The American Council of the Blind Virginia (ACB-VA) held its annual conference last weekend, October 17-19, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Fredericksburg, Virginia. BVA’s own Michaun Harrison, National Administrative Coordinator at the Association’s National Headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, and a current resident of the City of Fredericksburg, is also a member of the ACB Virginia Chapter. She actively participates in the organization’s virtual Fiber Arts Club and serves on the Advocacy Committee. Michaun received

Warner L. Murray, New York Regional Group, often shares a poem or two with BVA National Headquarters that he has recently composed. The poems Warner sends almost invariably reflect his feelings and impressions about people, places, or events relating to the Blinded Veterans Association and are appropriate for publication in BVA Happenings and/or the BVA Bulletin. BVA members who receive the CBRC Torch, the newsletter of the Central Blind Rehabilitation Center, learned this week that

BVA members and their supporting casts at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities will wrap up White Cane Day activities during the week ahead. In the meantime, reports of recent events are beginning to circulate and reach BVA National Headquarters. Particularly noteworthy is an account submitted today for BVA Happenings by Heartland Regional Group President Jeanie Murphy from the Caribbean! Jeanie’s White Cane Day events were not in the Caribbean, of course, but that’s where

Although not affected as strongly or severely as other cabinet-level departments, VA is nowhere close to business as usual due to the current government shutdown. The impasse is now in the middle of its 17th day of a lapse in federal funding appropriations for health care and other benefits for veterans. Lawmakers remain in a stalemate over spending proposals. Many VA services, including compensation and pension benefits, are not affected as VA operates off an