District Directors Goldsmith, Jackson Assume New Roles on BVA Board Blinded veterans Daryl Goldsmith of Pensacola, Florida and Kevin Jackson of Austin, Texas have been sworn in as members of the BVA Board of Directors representingDistricts 5 and 6, respectively. The official actionoccurred on July 24, 2020.  Under BVA’s National Bylaws, each of the newly elected District Directors will serve three-year terms. Darryl will serve in the capacity for the first time while Kevin has […]

Who are Caregivers? Caregivers are the people who rise to the challenge when a loved one has a need that they cannot accomplish without help. Everyone associated with BVA has some degree of relationship with this concept. Remember when that “jerk in the little white coat said ‘you’re done!’” Then VA sent a letter to the state and medically revoked your driver’s license. Finally, you had to go back to your family and friends and, […]

Blinded Veterans: Always rising to the challenge How many times have you heard that you amaze people with what you can do while being blind? How about the statement that they couldn’t do it? Sometimes you may have felt this way about yourself but then you realize that, at the end of the day, you can’t take off the nightshades. Yeah, it’s a challenge.At some point in our lives, somebody told us we were blind […]

Ken Horn: Rising to New Challenges through Operation Peer Support When Lieutenant Colonel Kennan “Ken” Horn (Ret.) was first nominated in January 2017 to receive the most prestigious annual award of the Blinded Veterans Association, he knew next to nothing about the award and perhaps even less about a group of veterans he would soon thereafter champion and with whom he would become a significant player. Nor did the native Oklahoman realize that he had […]

Specially Adaptive Housing Legislation Passes House, Ensures Access for Blinded Veterans (Alexandria, Virginia) The Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) today recognized the passage of H.R. 3504, the Ryan Kules and Paul Benne Specially Adaptive Housing Improvement Act of 2019. The bill was passed under unanimous consent by members of Congress. READ MORE

Blinded Veterans Laud Bipartisan House Approval of Key Veterans Employment Legislation (Alexandria, Virginia) The Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) today praised the bipartisan effort to pass by unanimous consent H.R. 4920, “The VA Contracting Preference Consistency Act,” legislation that will significantly enhance the lives of America’s blinded veterans for years to come. The bill has already passed the full Senate and moves to the White House for Presidential signature. READ MORE 

Giovinazzo Honored as WVG Member of Month for July BVA life member Sharon Giovinazzo served in the United States Army as a combat medic. She has said that it took losing her sight to gain a vision of what the next chapter of her life would be. Today she is President and CEO of World Services for the Blind in Little Rock, Arkansas, and is July’s Women’s Veteran Group Member of the Month. Women’s Veteran […]

District 3 Veteran of the Month: Gretchen Wilson BVA’s District 3 comprising much of the southeastern states, has selected loyal and longtime BVA member Gretchen Wilson of the South Carolina Regional Group as its July 2020 Member of the Month. Read more about Gretchen’s commitment to serving her fellow veterans.   READ MORE  

BVA Taps Jim Vale as New National Service Director Blinded Veterans Association has selected a National Service Director to oversee Veterans Benefits and Policy. Learn more about the appointment and background of blinded veteran Jim Vale, BVA’s newest staff member. READ MORE

BRS Program Office Wellness Check Article Ella Hart, VA Blind Rehabilitation Service National Program Consultant, describes an important VA initiative with a human touch designed to check on our veterans with vision loss during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Ella is both a Certified Low Vision Therapist and a Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist. Read Ella’s article, which includes BVA Executive Director Donald Overton’s personal experience with the initiative.  READ MORE