Navigating the World Together: A Mother and Daughter’s Story
Janna Brattli, mother
In 2020 Janna became a mother for the first time. Learning that the child was completely blind was overwhelming! Being the mother of a blind child presents a whole range of challenges one are not prepared for as a parent. However, the joy of what is possible far exceeds any challenge. In this Keynote presentation you will get to know Jenny (5 years old) and how she navigates the world.
The power of perspective: being able to look for opportunities rather than limitations
Maren Gjærde Tryggestad
As a visually impaired young woman, the outside world can often seem fairly inaccessible and overwhelming. Nevertheless, the ability to see opportunities and step out of one’s own comfort zone has given me countless amounts of experience that have undoubtedly enabled me to live an independent, fun, fulfilling and «normal» life.
I would like to share a glimpse of my life with you, to show how positive mindsets, strong institutions, and, above all, people, have made this possible for me. Furthermore, I hope to give insight into how you, as experts on visual education can make a big difference in visually impaired children, youth and adult lives.
Combating ableism and fostering social resilience: Perspectives of blind youth
Gagan Chhabra works as a professor in Special Needs Education at Inland Norway university of applied sciences.
I denne keynoten vil jeg diskutere problemet med en viktig “attitudinal” barriere, som “abelism”. Keynoten skal gi innsikt i hva som er “abelism”, hvor man finner “abelism” og hvordan man kan bekjempe det. Keynoten vil også fokusere på motstandskraften, demonstrasjonen av blinde og synshemmede ungdommer for å bekjempe “abelism” i arbeidsmarkedet og samfunnet i Norge. Keynoten vil synliggjøre erfaringene til blinde og synshemmede ungdommer, og vil synliggjøre de individuelle og institusjonelle faktorene som vil bidra til å fremme motstandskraft og bekjempe “abelism” i Norge.
This keynote will discuss the issue of an important “attitudinal” barrier, such as “ableism.” The keynote will provide insights into what “ableism” is, where it can be found, and how it can be fought. It will also focus on the resilience and advocacy of blind and visually impaired youth in combating “ableism” in the labor market and society in Norway. The keynote will highlight the experiences of blind and visually impaired young people and shed light on the individual and institutional factors that contribute to promoting resilience and fighting “ableism” in Norway.
Exploring how AI can become a genuinely useful part of your workday
Sebastian Scott Engen, Cand.IT in Cognitive Science.
Hi everyone, my name is Sebastian. My goal is simple: to get us all on the same page and build a shared, practical understanding of how we can leverage AI in our work. We’ll do this by using simple metaphors, such as thinking of AI as a helpful intern or a genius brainstorming partner. With these perspectives in mind, we can more easily see how AI can support the jobs that we already do. I’ll show you some concrete examples and straightforward techniques, so you leave with a common vocabulary and, hopefully, feel comfortable taking the first steps in exploring how AI can become a genuinely useful part of your workday in the near future.
Visual impairment and mental health – research and clinical experience
Marianne Bang Hansen, Clinical psychologist, PhD
Norwegian National Unit for Hearing and Visual Impairment and Mental Health is an outpatient clinic at Oslo University Hospital in Norway. At our outpatient clinic, we treat patients with mental disorders and sensory loss. We have over the last few years worked to expand our range of services to include visually impaired people with mental health problems.
The scope of my speech is both from a clinical and research perspective on vision and mental health; about the specifics of being visually impaired when it comes to mental health and the development of – and treatment of mental disorders. I discuss why it is necessary to have a specialized clinic in mental health care service for individuals with visual impairment and mental health issues.
From 2013 to 2018, I participated an EU-funded research project on visual impairment and mental health. In this project, we interviewed 732 visual impaired individuals (in Norway) about mental health. Research topics include depression and anxiety, bullying, sexual abuse, loneliness, serious life events, social relationships and coping.
Findings from our research and clinical experience from our work with visual impairment and mental health will be addressed.
Education for all? The reality of blind students in higher education
Randi Elisabeth Hagen, Senior Advicer, Høgskolen i Innlandet
This keynote presentation critically examines the discrepancy between the Norwegian government’s commitment to digital accessibility/universal design and the digital barriers faced by blind students in higher education. Although legislation requires learning environments to be accessible and inclusive, many blind students still face significant challenges. This presentation will draw on research data, interviews with blind students /former students and university staff, as well as an analysis of digital learning platforms, to highlight the gap between policy and practice.
Moflata School – How have we built our capacity from scratch to where we are today
Fredrik Mydske Nilsen (rektor), Kine Saga og Tonje Gurholt Elvenes (kontaktlærere)
Moflata school is a primary school in Skien with 450 pupils. In August 2019, we received our first pupil with visual challenges. We will tell you a little about the journey we have been on.
Moflata School – How have we built our capacity from scratch to where we are today:
- What kind of mindset characterizes our school, what kind of culture is the foundation, and what kind of view on pupils do we want to have?
- How have we bulit competence among key individuals?
- How have we built competence among the entire staff?
- How have we worked to involve other parts of the municipality
- How do we collaborate with the PPT (Educational Psychological Counseling), Statped, NAV, etc.?
- Concrete practices and reflections from two classrooms – where do we succeed? Where do we fail?
