The Greater Hall County Area Chapter of the Georgia Council of the Blind will be hosting the 2017 Georgia Council of the Blind Convention & Conference at the Ramada Inn Gainesville Lanier Centre on April 28-29. This is the first time Gainesville has hosted the convention since the late 1980s, Hall County Chapter President Dianne Roberts said. Matt Simpson, a Georgia native who won a silver medal with the U.S. men’s goalball team at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, will be the guest speaker when the event begins with a welcome reception from 7-9 p.m. April 28.