•  I loved the placemats.  What a wonderful idea.  Involving schools (children), cooking class, etc. in the conference shows that the college campus works well with partners! Way to go!
• This is my first time to Nova Scotia.  It has been a wonderful experience.
• The meals and service were excellent…the best I’ve had at any conference!!
•  Excellent conference…looking forward to the next conference.
• Kids were awesome
• The lobster winked at me?  Food was super, awesome, scrumpdillyicious.
•  Having attended several conferences, I had never been so well received.
•  Its hard to believe that these were students of a hospitality service.  It was so professional and polished that they should be at a 5 start hotel.
• WOW! What a great event.  
• Excellent – can’t wait for the next one!
• Food was superb – servers were wonderful, portions were huge!  Well done – best food at a conference ever!
• Excellent food.  Excellent service – unprecedented!
• Excellent organization in all aspects.
• The meals were awesome.  The students are to be commended for their excellent service and culinary skills.
• This is one of the best conferences I have ever attended.
• The conference was very well organized.  Great job!  Would love to come back.
• Excellent culminating film!!
• Orange t-shirt students were excellent and helpful.
•  Food was fabulous!
•  A round of applause for the chefs and all who partook in the delivery of the food.
•  Fabulous menus, preparation and service.
• Wonderful meals, excellently prepared.  A super job in this regard.
• All workshops were excellent.
• Overall, I enjoyed the conference.  It was an excellent effort and I would definitely come again.
• An excellent opportunity to network and meet people from across Canada.  Well organized, great food, and warm hospitality.
• Students and staff were superb during the entire conference – friendly and knowledgeable.
• My thanks to the food planning, preparation and serving staff.  The quality and quantity of food was awesome!
• The conference was done wonderfully.
• Reception was very welcoming! Very friendly!
• Food was wonderful! Kudos!
• Entertainment was excellent!
• The FOOD!!  The best I’ve ever had a a conference in 15 years!! BRAVO!
• This was the most organized, well run conference I’ve attended, hospitality incredible and information and learning abundant.
• Very impressed with students and staff.
• I will recommend this conference to others
• The best meals and service ever!
•  Extremely well organized.  Vast array of presenters.  Orange t-shirt helpers were wonderful (great idea)
•  Food was fantastic! Well done!
• Over the top food – like 5 star restaurant
• Food couldn’t have been better – lobster dinner beyond compare!! Excellent
• An excellent conference in all respects!
•  The workshops were well done – selection was great.
•  The presentation, taste and service of all meals were fabulous.  Both dinners could not have been improved on.  Thank-you!
• This has been a well thought out conference – the hard work, insight into what people needed to be informed on, and planning is obvious.  
• The conference was fantastic! Thank-you
•  Well organized event – enjoyed the music!
• The culinary arts students out did themselves as did the hospitality group.  The food alone was worth the price of admission!
• The ATC has done an excellent job organizing and running this event.  They have shown that size of community is unimportant! Excellent job.
• Warm welcome right at the door.  Staff at the centre were very accommodating.
• Well done!!! Informative, friendly.  The volunteer students and hospitality students were marvelous
• Excellent workshops.
• Food was excellent/well presented/plentiful!  The service was exceptional.
• Very well organized/information excellent.  Presenters were well prepared and had excellent information.  Congratulations – a wonderful job overall.
• Everyone was so pleasant and helpful.
• The food provided was absolutely wonderful, was never hungry.
•  Enjoyed myself, this was one of the best planned conferences I’ve ever been to.

 Everything from the bagpipes to the band at the dance was wonderful


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ATAINS has been approved to issue Continuing Education Units for members attending the Assistive Technology conference April 3,4,5 at the NSCC: Lunenburg campus in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia.  We have an approval number for any CARP member who holds the RRP designation only.  Contact us for information: barbara.welsford@nscc.ca

CARP is a national, member-focused association that supports the interdisciplinary nature of the rehabilitation field and supports professionals by providing a national infrastructure that unites members practicing a specialization within the rehabilitation continuum.

ATAINS has just been approved to issue 3 CEU's (Continuing Education Units) to conference participants who are members (and non members) of the Canadian Counselling Association.   Information will be posted on their website in the very near future http://www.ccacc.ca/CEUPre.htm 

Members of CCA will receive transcripts at no cost listing all attended events assessed at Continuing Education Units.  Non-members must pay a fee to have CEU's recorded and to have a transcript issued.  see website for more details

Web4All to be Launched in NS at ATAINS

Web4All combines several assistive technologies including both hardware and software.  The software components include Opera (a plain text browser), HomePage Reader (speech synthesis for the blind), eReader (multi-sensory input for learning disabilities, low literacy French as a second language and English as a second language), and a Visual Dynamic Keyboard (alternative keyboard inputs for manual dexterity impairments).  The package also includes an external card reader and Track ball, which replaces the regular mouse.  Each user can select, save, and deploy their personalized interface preferences using smartcard technology that automatically configures when the card is inserted into the smartdrive.  The mandate of Web4All is to promote inclusive access to the Web for all Canadians through sight, sound and/or touch.  These terminals are intended to provide access to the Internet for those who may not otherwise have access.

The Park View Education Centre  Jazz Band will be playing during registration for the ATAINS conference from 3 - 5 p.m. on April 3rd.  The student jazz band, under the direction of Mr. Scott Leonard, won a medal at last years Music Festival.  It is composed of students in Grades 10, 11 and 12.

Deborah is a highly  motivated person who took her knowledge of webpage coding and  combined it with a natural flair for design to create Celtic WebWorks  in 1998.  Deborah has been highly successful with a diverse range of clients from shipbuilders and Naval Architects (where she was involved with the construction & launch of "Theodore Tugboat Too") to Bed and Breakfasts.  Deborah is an active member of the Mahone Bay & Area Chamber of Commerice

Deborah has a strong commitment to community.  She has been a volunteer in many organizations, including Centre Consolidated School, Girl Guides and the church in Mahone Bay.  It was at Centre Consolidated School that Deb first encountered webpage creation.

Deb has gifted us with her skills by creating and maintaining the ATAINS website, and updating and maintaining the Assistive Technology Centre site as part of her commitment to the community and the people involved with both the Assistive Technology Centre and the ATAINS Conference.  Deb's fast, efficient service in updating our websites has allowed us to have dynamic sites.

Karen is an Honours Student in the Business Administration -Marketing Program at the Nova Scotia Community College - Lunenburg Campus in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia.  She has been a member of the ATAINS Planning Committee since "day one".

Karen currently acts as the liaison between the Planning Committee and her fellow marketing students.  Karen has also been networking with local businesses, soliciting donations of promotional items for the conference as well as pricing various items for the conference.

Karen is currently designing a marketing plan for the ATAINS conference.  This plan will not only assist the ATAINS Planning team, but will also satisfy one of the requirements of her course. Karen will also receive a certificate of participation from the conference committee and a letter of reference to include in her portfolio.

Karen has been a long time employee of White Point Beach Resort, one of the hotels holding rooms for the conference.  Her experience working in the hospitality industry and her training in the Business Administration - Marketing Program at the college provide her  with the background to fulfill her role on the ATAINS Planning Committee.

In the course of her work with the ATAINS Planning Committee, Karen feels she has been fortunate to work with Saundra Myers, ATAINS Conference Coordinator, Barbara Welsford, Assistive Technology Centre Coordinator and Paul Shields, Communication Officer for the South Shore District School Board.

Entertainment for Thursday, April 3, 2003

David Christensen, Saxophone
Andrew Killawee, Piano
These two Halifax based musicians have been playing together in a variety of  settings for about ten years. Their interests range from Jazz to classical to folk to pop. Andrew's piano playing is full and rich, while David's sound is sweet and mellow. They will be playing a nice selection of  popular standards and jazz. 

Master of Ceremonies
Dr. Gary Ramey,College Prep Coordinator
Nova Scotia Community College: Lunenburg Campus, Bridgewater, NS

Opening Remarks
Ray Ivany, President, Nova Scotia Community College, Halifax, NS
Wanda Broome, Chairperson, South Shore District School Board, Bridgewater, NS
Gerald Keddy, Member of Parliament, South Shore, NS

Welcome
Barbara Welsford, B.Sc., M.Ed, ATP
Coordinator, Assistive Technology Centre, Bridgewater, NS

Keynotes
Dr. Marcia Scherer, Director,Institute for Matching Person & Technology, Webster, NY
Jennifer Hunt, Action Read, Guelph, ON

One focus of the ATAINS conference is to include students from the South Shore District School Board and the Community College as much as possible.   Each activity is built into their curriculum and they get credit for their contributions. 

• The Marketing Students at the NSCC: Lunenburg Campus have designed the logo for the ATAINS conference and  they continue to help with media releases and general conference planning.
• Culinary Arts students will be preparing all meals and be part of designing the menus.
• Hospitality students at NSCC: Lunenburg will be serving all meals.
• Tourism students at Park View Education Centre will be acting as hosts and hostesses for the ATAINS conference.  These eager students will provide participants a warm welcome and guide them throughout the 3-day conference.
• COOP Tech students in the area will be providing technical support to those presenting workshops. 
• Students in the Business Administration Course at NSCC: Lunenburg are designing the database for the conference to facilitate easy access to participants, vendors etc.