Join the 2025 Descriptathon and help make national parks more accessible! The American Council of the Blind, the National Park Service, and UniDescription (UniD) are recruiting new volunteers to create audio descriptions for selected national park brochures. Teams are composed of people who are both sighted and those on the blindness spectrum. They will collaborate to describe maps, paintings, and visual images within park brochures. Because all meetings are held remotely, volunteers may find themselves […]

The City of Fredericksburg, Virginia, honored veterans with a walking procession from the city’s Memorial Park to the “Our Fallen Heroes War Memorial,” where this year’s annual ceremony was convened. On hand for the events with a wreath to present was BVA staff and Mid-Atlantic Regional Group member Michaun Harrison, who has also served for more than two years as the Secretary of the Fredericksburg Area Veterans Council. The voluntary Council seeks to restore and, […]

BVA National President Paul Mimms and National Program Coordinator Vernon Humphrey ventured to the Nation’s Capital this week to represent blind and low vision veterans throughout the country in a series of events on Veterans Day that occurred at both the White House and Arlington National Cemetery (ANC). Among such highlights was BVA’s participation in the flag processional and a VSO wreath laying at the Cemetery. With the BVA and U.S. flags firmly in waist-high […]

BVA members from Districts 1 and 2, many accompanied by members of their families, rose early on November 11 to proudly march down Fifth Avenue in the annual New York City Veterans Day Parade. The parade entry showcased their desire and dedication to honor the service and resilience of fellow veterans past and present. The effort of the group also represented a commitment to continue empowering other blind and low vision veterans nationwide. The parade […]

This Sunday, November 10, United States Marines around the globe will celebrate an astonishing 249 years of training and combat success, reaffirming their commitment to the Corps’ proud legacy of honor, courage, and commitment. The Marine Corps’ annual tradition celebrates the establishment of the organization on November 10, 1775, by the Second Continental Congress. The Continental Congress ordered that two battalions of Marines be raised for service as landing forces with the fleet. Marines have […]

Some 25 members of BVA’s Greater Houston Regional Group (GHRG) participated in the City of Houston’s White Cane Day celebration on October 15. The annual event, which brings hundreds of blind and visually impaired people into downtown Houston, is hosted by the Houston Council on White Cane Safety Day. The day’s activities seek to make the world more aware of the resilience of those who are blind or visually impaired. “In Houston and across the […]

Anyone familiar with Heartland Regional Group President Jeanie Murphy would not be surprised to learn that her Saturdays are rarely spent doing things for herself. More than likely, she is helping someone else or doing work for BVA. This past October 19 was no exception as she participated in the Fort Riley, Kansas Retirement Fair for the third time. “The retirement fair has always presented a great opportunity for us to promote BVA as well […]

Music enthusiast Dan Kern, a U.S. Army veteran (1978-89) and BVA member from Pueblo West, Colorado, has written and produced two albums entitled We Salute You and Thank You Veterans, set for release today, November 8. With the approach of Veterans Day, Dan’s music centers on veterans—their service and sacrifices. The two albums can be accessed virtually everywhere music is available—Apple iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, Tik Tok, and iHeart Radio. All of Dan’s produced music is […]

BVA National Headquarters wishes all Association members and their families, the organization’s generous sponsors and friends, and hundreds of other loyal supporters a very Happy Veterans Day. The theme selected by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Day National Committee (VDNC) for this year’s Veterans Day observance at Arlington National Cemetery is “A Legacy of Loyalty and Service.” VDNC challenged professional and amateur artists nationwide to create a poster that reflected that theme. The […]

The concept of Whole Health centers around what matters to us, not what is the matter with us. We decide what is important for our health and well-being. At VA facilities across the country and through telehealth, a VA care team can help veterans develop a plan for all areas of their lives using a Personal Health Inventory. Nurse Educator Kathy Bixby of the Washington, DC VA Medical Center has taught classes on several topics […]