Schedule
Please note: Schedule is subject to change. Refer to the Attendee FAQs for more information.
Morning
8:00am to 9:00am — Check-in, breakfast, visit exhibitor tables
Location: Howe building, Museum
9:00am to 9:45am — Opening and keynote
Location: Howe building, Dwight Hall, Virtual. See keynote below.
9:45am to 10:10am — Exhibit Hall
10:10am to 10:30am — Transition time
Travel to first breakout, settle in.
10:30am to 11:30am — Breakout 1
Multiple locations. See breakout 1 below.
11:30am to 11:50am — Transition time
Travel to second breakout, settle in.
11:50am to 12:50pm — Breakout 2
Multiple locations. See breakout 2 below.
Afternoon
12:50pm to 1:00pm — Transition time
Travel to lunch!
1:00pm to 1:40pm — Lunch
Location: Howe building, Dwight Hall, Virtual
1:40pm to 2:20pm — Exhibit Hall
2:20pm to 2:40pm — Transition Time
Travel to third breakout, settle in.
2:40pm to 3:40pm — Breakout 3
Multiple locations. See breakout 3 below.
3:40pm to 4:00pm — Transition time
Travel to forth breakout, settle in.
4:00pm to 5:00pm — Breakout 4
Multiple locations. See breakout 4 below.
Session descriptions
Keynote — 9:00 am to 9:45 am
Location: Dwight Hall, Virtual
Description
In this deeply personal and uplifting keynote address, Perkins parent, advocate, and children’s book author Lauren Fornes shares how her (still unfolding) journey as a parent to a child with CVI and complex medical needs led her to uncover what she calls “special joy.”
Lauren’s talk will be structured in four parts—My Story, My Grief, My Tools, My Joy—and offer practical takeaways for families and caregivers looking to reframe their journey, build resilience, and embrace joy in unexpected places.
Meet the presenter
Breakout 1 — 10:30 am to 11:30 am
Location: Grousbeck Center, Virtual
Description
This supportive and interactive workshop is designed for parents and caregivers of children with disabilities, offering practical mindfulness techniques to enhance emotional well-being, reduce stress, and strengthen family relationships. Parenting a child with a disability is deeply rewarding but can also present unique challenges. This workshop creates a nurturing space for participants to reconnect with their inner resources, prioritize self-care, and cultivate patience and empathy. These essential tools promote personal resilience and foster more grounded, compassionate interactions with their child. By integrating mindfulness into daily life, families can build stronger connections and create a foundation of emotional balance for every member.
Meet the presenter
Location: Dwight Hall, Virtual
Description
This session explores the impact of visual impairments and multiple disabilities on a child’s development and learning. Participants will gain insights into how these challenges shape social and emotional growth, with a focus on fostering positive experiences for both children and their families. The presentation will also offer practical strategies to help children who are blind, visually impaired, or deafblind access meaningful activities at home, participate in community-based recreation, and thrive in natural learning environments.
Meet the presenters
Breakout 2, 11:50am to 12:50pm
Location: Grousbeck Center, Virtual
Description
Phonological awareness is a key foundation—and a strong predictor—of future literacy success. This session will explore how families can integrate engaging, inclusive activities into everyday routines to help students with visual impairments develop the ability to recognize and manipulate sounds in words. Participants will leave with practical, quick, and enjoyable strategies to support early literacy skills in meaningful and accessible ways.
Meet the presenters
Location: Dwight Hall, Virtual
Description
This session highlights the transformative impact of experiential and incidental learning in fostering independence and skill development for children and adolescents with visual impairments and additional disabilities. By setting high expectations and integrating hands-on learning opportunities across various settings, students are empowered to take ownership of their growth and potential. Participants will gain insights into how these approaches, utilized in Outreach experiences, enhance real-world skills. The session will culminate with a student panel featuring current and former Outreach participants, who will share their personal stories of transformation, challenges, and achievements both within and beyond the program.
Meet the presenters
Breakout 3, 2:40pm to 3:40pm
Location: Grousbeck Center, Virtual
Description
This session will offer families and service providers a comprehensive overview of foundational math skills and concepts, with a focus on their interdisciplinary nature. The presenters will explore how communication and movement can enhance early math skill acquisition, and discuss opportunities for generalizing these skills across various settings. Through real-life case studies, we will provide practical applications of these concepts, giving families and service providers concrete strategies to effectively support math learning in young children.
Meet the presenters
Location: Dwight Hall, Virtual
Description
This session will emphasize the crucial role of social skills and emotional intelligence in overall success, interpersonal relationships, and general well-being. The presenters will highlight the latest research on emotional intelligence and its impact on early childhood development. Participants will gain practical insights into how to support the growth of emotional intelligence both at home and in the school setting, helping young children build the foundational skills necessary for success in all areas of life.
Meet the presenters
Breakout 4, 4:00pm to 5:00pm
Location: Grousbeck Center, Virtual
Description
This session will guide caregivers and early childhood educators in fostering emotional regulation for children with visual impairments. Understanding that children’s behavioral needs and responses can vary widely—and often shift due to factors like sensory stimuli or changes in routine—this presentation will explore the critical role of co-regulation in helping young children manage their emotions. Participants will learn how to support children through co-regulation while building foundational skills for independent self-regulation as they grow. Presenters will share a practical toolbox of strategies, essential considerations, and engaging insights to empower caregivers in nurturing emotional development and ensuring a safe, supportive environment for every child.
Meet the presenters
Location: Dwight Hall, Virtual
Description
Art is for everyone! Discover inclusive art projects, materials, and techniques designed to engage students who are blind or deafblind. This session will provide creative strategies to ensure all learners can experience the joy of artistic expression. Join us for an inspiring exploration of how art can truly be accessible to everyone!
Meet the presenter
Information about third party providers, products, and services does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Perkins School for the Blind (“Perkins”). It is the user’s responsibility to verify and investigate providers, products, and services. References to or information regarding commercial products, information, services, manufacturer, or company do not constitute endorsement or recommendation by Perkins.
Getting here
Our campus is accessible by car and public transportation. See below for parking lot assignments for participants, volunteers and accessible parking. The campus lots are available on a first-come first-serve basis for each group.
If traveling using a rideshare app, use the following as the destination address:
55 Beechwood Avenue, Watertown, MA 02472
From the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90), traveling east or west, take Exit 127 and follow the signs marked “Watertown,” which lead to Galen Street. Follow Galen Street, crossing the bridge, to Watertown Square. Bear right (not the hardest right that leads along the river) onto North Beacon Street (Route 20). Follow North Beacon Street for about half a mile to the Perkins campus (Located on the right). The campus will be on the right. See the campus map for the location of each parking lot and head over to the track for registration.
The campus lots are available on a first-come first-serve basis for volunteers and participants. We highly encourage carpooling. There is ample street parking around our campus, both on North Beacon Street, Beechwood Road and Charles River Road.
Participant and volunteer parking
Beechwood lot: 55 Beechwood Avenue, Watertown, MA 02472
Lower School parking lot: 132 Riverside St, Watertown, MA 02472. This is a house at the mouth of the parking lot driveway.
Accessible parking
Perkins Library lot, 141 Riverside St, Watertown, MA 02472
From the Green Line
At Kenmore Station in Boston, take Bus #57, marked Watertown. Get off at the last stop, Watertown Square. Cross the bridge and stay to the right, following North Beacon Street (Route 20). The campus is half a mile on the right (Travel time: About one hour).
From the Red Line
At Harvard Square in Cambridge, take Bus #71, marked “Watertown.” Get off at the last stop. With your back to the river, walk to the right following North Beacon Street (Route 20). Follow North Beacon Street for about half a mile to the Perkins campus located on the right (Travel time: About 45 minutes).
From Green Street and Prospect Street in Central Square
(Cambridge)
Take Bus #70, marked “Cedarwood.” A few minutes after the Arsenal Mall, get off at Beechwood Avenue (Tell driver in advance). Follow Beechwood Avenue to the left for one block. The Perkins campus is located on the right at the intersection of Beechwood Avenue and North Beacon Street (Travel time: About 45 minutes).
Conference map
