The Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired is dedicated to making a visible difference in the lives of people who are blind or visually impaired.
Each year, we ask our community to contribute to the White Cane Fund so that we can continue serving the growing number of people who turn to us for help! (more…)
The Wisconsin Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired (WCB&VI) is pleased to announce the selection of a new Executive Director. Loretta A. Himmelsbach, of Oregon, WI, was invited to accept the top leadership position after a national search. She succeeds Karen Majkrzak, who will retire in August. Loretta is only the 6th Executive Director of the organization since it was founded in 1952.
“She has excellent credentials including organizational development and management expertise which she brings through her professional experiences to the leadership post of our Council,” said Chris Zenchenko, president of the WCB&VI. “We are very confident she has the skills and determination to meet the challenges of the future,” he added.
Loretta Himmelsbach brings more than twenty-six years executive management experience in non-profit organizations to the Council. She served as CEO of the Girl Scouts of Black Hawk Council in Madison, WI, where she was recognized nationally with the Francis Hesselbein Award of Excellence, and is an active member of the Downtown Rotary Club in Madison. A graduate of Bradley University in Illinois, she has extensive graduate certificates from Harvard Business School, Yale University, and the Wharton School of Business in leadership development and nonprofit management. Loretta demonstrates successful community collaboration skills which will enhance the Council’s mission and vision.
Loretta has personal family experience related to the vision impairment of her brothers and her late father and is committed to working with the Wisconsin Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired as it continues and expands its excellent service to Wisconsin residents who would benefit from the wide range of services the Council offers.
The Wisconsin Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired is a private, non-profit agency. Its mission is to promote the dignity and independence of people in Wisconsin who are blind and visually impaired by providing services, advocating legislation and educating the general public. It is completely funded by an annual drive, private grants and bequests. The Council, founded in 1952, is celebrating its 58th year of providing programs and services to Wisconsin residents.
Recently, Marshall Flax, , MS, CLVT, COMS, put on a wonderful seminar through the Hadley School titled Two Kinds of Light: Friend and Foe. Click here to access the audio file.
Thanks to Council member Rhonda Staats for submitting this article.
Anyone who reads or listens to the news regularly knows that, from time to time, issues arise about which you would like to contact a lawmaker to express an opinion or champion a cause. Do you write a letter, send an e-mail, or make a phone call, or do you decide that someone more important or knowledgeable than you will be contacting that lawmaker to express your point of view?
Freshman civics class taught us that legislators are sent to the state or federal capital to do the people’s business, and they work for us. Consequently, they welcome our input and encourage contact from constituents. In my experience, legislators encourage contact from voters, and they do their best to respond to and/or express their appreciation that you care about an issue enough to take the time to get in touch. Everyone has the right to contact his/her local, state, or federal lawmakers, and it is surprisingly easy to do. (more…)
(Every once in a while, we like to profile one of our staff members that work at the Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired or docuScan. This article profiles Calvin Tucker who works in document prep at docuScan. You can find out more about docuScan and the services they provide here.)
docuScan employee Calvin Tucker prepping documents to be scanned and archived
Calvin came to docuScan by way of the Council, where he was working as a temporary employee. Council Executive Director Karen Majkrzak is dedicated to providing employment opportunities for people who are blind or visually impaired. She was really impressed with Calvin’s attention to detail and reliability, so she told him about an opening with docuScan. He jumped at the chance, and now he’s a permanent employee of docuScan.
Calvin’s work for docuScan involves prepping documents to be scanned.
He pays close attention to each piece of paper to make sure there are no staples or paper clips, and if there are, he removes them. He aligns the sheets of paper so everything is ready for a smooth and efficient scanning process.
Calvin knows from personal experience how hard it can be to find meaningful work. “Growing up black in America in the 60s and 70s, you learned that you had to be extra-ordinary to get noticed. It wasn’t enough to just be ordinary. I needed to prove myself and show that I was a capable person. ” (more…)
When Maggie McGinty, a teacher of the blind and visually impaired for Milwaukee Public Schools, contacted us, we were only too happy to schedule a visit for a group of students.
Maggie wanted these middle schoolers and a few other teachers to see BORDERLAND, our current art exhibit by Thomas Ferrella. She was fascinated by the idea that someone had brailled poems directly onto each photographic portrait.
Since the group was traveling from Milwaukee, we wanted to make it worth their visit, so we added a few presentations by staff to round out the experience.
Marshall Flax, Certified Low Vision Specialist and Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist, invited students to talk about their future dreams, and he encouraged them to discover the joy of reading. He emphasized the importance and value of orientation and mobility training, and he encouraged the group to take advantage of these opportunities now. (more…)
The Wisconsin Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired is happy to announce that we have joined Community Shares of Wisconsin (CSW).
Community Shares of Wisconsin is just one more way you can help support the work of the Council, in addition to our White Cane Fund Appeal and Annual Appeal.
CSW is the oldest social action fund in the United States. Established in 1971, Community Shares has grown to include 65 organizations. Their vision is to “build social and economic equity and a healthy environment.”
CSW’s composition is reflected in these categories of members:
“There’s a huge misconception about blind and visually impaired people in the world that, ‘Oh, blind people can’t do anything.’ The world seems to think that if you lose your eyesight, there’s a lot you can’t do.
Yes. Some people go in their house, shut their doors, and don’t do anything. But I believe you just have to find alternative ways to do things. I just see differently now….”
These are comments, reflections and observations Bruce Parkinson made when interviewed for his hometown newspaper. They demonstrate his “can do” attitude and outlook on life.
Bruce has been legally blind for 25 years. A former English and speech teacher, Bruce has maintained a very active life. Among his numerous community activities, he serves on the boards of the American Council of the Blind-Wisconsin Chapter, the Statutory Council on Blindness for the State of Wisconsin, and the Wisconsin Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired.
“Being visually impaired,’’ Bruce remarks, “isn’t a handicap, because I won’t let it be a handicap.”
To help manage daily activities, Bruce has purchased numerous items from the Council’s Sharper Vision Store. These include: an indoor/outdoor talking thermometer, a talking atomic clock, a talking travel alarm clock, lighted magnifiers, a large-faced watch, tactile cribbage board, and large-faced playing cards. Bruce also bought locator dots for kitchen appliances and his CD player, as well as braille overlays for his computer keyboard and a small portable CCTV.
Bruce appreciates that the store carries a large variety of items for reading, keeping track of appointments, bill paying, cooking and recreation. From the comfort of his home—and at any time of the day or night— he can log on to the store’s new web site (www.shop.wcblind.org) and shop. If he and wife Kathy are in Madison, they can stop by the store and check out new items.
We are inspired by people like Bruce, and we are pleased to provide him with powerful tools for independence.
Here’s a letter we received in December:
Dear Marshall and Council staff,
Thank you so very much for the donation of low vision supplies for the kids at La Gracia School in San Juan, Guatemala.
Just something like a hand-held magnifier is such an improvement for the kids! Schools in Guatemala are closed for break now, but they will re-open after January 1. My 10-year-old friend Karlita was very excited to explore all the “new” devices that she and her friends will be able to use for school next year.
She wanted me to send you this photo of her and her friends from La Gracia School: Marisa, Shirley, Karlita and Eluvia.
Thanks for the good work you all do, and especially thanks for the donations to the kids at La Gracia.
Sincerely,
Boni Westover
Thomas Ferella - Borderlander
Each year in early December, we invite the Madison-area community to visit the Council so they can learn about our work, meet staff, and view a new art exhibit.
Last Friday, December 4, approximately 50 guests joined us. This event often draws new faces. We love it because it’s an opportunity for us to talk about the people we serve and raise awareness of the Council.
Our new exhibit is titled “BORDERLAND…where worlds arise out of touch.” It is the brainchild of artist and Meriter Hospital emergency medicine physician, Thomas Ferrella.
Thomas created a nine-piece collection of photographic portraits. What makes them so unique is that he asked members of Madison-based Lake Effect Poets to write poems to accompany each piece. Then, Council staff member Virginia DeBlaey painstakingly brailled each poem directly onto each photograph to create a stunning effect. As part of the exhibit, viewers are welcomed and encouraged to touch the pieces. Alongside each photo is the poem in print for those who are sighted. Read the Wisconsin State Journal article by clickng here. (more…)
