National Symposium
Drawbridge Inn Hotel
Fort Mitchell, Kentucky
(across the river from Cincinnati, Ohio)
You are cordially invited to attend the exciting 24th symposium of the American Association of the Deaf-Blind (AADB) at the Drawbridge Inn Hotel in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky during the week of June 19-24, 2011.
(Can't wait to to fill out the registration? Let's go to the registration form now!)
- Deaf-Blind Registration
- Deaf-Blind Teen Registration
- SSP Registration
- AADB Store
- Other Registrations
A wide range of activities is planned for an enjoyable week for all - exciting workshops, demo shows, exhibits, social activities, banquet-dance, awards and more. There also will be a talent show, walk-a-thon, and a silent auction for anyone interested in joining us. We will have a Teen/Young Adult Program. There will be a Kings Island Day at the local amusement/water park on Friday, June 24th, for anyone interested in staying an extra night.
In this letter, you will find:
Accommodation
- Symposium Site
- Hotel
- Meals
AADB Events
- Deaf-Blind Youth
- Kings Island Day - June 24th
- Raffles
- Silent Auction
AADB Services
- SSP Services
- Transportation
- Daycare
Registration
- Fees
- Cancellation Policy
Other Information
- Tentative Schedule
- Workshop Description
Registration Forms
- Deaf-Blind Delegates
- Deaf-Blind Youth
- Support Service Providers (SSPs)
- Other Participants(Family Members, Professionals, Observer)
Symposium Site
Fort Mitchell/Greater Cincinnati's art, industry, history, science and cultural diversity await your discovery! Fort Mitchell, part of Greater Cincinnati, is known far and wide for the Reds’ Baseball and Graeter’s Ice Cream, Skyline Chili, and Montgomery Inn’s ribs. Enjoy a night on the town at the Newport on the Levee, located on the Ohio River just a few miles away. The Newport on the Levee has restaurants (one of them a famous German restaurant called the Hofbräuhaus), Newport Aquarium, BB Riverboat, Ride the Duck, movie theatres, shopping, and more. From here you can view the beautiful city lights and walk across the Ohio River to the Cincinnati side on the Purple People Bridge. Also, at your leisure you can shop, eat or take a walk around the nearby Crestview Hills Town Center, which has over 65 prime retailers and fine restaurants.
Hotel
Experience the royal treatment, the charm of an European village and Kentucky hospitality at the award-winning Drawbridge Inn Hotel and Convention Center.
Located along I-75 @ Buttermilk Pike, the Drawbridge Inn Hotel is convenient to all the excitement of the Kentucky/Ohio Riverfront (just 6 miles) and to the many wonderful attractions in the area, including Newport on the Levee. Shopping opportunities surround the hotel and the Southbank Shuttle makes it easy to get around Northern Kentucky and downtown Cincinnati.
For Delegates and Other Participants:
You can now make your reservations on line through the hotel’s web site, please find “Book Online” to “Book Your Room Online” at www.drawbridgehotel.com for the American Association of the Deaf-Blind Symposium. To take advantage of the discounted rate at $79 plus taxes per night, be sure to enter the group code “deaf”. If you prefer to make your reservation by phone, the number to call is 1-800-354-9793 and remember to say you are with the American Association of the Deaf-Blind. Please have your credit card ready so the hotel will be able to charge the first night’s deposit. Make sure you hang onto your confirmation number in case you need this upon arrival. Please make your reservations as soon as possible before our reserved block of rooms become sold out.
For SSPs:
You will need to register first in order for AADB to reserve your hotel room. Just follow the SSP registration information and form at the bottom of this letter.
Meals
All meals will be the responsibility of participants. Drawbridge Inn Hotel offers complimentary breakfast for guests staying overnight at the hotel only. There are two restaurants on-site that will be serving lunch and dinner. Prices are below $10 for lunch and below $20 for dinner. There may be concession stands to purchase sandwiches and lite lunch fare. Also, there are several restaurants, Mexican, Chinese, Montgomery Inn’s Rib, and various fast food places within easy walking distance of Drawbridge Inn Hotel. Plus there are two ice cream salons nearby, Graeter’s and Dairy Queen.
Tickets are available for purchase for the Dinner-Dance on the last night of the symposium (Thursday, June 23rd). Tickets are $50 per person.
For SSPs
AADB will reimburse SSPs for meals purchased during their time working with deaf-blind delegates. The Dinner-Dance meal will be provided to all SSPs working during the Symposium. Please see to SSP Registration for more information.
Deaf-Blind Youth
This symposium is primarily for deaf-blind adults, age 18 or older. However, deaf-blind teens are welcome to register as Delegates and participate in symposium activities as long as they have a responsible adult registered with them. The responsible adult can come as an SSP to the deaf-blind youth or pay the conference fee as a family member or observer.
AADB is offering a deaf-blind teen/young adult program at this symposium. More information and registration form, please see the bottom of this letter.
Kings Island Day - June 24th
The last full day of AADB’s symposium is Thursday, June 23rd, ending with Dinner-Dance Thursday evening. Deaf-Blind Explorers is hosting a day trip to Kings Island all day Friday, June 24th for symposium participants who wish to stay an additional night on Friday night at the hotel, then go home on Saturday.
Come join Deaf-Blind Explorers in a fun day at Kings Island! This 364-acre amusement and water park features more than 80 world-class rides, shows and attractions, including 14 thrill-inducing roller coasters!
Be ready to scream all day long on thrill rides like Diamondback, The Beast, and their newest skyline buster - Windseeker, 301 feet straight up. Or you can kick back, relax and enjoy a long list of amazing live shows. Plus, there is a 15-acre waterpark, Boomerang Bay is free for passholders and has something for everyone. Tickets cost $105 per participant and this includes the following: all day pass, dinner in the picnic grove, unlimited food and drinks for two hours, SSP services, and transportation from and back to Drawbridge Inn Hotel.
Raffle
It's RAFFLE time!! Help support AADB and win big prizes. We are holding a raffle to raise money for the AADB symposium. Prizes include:
- One $500 cash prize
- Two $250 cash prizes
- Free luxury suite at the Drawbridge Inn Hotel (value $1,250 for five nights)
- Free ticket to attend the AADB Dinner-Dance (value $50)
- One free 3-4 days at a professional development seminar of choice at Helen Keller National Center, including lodging and meals (value $300-$600)
And many more prizes!
You can purchase your chances to win raffle prizes when you pay your registration to the Symposium at the AADB Store.
Silent Auction
Consider giving and participating in the Silent Auction that will be held during the 2011 AADB Symposium. There will be viewing and bidding on Sunday and Monday. On Monday evening, join in the fun to win door prizes, to listen to light music with cash bar, and to turn in your last bids on the auction items. This will help support AADB to pay for the SSP's meals and lodging.
Support Service Provider (SSP) Services
We strongly recommed each deaf-blind Delegate bring at least one SSP. Those who use tactile communication are encouraged to bring two SSPs. This would help us guarantee that the Delegate has an SSP with whom he or she is most comfortable. If you are bringing your own SSP(s), please make sure they fill out an SSP registration form with your name listed as the Delegate they are assisting on their application. Likewise, you should list their name(s) as your SSP(s) on your registration form.
For those who are not bringing an SSP, we will make every effort to match you with an SSP who can meet your needs for communication and guiding. However, we cannot guarantee this because it depends on the pool of extra SSPs who register. Registered Delegates who need tactile interpreters get first priority in getting SSPs matched with them. The SSPs for tactile users will be relieved before other SSPs. We will make every effort to have enough SSPs. By doing this, the hard-working Communication Team will have a much easier task of meeting the SSP needs of every Delegate.
Children and youth under the age of 18 cannot register as SSPs.
Daycare
The symposium will not provide any daycare or activities for children under age 18 other than for deaf-blind teens. If children and youth under age 18 attend, their meals and lodging will be the responsibility of the parents. If the parents wish to include their children in the symposium activities and the Dinner-Dance, they would need to register and pay for Other Participants (family member) which can be found later in this letter.
Transportation
Whether you are traveling by airplane, train, bus or car, we ask that you plan to arrive on Sunday, June 19th. Check In time for the hotel room is 4:00 p.m. Please allow sufficient time to get to the symposium site, check in for your hotel room, register with AADB for your tote bag with packets of information, and get settled before the first scheduled activity, which will be the Welcome Ceremony at 7:00 p.m.
Unless you are staying on for the Kings Island’s Day scheduled for all day June 24th, or are just staying an extra night, the official departure date is Friday, June 24th. Checkout time is 11:00 a.m.
Please Note: If you arrive a day or two earlier or stay a day or two later, you will be on your own. AADB will not provide SSP services before and after the Symposium days.
Ground Transportation Note: AADB will NOT provide transportation to and from airports, bus, and train stations. Please read ground transportation information under airport, bus and train information below.
Airport
Fly to: Greater Cincinnati/Northern KY International Airport (CVG)
Ground transportation: Guests staying at the Drawbridge Inn Hotel can take their complimentary airport shuttle. The shuttle departs the hotel at the top and half past of each hour on an as-needed-basis. When you arrive at the airport baggage claim area, there may be volunteers available to help assist you to your ride to the hotel or you can ask airport staff for assistance. If you arrive anytime before or after Sunday, June 19th, just give a call at 800-354-9793 or 859-341-2800 to request shuttle pickup. A wheelchair accessible van is available on request.
Please Note: Check with Drawbridge Inn Hotel the day before you depart on the time to catch the shuttle back to the airport for your return flight.
If you are staying at other locations, you are responsible for making your own ground transportation arrangements.
Important Note for Deaf-Blind Delegates:
Recently, AADB found out that some airlines, upon their approval, pay for the flights of SSPs to fly with deaf-blind passengers. If you would like to look into this possibility, AADB advises you to call the airlines way before the day of your flight to the symposium to let them know that you are deaf-blind and to see if they would approve to pay for your SSP to fly with you. It is their decision to decide whether or not to pay for your SSP’s flight. It is a good idea to give the airlines plenty of time to make their decision in case this ended up as “denied” and your SSP would need to buy a reservation before the fares go up more.
Train
1301 Western Avenue
Cincinnati, Ohio 45203
No transportation will be provided by AADB to and from the train station and Drawbridge Inn Hotel. Taxi cabs are available at the train station and are estimated to cost about $10-$15.
Bus stations:
1005 Gilbert Avenue
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
Fourth Street at Race
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
No transportation will be provided by AADB to and from the bus stations and Drawbridge Inn Hotel. Taxi cabs are available in front of Greyhound Station. If you are taking the Megabus, you can walk around the corner to a nearby hotel to catch a taxi cab. Estimated fare to / from Drawbridge Inn Hotel is $10-$15.
Car:
Free ample parking for up to 900 vehicles at Drawbridge Inn Hotel.
Registration Information
The general registration fee are:
Before May 5th (The Early Bird Registration)
- Regular Members - $350
- Lifetime Members - $315
- Non Members - $400
Before June 10th
- Regular Members - $400
- Lifetime Members - $365
- Non-Member - $450
At the door
- Regular Members - $425
- Lifetime Member - $390
- Non-Member - $475
Payment will be made at the AADB Store. The payment page will includes registration fee, ticket/s for dinner-dance, t-shirts, ticket/s for Kings Island Amusement Park, and raffle tickets and can be purchased separately in this AADB Store.
Please be sure to fill in all required fields or it will show as "Incomplete" and online registration forms will not be processed. After we receive your completed registration form and payment, we will send you an email with a confirmation letter. Later on, we will ask you to fill out another form to give us an idea numbers of people attending activities during the symposium. This will be sent to you by email with a link to fill out a short form online.
For alternate formats of registration form or assistance filling online registrations, contact Lynn Jansen, Chair.
Cancellation Policy
If you need to cancel your registration, please send a written notice to the AADB Office via email, fax, or snail mail. Please consider donating your registration refund to AADB. All donations are tax-deductible. If you wish to receive a refund, please put this request in your written notice. Requests for refunds will be handled on an individual basis. The schedule of refunds is as follows:
- Before May 15th: Full refund
- Between May 15th - June 10th: 50% refund
- After June 10th: No refund
If AADB cancels the symposium due to circumstances beyond our control, we will refund fees paid 100%. NOTE: this refers to symposium fees only and not to any travel, hotel, meals, or other expenses you may incur.
Other information
- Symposium Schedule
- Workshop Information (Work in Progress)
Are You Ready?
Are you ready to fill our the registration and make your purchase? Please select one of the registration form if you are:
- Deaf-Blind Registration
- Deaf-Blind Teen Registration
- SSP Registration
- AADB Store
- Other Registrations
Have question or Need further information? You can contact Lynn Jansen the Symposium chair:
- Voice: (513) 242-4171
- Email: events@aadb.org