Earlier this month, Council Executive Director Denise Jess traveled to Kansas City to attend the VisionServe Alliance’s (VSA) 2024 Executive Leadership Conference. The Council has been a member of the VSA for around a decade, and they are an invaluable partner in our mission. VSA is a membership group formed over 30 years ago to… Continue Reading VisionServe Alliance: Working to De-Silo the Vision Services Field
Orientation and Mobility (O&M) training helps people who are blind or who have low vision move around safely in all environments. Navigating busy street intersections is one of many important skills included in O&M training. Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist Brent Perzentka of the Council is a member of the City of Madison’s Vision Zero… Continue Reading O&M Strategies Can Keep You Safer at Tricky Intersections
We’re pleased to welcome Nate Wegehaupt as the newest member of the Council staff. Nate came on board April 1 as our new Communications Coordinator. In that role, he will write newsletter articles, website content and social media posts; prepare email communications for distribution; help maintain the website; and perform various other communications tasks. Prior… Continue Reading Welcome Nate Wegehaupt to the Council Team!
It hasn’t been around as long as Thanksgiving, but it’s been around for decades. “Giving Tuesday,” which falls on November 29 this year, happens last in a sprint of Thanksgiving-time consumer-centered designations. You know the schedule: Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and then Giving Tuesday. According to Council Fund Development Director Lori Werbeckes,… Continue Reading Make Giving Tuesday a Family Conversation
“Every machine has its own story,” says braille machine technician Joe Hodgson. He should know. He’s worked on hundreds of them over his 35 years of servicing the devices for such entities as the Council, Milwaukee Public Schools and the State of Wisconsin. Joe fixes the machines at no cost to the owners in keeping… Continue Reading Ace Technician Joe Hodgson Has Been Fixing Braille Machines for the Council for Over 30 Years
UW-Whitewater junior Grace Caine is majoring in music education, but she says music itself is what prepared her for the challenge and hard work of college. “It taught me a lot about myself,” she says. “It taught me about my work ethic, about what I’m strong in–and what I’m not. It’s taught me about school… Continue Reading 2022 Student Spotlight: Grace Caine
There are many paths to take on the way to becoming a grassroots advocate. Danita Jackson’s path led to the polls on election day. Danita lost her vision when she was 16 and she remembers the first time she went to the polls to cast a vote. She walked into the polling place in her… Continue Reading Courage, Patience and Persistence are Stepping Stones on the Various Paths to Becoming a Grassroots Advocate
Garry Lone struggled with depression most of his life. As he experienced vision loss, his depression worsened. “My vision loss impacted my depression because I used to be able to do things that require clear vision,” Garry says. “I cannot ride my bike independently or watch Westerns on TV anymore.” The mental health impact of… Continue Reading Your Mental Health: How Vision Loss Impacts Depression
Talking shop with Certified Vision Rehabilitation Therapist Brent Perzentka, one gets the impression he’d work for free. His devotion to his work seems to come naturally, but his experience is the result of hard work. Lots of it. The Council staff veteran just completed 600 hours of training toward certification in Orientation and Mobility (O&M)… Continue Reading A Summer of Learning for Brent, a New Service for the Council
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Advocacy can take place at many different levels, from local councils all the way up to the U.S. Senate. The first step in any advocacy effort is to identify who makes the decisions on the issue you’re trying to address. For example, calling your representative in Congress probably won’t help you get a new streetlamp… Continue Reading May 16 Advocacy Day Panel to Focus on Local Impact
Screen reader users will be interested in learning about this exciting innovation. The new Picture Smart with AI allows users of JAWS and Fusion to hear detailed descriptions of not only photos but also graphs in spreadsheets and even online meetings. “If a picture is worth a thousand words, now you can have JAWS or… Continue Reading New AI Feature in JAWS and Fusion is Worth a Thousand Words
Deb Annen didn’t know what to expect when she attended her first Dining in the Dark event in Fitchburg two years ago. Dining in the Dark is a popular Council happening that invites participants to enjoy a multicourse restaurant meal while blindfolded. It encourages diners to focus on senses other than sight during the meal… Continue Reading Explore a New Way of Thinking About Dinner
754 Williamson St.
Madison, WI 53703
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Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired
