Blinded U.S. Army veterans and BVA members Teresa Galgano and Scott Quinlan have been appointed to new positions of responsibility with BVA National Headquarters, Executive Director Donald D. Overton, Jr. announced this week. Teresa will assume the role of BVA Director of Member Relations while Scott will serve with the Association’s Veterans Service Program as a National Service Officer.  A resident of Fort Myers, Florida, Teresa began working for BVA this past March as a […]

Join BVA’s VetTech Team this Wednesday, July 19, at 2:00pm Eastern Time as the Weekly Wednesday Webinar welcomes Amos Miller, co-founder of Glidance, a company committed to changing the world for the better through advanced autonomous driving and robotics technology. Amos lost his sight in his 20s and struggled with using a cane. His experience inspired him to use his tech expertise to develop something more helpful. The development of Glide has placed Glidance at […]

BVA members who have recently participated in the virtual monthly meetings of the Dog Handlers Committee have likely noted the increase in the number of attendees at the meetings during the past few months. Hoping to encourage even greater participation, Committee Chair Michaun Harrison has provided links to resource material for attendees to peruse prior to the upcoming meeting scheduled for this Tuesday, July 18, at 4:00pm Eastern Time.   Topics to be discussed during […]

BVA members and their families still contemplating attendance at the Association’s 78th National Convention should register now and make their reservations immediately with the Marriott St. Louis Grand in downtown St. Louis. The deadline for both arrangements is Friday, July 21.     Regional group officers should continue to refer to the full 2023 Official Convention Letter released and posted to the BVA website in early June. All members, especially those planning to attend the convention, […]

BVA members who have recently attended the virtual monthly meetings of the Dog Handlers Committee may have noticed the rise in the number of attendees at the meetings during the past few months. Committee Chair Michaun Harrison hopes to encourage even greater participation by providing resource material for attendees to peruse prior to the next meeting, which is scheduled for Tuesday, July 18, at 4:00pm. Topics to be discussed during the next session include: 1) […]

Join BVA’s VetTech Team this Wednesday, July 12, at 2:00pm Eastern Time as the Weekly Wednesday Webinar welcomes Liz Whitaker, Product Manager for User Education and Research for Vispero, a sponsor of the upcoming national convention.  Liz will address the recent June 2023 rollout of a host of newly updated features and advancements to Freedom Scientific’s JAWS, Fusion, and ZoomText. Do not miss this VetTech session! Participants will learn:  How to use Vispero’s Message Center. […]

BVA regional group officers should continue to refer to the full 2023 Official Convention Letter released and posted to the BVA website in early June. Members planning to attend the convention, regardless of their current registration status, should also use the letter as a reference.   The document includes the fast-approaching convention deadlines for making final plans to attend, holding meetings, and submitting important documents. It also includes the convention’s official notice required by the […]

All BVA members and their families are invited to participate in the Association’s fourth and final interactive Town Hall in preparation for the upcoming national convention August 14-18. The meeting, scheduled for next Tuesday, July 11, at 2:00pm Eastern Time, will focus on anticipated business meeting agenda topics and an advanced review of convention activities that include the Exhibit Hall, offsite visits, meals provided as part of the registration package, and other accommodations at the […]

To eliminate access barriers to care for more than a half million veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is expanding its Clinical Resource Hubs (CRHs), which are currently in operation within all of VA’s 18 health care networks to offer a combination of in-person and telehealth care. According to BVA Chief of Staff Tim Hornik, BVA is in strong support of the expansion, which includes a series of CRH pilot programs within Blind Rehabilitation […]

Join BVA’s VetTech Team this Wednesday, July 5, at 2:00pm Eastern Time as the Weekly Wednesday Webinar welcomes Michelle Mendez, National Sales Director for OrCam. Session participants will meet the coast-to-coast team of OrCam regional sales managers, who assist the blind and low vision in maximizing the capabilities of the MyEye Pro and MyEye Read. The company’s sales team provides prompt and courteous troubleshooting responses as follow-up action to in-person training sessions.  Do not miss […]