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The conference will take place May 3, 2025, on our Watertown campus and via our conference app.
This year’s theme is Expression!
We welcome parents and professionals to come explore resources, share their story, and learn from the greatest experts in the field.
Presented by the Van Sloun Foundation.
Lauren is a Perkins parent, as well as a mom to three typically developing children. She has a background in luxury marketing, strategy, and business development for consumer goods. Lauren took an extended break from the corporate world to focus on her family, including her son with neurological blindness, spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, and epilepsy.
When her son’s health stabilized, Lauren dedicated herself to “seeing for two” as an interior decorator, children’s book author, and advocate for universal design and inclusion. She splits her time between the Boston area and Nantucket with her husband, Don, and four children.
We’re excited to offer both in-person and virtual tickets. Registration closes on May 1.
Register by April 23 to be entered to win a $100 gift card from BILLY Footwear. (Terms and conditions apply.)
The in-person experience includes breakfast, lunch, and raffles. Please note that childcare is not provided at the 2025 conference.
Regular: $50
Sessions will be available on our conference app. Login instructions will be emailed to registered participants closer to the conference date.
Regular: $35
Groups: Purchase 3 tickets and receive a 4th at no cost. Contact us for more information and next steps.
The Robin Sitten Attendance Scholarship: A limited amount of scholarships are available for families and Personal Care Attendants of attendees. Contact us for more information and next steps.
Why should your employer send you to our conference? Use our sample justification letter as a template to help explain the benefits you will get (and be able to share) by attending the 2025 Early Connections Conference.
Attending professionals will have the opportunity to earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and/or a Certificate of Attendance. If you wish to participate, please indicate your interest during registration.
ASHA CE Provider approval and use of the Brand Block does not imply endorsement of course content, specific products, or clinical procedures. Presenters of the 2025 Early Connections Conference: Expression! have received a stipend in payment for their presentations.
To maintain the privacy and comfort of all participants, attendees of the Early Connections Conference are strictly prohibited from making their own recordings of sessions, including audio, video, and screen captures, or conducting interviews with other participants without prior written consent from the conference organizers. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
We’re thrilled to announce that the Early Connections Conference has an app! You will be able to view sessions live, create your own schedule, access session and exhibitor resources, receive immediate conference updates, and more on your preferred device!
How to get started:
Login instructions will be sent to registrants.
Exclusive bonus content:
With the app, you’ll also unlock pre-recorded sessions available only on the platform:
Questions? Email us at [email protected].
Perkins is located in Watertown, MA, just 20 minutes from downtown Boston and Logan International Airport, and only 10 minutes from Harvard Square.
Directions to Perkins, public transportation information, and a campus map can be found on our visit Perkins webpage.
We’re excited to offer a hotel block with the Hampton Inn & Suites Watertown Boston at a discounted room rate of $249/night for a King Room and $279/night for a two Queen room. And it’s less than a mile from our campus!
Deadline: April 7, 2025
How to reserve: Book using the custom reservation link or call 617-926-0005.
Amenities and location: Hotel amenities include a free breakfast, access to the hotel fitness center, and discounted parking for $25/night. The Hampton Inn is located in the new Arsenal Yards shopping center, neighboring several shops and restaurants for your enjoyment.
We look forward to sharing this amazing day with you.
If you have any questions regarding the packages, please feel free to reach out to us at [email protected]. Or if you’re ready to book- you can access our payment portal directly. Exhibitor booths for 2025 are sold out.
The Van Sloun Foundation
Get a sense of the expertise and insight available at the Early Connections Conference. Browse past sessions for best practices, advice, and action plans from some of the best in early education for children with vision impairment.
Did you know that the Perkins campus is an Aira access location? Aira is a live, human-to-human professional assistance service, an accommodation or productivity tool that enhances independence by delivering on-demand, skilled and reliable visual interpreting for just about any task. Using the camera and an app on your smartphone, a trained agent will assist by visually interpreting your surroundings, from describing to reading, from explaining to navigating – just about anything, safely and securely.
As an Aira access location, any visitor to Perkins can use the service free of charge. To connect with an agent, download the app for iOS or Android and then create an account using your email or phone number. Once you have an account, simply make a call when you are on the Perkins campus, and you can use the service for navigating, reading, or any task that requires visual assistance.
For questions or to request accommodations at the Early Connections Conference, please contact our team today.
