Join BVA’s VetTech Team this Wednesday, March 29, at 2:00pm Eastern Time as we welcome Jenna Reed, Director of Marketing at En-Vision America. Jenna will describe En-Vision’s ScriptAbility solutions that make medication labels accessible to the blind and low vision. Do not miss this VetTech session! Participants will receive the following: […]
BVA members throughout the country joined Lonnie Bedwell, Indiana Regional Group, and Shawn Cheshire, Florida Regional Group, in a unique virtual Town Hall yesterday. The two reflected with moderator and BVA Chief of Staff Timothy Hornik on their upcoming climb of two of the world’s tallest mountains: Mount Everest and its neighbor Mount Lhotse, the world’s fourth tallest mountain. The program will be available as a podcast soon with link details to follow. Scaling Everest […]
The deadline for BVA’s awards program is also April 28. The awards honor annually the extraordinary professional achievements of a blind or low vision veteran, the outstanding level of service of a BVA member to their regional group, and a volunteer who has served blind and low vision veterans with unusual dedication and enthusiasm. The names of the recognitions are, respectively, the Melvin J. Maas, Irving Diener, and David L. Schnair Awards. The awards program […]
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Outpatient Clinic in Pensacola, Florida, will receive a Bronze Braille American Flag from the Emerald Coast Regional Group in recognition of National Blinded Veterans Day. “This flag will be installed onto one of the columns directly outside the entrance of the clinic,” said Pensacola Visual Impairment Services Team (VIST) Coordinator Alyssa Lucas, organizer of the live event. Following the flag presentation, veterans and their families will participate in demonstrations […]
At 8:45am on March 28, 1945, approximately 100 recently returning World War II service members and veterans gathered for a much-publicized meeting at Avon Old Farms Army Convalescent Hospital. The minutes of the meeting recorded that the group assembled, all young men at the time, were recovering from combat injuries, the most notable of which was their loss of sight. Time spent at the Connecticut facility also consisted of a program of instruction and practical […]
BVA’s Awards Program honors annually the extraordinary professional achievements of a blind or low vision veteran, the outstanding level of service of a BVA member to their regional group, and a volunteer who has served blind and low vision veterans with unusual dedication and enthusiasm. The recognitions are, respectively, the Melvin J. Maas, Irving Diener, and David L. Schnair Awards. The program also recognizes, through annual Certificates of Appreciation, the professionals who go the extra […]
Dr. Heejo Han, an experienced Alexandria, Virginia, dentist with a unique approach to serving his patients, recently opened his own dental practice with his wife, Amelia, after years of working in a corporate-owned setting. Dr. Han has offered to partner with BVA as a sponsor of future recreational rehabilitation activities and to donate $5 to the organization for each new patient he receives in the foreseeable future. Dr. Han and BVA are essentially neighbors! The […]
Join BVA’s VetTech Team this Wednesday, March 22, at 2:00pm Eastern Time as we welcome Mathieu Paquette, Product Manager at Humanware. Mathieu will discuss the recently launched Stellar Trek, the latest in standalone Orientation and Mobility devices for the blind that combines pinpoint accurate GPS capabilities with turn-by-turn navigation. Even more important, impressive, and specific to the Stellar trek is the new AI assistance that recognizes addresses and doors so that veterans with vision loss […]
Don’t forget next week’s meeting of the BVA Dog Handlers Committee! The 4:00pm Eastern Time session via Zoom on Tuesday, March 21, is open to all veterans with sight loss who are interested in topics and issues related to guide dogs. The Committee meetings are regularly scheduled for the third Tuesday of each month in the same time slot and generally last approximately 90 minutes. Veterans who do not currently have a working guide dog […]
Robert A. “Bob” Bottenberg, BVA’s ninth National President and a dedicated member of the Association both nationally and locally for more than 60 years, passed away March 11 in San Antonio, Texas, at the age of 98. Bob was blinded by German mortar fire in April 1945 when he was 20 years old and only 2-3 weeks after BVA’s founding. His injuries occurred as he was serving as squad leader with the 25th Infantry Regiment, […]
