View the conference schedule and presenter bios below.
Agenda
Friday, October 9th
PDMS: Course #44650 Section #93157
8:00 - 8:30 am
Registration opens / Coffee / Vendors
8:30 - 9:00 am
Welcoming Remarks
Presenter: Erin Kline - DeafBlind Program Coordinator, DE Statewide DeafBlind Program
9:00 - 9:50 am
iCanConnect & Vendor Snapshots
Presenter: Allison Berdoulay - Project Coordinator, DE Assistive Technology Initiative, UD
9:50 - 10:00 am
Coffee / Vendors
Sessions
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
(with a 10 min break)
12:00 - 1:00 pm
Lunch / Vendors
1:00 - 3:00 pm
Sessions
(with a 10 min break)
"Personalizing Literacy Instruction: Story Boxes, Experience Books, & Authentic Choice-Making"
Presenter: Dr. Susan Bruce, Special Education Consultant & Professor Emerita, Boston College
“Access, Meaning, & Participation: CVI-Informed Approaches for School & Home”- Part 2
Presenter: Jonathan Hooper, M.Ed., CTVI & ATP, Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments, Assistive Technology Professional & Disability Advocate
“Predictability as Access: Calendar Systems for Deafblind Learners”
Presenter: Danielle Pepin, MS, LMHC, MEd, TVI
Director of Vision & Hearing Services at the International Academy of Hope (iHOPE)
3:00 - 3:30 pm
Evaluation & Closing
6:00 - 8:00 pm
DeafBlind Family Meet & Greet
*Private event for families only.
7:30 - 8:30 pm
Childcare Meeting & Set Up
"Personalizing Literacy Instruction: Story Boxes, Experience Books, & Authentic Choice-Making"
Presenter: Dr. Susan Bruce, Special Education Consultant & Professor Emerita, Boston College
"Looking, Seeing, & Understanding: A CVI Overview" - Part 1
Presenter: Jonathan Hooper, M.Ed., CTVI & ATP, Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments, Assistive Technology Professional & Disability Advocate
“Predictability as Access: Calendar Systems for Deafblind Learners”
Presenter: Danielle Pepin, MS, LMHC, MEd, TVI
Director of Vision & Hearing Services at the International Academy of Hope (iHOPE)
Registration and Coffee: Pre-function area
Vendors: Conservatory
Location: Ballroom - Delaware
Location: Ballroom - Delaware
Coffee: Pre-function area
Vendors: Conservatory
Location: Ballroom - Delaware
Location: Lavender Room
Location: Rosemary Room
Lunch: Ballroom - Brandywine & Christiana
Vendors: Conservatory
Location: Ballroom - Delaware
Location: Lavender Room
Location: Rosemary Room
Location: Ballroom - Delaware
Location: Lavender Room
Location: Rosemary Room
Location: Lavender Room
Location: Lavender Room
Location: Rosemary Room
Friday
Presenters
Dr. Susan Bruce
Jonathan Hooper, M.Ed., CTVI & ATP
Dr. Susan Bruce is a Professor Emerita, Boston College. Much of Dr. Bruce’s research has focused on communication development and intervention with children who are deafblind or visually impaired with additional disabilities. She has more than 110 publications, with 90 being about learners who are deafblind or visually impaired with additional disabilities. Dr. Bruce continues to be an active researcher as well as conducting assessments and providing consultation to schools and families.
Jonathan Hooper has over a decade of experience working with learners with visual impairments, including cortical visual impairment (CVI), blindness, low vision, deafblindness, and complex needs. He is a certified Assistive Technology Professional (ATP), bringing specialized expertise in selecting, implementing, and training teams on accessible technology solutions.
Although he began his career as a reading teacher, Jonathan has taught in specialized schools for the blind, public and private schools, early intervention programs, and general education classrooms. After teaching in New York City for 12 years, he joined Dr. Christine Roman-Lantzy’s team in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to support children with CVI and collaborate with educational teams and families to improve access to learning.
A graduate of Vanderbilt University, Jonathan has published research in the Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness and Exceptional Children on evidence-based braille instruction and the use of tangible symbols as augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). He is deeply committed to ensuring students with visual impairments receive equitable, meaningful, and accessible educational experiences.
Friday
Presenters
Allison Berdoulay
Danielle Pepin
As the Project Coordinator for CDS’s Delaware Assistive Technology Initiative (DATI), Allison supports the operations of the DATI program and its Assistive Technology Resource Center (ATRC) equipment inventory for the lending libraries that serve all residents of Delaware. She administers equipment programs such as the Tobin Fund, the Borrow to Own Low-Vision Devices (BOLD) program and iCanConnect. She also represents the Center in collaborative ventures with other organizations, including other service providers and grantors.
Originally from northern New Jersey, Allison is a UD alumna and has been an active member of the Newark Rotary Club since 2003 (President 2023-2024). She enjoys camping – well, glamping, riding her E-bike and kayaking. An enthusiastic crafter and artist, Allison specializes in Pysanky egg decorating. She lives in Nottingham, PA., with her husband, daughter, three cats and a small flock of chickens.
Danielle is a dedicated leader and advocate in the field of blindness and visual impairment, with two decades of experience.
Her journey began in 2006 at Visions Services for the Blind, where she served as Assistant Director of the VCB camp program. For over a decade, she facilitated support groups for teens at the Lighthouse Guild’s Saturday Program, creating safe spaces for connection and growth.
Since 2015, Danielle has been a certified Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI), including five years within the NYC Department of Education. In 2021, she stepped
into her current role as Director of Vision and Hearing Services at iHOPE—a pioneering school serving students with multiple disabilities.
Danielle’s work is deeply rooted in advancing equity and access for students with vision and hearing loss, particularly those with complex communication needs. To this
end, she serves on the board of the New York State Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (NYS AER), as well as consulting work
for various organizations.
Danielle holds an M.S. in Counseling, a Sixth-Year Certificate in Mental Health Counseling, and is a licensed therapist in New York State. She also earned an M.Ed. with dual certifications in teaching students who are blind or visually impaired and in general education for grades 1–6.
