The Blinded Veterans Association is currently expressing deep uneasiness over the recently released Office of Inspector General (OIG) report highlighting insufficient compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act on the part of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). This crucial legislation of the past mandates accessibility of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) for individuals with disabilities such as blind and low vision veterans.  OIG conducted the audit to address direct concerns from Congress and […]

On March 6, 2024, BVA National President Paul Mimms will present testimony on behalf of our Association before a joint session of the Senate and House Committees on Veterans’ Affairs. Paul will be joined by leaders of other Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) advocating for, and against, policies and laws affecting their respective organizations. This event is, frankly, the most important of all events when it comes to BVA’s ability to effectively advocate on behalf of […]

As I compose this special message, we on the Blinded Veterans Association’s Board of Directors have finished up our first trimester of service to the organization. There have been several things that have happened during that short period of four months, for which we can be both grateful and, on the other hand, challenged by some of the complexities facing us. Collectively, we have encountered cancer, arthritis, diabetes, and other maladies. We have had children […]

During the holiday season of 1947, with BVA not even yet three years old, members of the Association and their families helped the people of war-torn Europe through CARE, an acronym at the time for “Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe, Inc.” CARE sent millions of packages from the United States for delivery to friends, relatives, and specified groups or persons in Europe. It was a government-approved service composed of 27 relief agencies and the […]

Join BVA and the Elizabeth Dole Foundation this Tuesday, December 12, at 11:00am Eastern Time for an empowering panel discussion about the importance of family caregiving of veterans with sight loss. From their personal and professional experiences, BVA Executive Director Don Overton, Chief of Staff Tim Hornik, and National Service Director Duayne Driscoll will together address Champions and Allies: Caring for Blindness/Low Vision. The three will share assistive technologies, experiential knowledge, and resources to help […]

VA has announced that all veterans of World War II are now eligible for no-cost VA inpatient and outpatient health care, which includes all medical services. The expansion of the care will include those who served between December 7, 1941, and December 31, 1946, regardless of their length of service or financial status. An early release of the information on November 9 implied erroneously that World War II veterans were automatically eligible for nursing home […]

Perhaps no other U.S. demographic can appreciate the Thanksgiving holiday as much as our nation’s veterans who have spent many a Thanksgiving far from family, friends, and football. Despite that premise, the Military has never ignored or disregarded Thanksgiving, not since the Civil War at least, and going back even further in many cases.  And, while culinary accomplishments of the Military are not typically associated with gourmet fare, the provisions themselves and the cooking performances […]

It may be Halloween and the end of October but BVA’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Group is currently collaborating with the Washington DC VA Medical Center’s Vision Impairment Services Outpatient Rehabilitation (VISOR) Clinic in the planning of an all-day October 31 event that promotes awareness of the White Cane and care of our nation’s blind and low vision veterans. Potential attendees of the event are beckoned with the following: “Join Us in the Journey toward a Brighter […]

All the Light We Cannot See, an American drama limited series developed for Netflix, will be released next Thursday, November 2. The four part-series, based on Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel that carries the same name, follows the stories of two teenagers—a blind French girl named Marie-Laure and a German soldier named Werner—whose paths cross in enemy-occupied France during World War II. BVA National Headquarters has been invited to a special live screening of […]

Please act now as quickly as possible to participate in the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic scheduled for April 1-7, 2024, in Snowmass, Colorado! The world-class event, co-hosted by VA and Disabled American Veterans, is also supported by a host of private sector sponsors. Registration includes lodging, meals, and a variety of sports and recreation activities such as those enumerated below. Because a doctor must fill out a portion of the application and because […]