- Caelin Lloyd (grade 7 BVI student)
CVTC 2018. I decided I wanted to go at the beginning of this school year (Grade 7). In the coming months I thought about it a little bit, but not very much until a few weeks before the deadline for the call for papers. Funny how those deadlines sneak up on you like that.
A few weeks later I got an email saying that my paper was accepted and they were really excited to have me present at their conference. Once I knew I was going we applied to the APSEA Trust Fund and got approved. Once we knew we had some funding, we booked our plane tickets and hotel room. Then I started working on my presentation. I did a little bit here and there and we added some photos that our friend had taken for us while we were at Rissers Beach camping. My presentation was done and a few weeks later, we were on a plane to Edmonton.
On our first night in Edmonton, I was tired and hungry. We ended up going to The Sawmill Steakhouse and I had a delicious prime rib steak, with garlic bread I might add. The next day I woke up at probably 4am Edmonton time and waited… and waited… and waited until it was 6am and I could go get my free breakfast from the hotel. Dad was in a meeting so I ate by myself. Then after some more waiting, the conference breakfast had started and I had another breakfast. There was watermelon and croissants and it was delicious.
I saw the first keynote address and then went to the first session. After, we had lunch and went to one more session and then me and dad went and rented a car because there were no sidewalks and no restaurants that weren't in hotel lobbies nearby. Don’t let that discourage you from going to Edmonton, we were near the airport so I wasn’t surprised that there was no sidewalks. One of my favorite parts of Friday was the banquet. I had roast beef and it was good. My favorite part of the banquet was when Julie and Lowell Taylor gave their keynote address about their story and their Amazing Race Canada experience.
Saturday. It was the last day of the conference and there was BACON for breakfast. There was a good keynote about the website “Paths to Technology.” After the break, Molly Burke shared her story and it was quite interesting.
After lunch was my turn for my presentation, “How To Win At Bocce Ball, A Boy’s Guide to Navigating the World with Low Vision.” It went very well and everyone that went liked it. The day before I got a suit so I looked snazzy.
After the conference was over, we went to the West Edmonton Mall for supper and to see the sights. This is me in the “9D VR Experience.” Overall, it was a very good conference and I am excited that it is in Ontario in 2020.
Me and dad stayed an extra day to tour around Edmonton. We went to the Telus World of Science and saw their featured “Popnology” exhibit. We flew home that night and I was exhausted for the next 2 or 3 days. I actually took several naps the day we got home. I had a lot of fun at the conference and in Edmonton.
I learned a lot that I can take to the classroom and APSEA.