul J. Schupf Invitational Symposium Series) an international workshop entitled “Toward a reduction in the global impact of low vision.” The workshop, which originated from the ideas of trustee Anne Corn and Krister Inde, took place just outside Oslo Norway, October 17-21, and included 26 experts from a broad range of disciplines and geographical areas. At the meeting, the participants discussed the state of low vision rehabilitation and research throughout the world, and developed 1) a general framework for describing service delivery throughout the world, 2) a research agenda for low vision, and 3) a call to action for governments and organizations to address the expected increase in the impact of low vision in the coming decades. Continued on page 2 From page 1 The workshop participants have embodied their findings in a document, now in draft form, that will be available at Vision 2005. In addition, the organizers have been given a full hour at the meeting to present their conclusions, call for a global effort, and obtain public comments. Please attend this presentation and share your thoughts. It is currently planned for Wednesday, April 6, at 9:30 AM. ISLRR Awards and Travel Fellowships at Vision 2005 ISLRR’s Executive Committee has established four travel fellowships of US$1,250 each, and two awards for new investigators in the field of low vision, one for best paper and one for best poster, each carrying a cash prize of US$500. Criteria for Travel Fellowships: 1. Applications must be submitted by January 1, 2005, to Lorna Frazier-Lindsey (lornafl@adelphia.net) via email. 2. The applicant MUST be the presenting (first) author. 3. Letters of support for the fellowship will be considered. 4. The application must be accompanied by a paragraph specifying the financial need. Preference will be given to applicants from developing countries. 5. Fellowships will be awarded on the basis of need and excellence of abstract, including scholarship, innovation, and importance of results. Criteria for Best Paper and Best Poster Awards: 1. Nominations must be submitted by March 15, 2005, to Lorna Frazier-Lindsey (lornafl@adelphia.net) via email. 2. Self nominations are acceptable. 3. The nominee must be under 40 years of age and have no previous publications in the field of low vision. 4. The nominee MUST be the presenting (first) author. 5. For best paper, the nomination must be accompanied by the abstract. For best poster, the nomination must be accompanied by both the abstract and an A4 or letter size PDF of the poster. 6. Prizes will be awarded on the basis of excellence of research, including scholarship, innovation, importance of results, and presentation. The ISLRR Executive Committee will select finalists prior to the conference, and will select the winners at the conference. Winners will be announced at the closing ceremony. Call for Advance Nominations for ISLRR’s Executive Committee Interested in serving on ISLRR’s Executive Committee (EC)? Know someone who is? Please send a letter of nomination for election to Lorna Frazier-Lindsey (lornafl@adelphia.net) prior to Vision 2005, April 4, 2005. The current EC is composed of: Aries Arditi (President) Örjan Bäckman Tarek Badawy Mario Broggini (Deputy Secretary) Ian Bruce Anne Corn Gregory Goodrich (Treasurer) Stilianos Karditsas Jan Lovie-Kitchin Ger Van Rens Gary Rubin (Secretary) Susanne Trauzettel-Klosinski (Vice President) Continued on page 3 Continued from page 3 Sylvia Veitzman Francois Vital-Durand Kenji Yanashima Under our current by-laws, Sylvia Veitzman and Kenji Yanashima are not eligible for re-election as they have served two consecutive terms. All other EC members are eligible for re-election either because they have not yet served two consecutive terms, or because they are officers (which allows them to serve for two additional terms). Therefore, at least two new members will be elected to the EC in April. If you have any questions regarding the duties of an EC member, please contact Aries Arditi (aarditi@lighthouse.org) or Gary Rubin (g.rubin@ucl.ac.uk). Helpful Tools for Members The Vision Connection is a friendly, accessible, interactive global Internet portal for people who are partially sighted or blind, the professionals who work with them, the families and friends who support them – and anyone looking for the latest information on vision impairment, its prevention and vision rehabilitation. Visit the Vision Connection web site at http://www.visionconnection.org/VisionConnection/ for all additional details and information. Low Vision: The Reference is a searchable bibliographic database of low vision literature with about 10,000 references and citations. An indispensable resource for researchers in low vision, Low Vision: The Reference is edited by Gregory Goodrich, Ph.D., F.A.A.O. and Aries Arditi, Ph.D., F.A.A.O. You can access The Reference through the Vision Connection website www.visionconnection.org/Content/Research/ VisionScience/BooksPeriodicalsandDatabases/ LowVisionTheReference/default.htm. Membership Renewal Time It’s time to renew your ISLRR membership for 2005. Renewal invoices will be in the mail to you in early December. Be sure to return your invoice with your dues payment and changes to your contact information by February 1, 2005. Upcoming Events December Vision 2005 abstract acceptance notifications January 6 Early bird registration deadline for Vision 2005 January Vision 2005 travel fellowship notifications April 4-7 Vision 2005 London April 5 ISLRR general membership meeting (3:30-4:30PM) Your Subscription to VIR ISLRR continues to strive to make sure that all of our members receive their subscription to Visual Impairment Research in a timely manner. At this time, Volume 6, issues 2 and 3 (bound in one volume) is being mailed to those who were members in 2004. If you have not received your issues of VIR, please contact Lorna Frazier-Lindsey (Lornafl@adelphia.net).