Jen Jesso - Secretary

Jen grew up with low vision and was taught to read both print and braille in elementary school, although she primarily used print until she started university and began using braille for most of her coursework. After graduating from high school, Jen attended Simon Fraser University where she graduated with a BA in English in 2005 followed by a BEd in Elementary Education in 2007. After several years of teaching, she also completed an MA in Special Education with a specialization in students with visual impairments from the University of British Columbia in 2014. Jen also has credentials to teach students with learning disabilities and a certificate in teaching English as a Second Language. Jen has worked with children and adults with visual impairments in a variety of roles over the past decade. These have included positions as an itinerant vision teacher for students in kindergarten to grade 12; as an instructor teaching adults with visual impairments at Vancouver Community College; and as an Assistive Technology Specialist with CNIB, as well as through many volunteer opportunities. Currently, Jen is a Vision Outreach Coordinator at the Provincial Resource Centre for the Visually Impaired and supports vision teachers and students throughout the province of BC. Jen uses both print and braille on a daily basis and is passionate about braille literacy for children and adults who are blind or visually impaired. She is an active volunteer and has served on the boards of several advocacy organizations, including Access for Sight-Impaired Consumers and at the chapter, provincial, and national level of the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians.