Power Up 2023
AT Conference and Expo

 

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Young man in purple graduation cap and gown.

 

Endnote Speaker -- Brendon Hildreth

 

 

Brendon Heldreth is inspiring, humorous, and engaging. He educates his listeners with enthusiasm utilizing his excellent self-advocacy skills as a man with Cerebral Palsy, augmenting his speech with an AAC device. Brendon is the Co-director of the Accessible Icon Project in North Carolina where he lives in New Bern.

 

He graduated from East Carolina University in 2022 with a major is industrial technology, mechanical design. Through hard work and education, along with the help of state and local representatives, he brought the Accessible Icon logo and message to the City of New Bern, who became the first city in North Carolina to adopt the icon. His goal is to work with other cities and businesses to help them do the same. As a Massachusetts native, Brendon is a big Boston Bruins, Red Sox and New England Patriots fan.  

 

 

 

Black and white photo of Sam sitting on the ground against a brick wall with his cane.

National Guest Speaker -- Sam Seavey


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 3 from the Foundation Fighting Blindness, “is currently the largest resource for assistive technology on the internet.” With more than 46,000 subscribers and over 700 informative videos, Sam helps people world-wide 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 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 on one with clients or through his YouTube videos, Sam’s goal is to help everyone live their BEST BLIND LIFES!


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