Luis F. Perez Florida Center for Instructional Technology, University of South Florida

Luis Pérez is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Special Education at the University of South Florida. His research interests include technology professional development for teachers, assistive technology, universal design, web accessibility, and disability studies. He also received his M. Ed. degree in instructional technology from USF, where he is on the staff of the Florida Center for Instructional Technology. At FCIT, Luis developed Tech Ease 4 All, a collection of assistive technology tutorials for parents, teachers and other professionals who work with students who have special needs.

Luis was selected to be an Apple Distinguished Educator in 2009 and he is a frequent presenter at regional, national and international conferences on educational technology and accessibility, including the Florida Educational Technology Conference (FETC), the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference, Closing the Gap, and the International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference (CSUN).

Luis was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, an eye condition that results in progressive vision loss, at the age of 29. Luis is considered legally blind due to the fact that he only has about 10 degrees of central vision left. As a person with a visual disability, Luis knows firsthand what a difference mobile technology can make in the lives of people with disabilities. Despite his limited eyesight Luis is an avid photographer who relies on his iPhone and iPad as his primary means of capturing and editing images.