Event
October 16, 2023
1:00 pm to 5:00 pm CST
Location
Farm Bureau Expo Center 945 East Baddour Parkway Lebanon, TN 37087
Contact
Tennesseans with disabilities and their advocates are invited to the Farm Bureau Expo Center in Lebanon to learn about new tools and technologies that support independent living and work experiences. Participants will have opportunities to discover success stories and connect with vendors and other Tennesseans with assistive technology experience.
Keynote Speaker Sam Seavey
This year will featurecreator Sam Seavey as the event’s Keynote Speaker. Sam was diagnosed at age 11 with Stargardt’s, an early onset form of macular degeneration, and was legally blind by his mid-teens. Over the last 30 years, he has developed an extensive background in research and understanding of assistive devices and techniques of living with low vision.
Sam is the founder and creator of The Blind Life YouTube Channel, which, according to a recent article from the Foundation Fighting Blindness, “is currently the largest resource for assistive technology on the internet.” With more than 56,000 subscribers and over 800 informative videos, Sam helps people worldwide living with vision loss, offering tips for managing daily tasks, reviewing assistive devices, and hosting informative interviews with key stakeholders in the visually impaired community. Sam is recognized as an expert when speaking and presenting at national conferences. Featured in USA TODAY, WIRED Magazine, and numerous national and international podcasts on assistive technology, he collaborates with tech giants like Google, SONY, and Amazon, has created content for MacularDegeneration.net and participates on Microsoft’s Window’s Accessibility Advisory Board. Sam currently manages the AT program at a nonprofit where he provides training on assistive devices ranging from low-tech items like simple bump dots and magnifiers, to phone apps and assistive computer software. Whether he’s working one one-on-one with clients or through his YouTube videos, Sam’s goal is to help everyone live their best blind life.
For more information about other events happening in Tennessee during National Disability Employment Awareness Month, visit Tn.Gov/Didd/For-Sonsumers/Employment--First/Hire-My-Strengths/Ndeam-Events.html.
To learn more about the Tennessee Technology Access Program or other support programs for Tennesseans with disabilities, visit TN.gov/Humanservices/Disability-Services.html.