Post Archive

Reflections on Helen Keller’s Birthday: With Learned Skills and Effective Support, Persons With Deaf-Blindness are Participating in Their Communities

Lecturer, political activist and prolific author Helen Keller was born June 27, 1880. Among her many accomplishments: She was the first deaf-blind person in the United States to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. “I think the most significant part of her legacy is that Helen Keller was very eloquent and was a great role… Continue Reading Reflections on Helen Keller’s Birthday: With Learned Skills and Effective Support, Persons With Deaf-Blindness are Participating in Their Communities

Graphic of a laptop computer with several envelopes of different colors flying out of it

Fine Tuning Your Email Presentation

Making a good impression with email is as important as being your best in person. This is especially true if you are sending an email to a potential employer or to a fellow professional. One of the first things to check is to make sure the “From” field of your email contains your name. This… Continue Reading Fine Tuning Your Email Presentation

Two women look at a painting at Gallery Night.

Got Art? Show It Off at Gallery Night!

Are you an artist living with vision loss? Do you know someone who is? We are currently looking for artists to feature at Gallery Night 2023, scheduled for Friday, November 3. Since 2011 the Council has been exhibiting the work of artists who are blind or visually impaired at Gallery Night events in the fall.… Continue Reading Got Art? Show It Off at Gallery Night!

A city sidewalk with people strolling and trees.

Advocating for Walkable Communities: A Way to Make Wisconsin Safer for Everyone

Fatal collisions between cars and pedestrians are on the rise according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT). By this time in 2018, 20 people died when hit by a motor vehicle. There have been 30 fatalities in 2019 thus far, an increase of 50 percent. In some cases, advocating for walkable communities could decrease… Continue Reading Advocating for Walkable Communities: A Way to Make Wisconsin Safer for Everyone

Create Art with a Visual Impairment

Create Art with a Visual Impairment Painting and other forms of artwork can be more than just a visual experience. Creating art is a rich sensory experience that fosters self-expression and a way to cope with vision changes. As vision changes, adjustments may need to be made in the environment or in the kind… Continue Reading Create Art with a Visual Impairment

Continue Reading Create Art with a Visual Impairment

A woman feels a painting while a girl with thick glasses holds the painting steady on the wall.

Experience Accessible Art: Come to Gallery Night

Enjoy an accessible art exhibit at the Council’s Fall Gallery Night Friday, October 4, from 5:00-8:00 p.m. at the Council office – 754 Williamson Street, in Madison. Wisconsin artists who are blind or visually impaired will display and sell their art, and are on-hand to talk about their creation process. Braille and large print signs… Continue Reading Experience Accessible Art: Come to Gallery Night

A side of a bus with an ad saying: You’re so fly – glad you didn’t fly through that intersection.

White Cane Safety Day is October 15: Spread the Word about the White Cane Law

Most white cane and guide dog users have had the unsettling experience of realizing they are approaching a car that is not going to stop, or having a vehicle zoom out in front of them as they are about to cross the street. There are White Cane Law statutes on the books in every state… Continue Reading White Cane Safety Day is October 15: Spread the Word about the White Cane Law

Two people stand at a vendor table with the Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired.

Thank You to Low Vision Fair Sponsors, Speakers, and Vendors

On August 9, the Council hosted a Low Vision Fair in Eau Claire. The Council wishes to thank the following speakers, vendors and sponsors, who made the fair possible. “I highly recommend attending a low vision fair,” says Wanda, who attended with her daughter. “I learned so much about products, resources and programs available. Talking… Continue Reading Thank You to Low Vision Fair Sponsors, Speakers, and Vendors

Student Spotlight: Christina Alger

Christina Alger is a 2019 Council Scholarship recipient. She is in her first year of graduate school at the University of Minnesota, studying curriculum and instruction. She sat down with Council Writer Katherine Corbett to talk about her love of teaching, how contemplating identity has changed her life. Katherine Corbett: Tell me about the… Continue Reading Student Spotlight: Christina Alger

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Jack Lichosik leaning his arm on a low stone wall

2023 Student Spotlight: Jack Lichosik

Jack Lichosik will have a running start this fall when he begins his studies in the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management program at Fox Valley Technical College. A big running start. The Kimberly High School senior and 2023 Council Scholarship recipient has been cooking with his father Jake in their Appleton home since he was… Continue Reading 2023 Student Spotlight: Jack Lichosik

A handheld magnifier being used to read a food can label

Grants Support Tools to Promote Safety and Independence

The Council serves a clientele that is diverse in every way, including economic status. This year, grants from four foundations are enabling the Council to provide adaptive products that enhance safety and assist with daily living tasks at no cost to clients who cannot afford to purchase them on their own. We’re grateful to the… Continue Reading Grants Support Tools to Promote Safety and Independence

A pencil erasing the first two letters of the word inaccessible

Changing Systems One Business at a Time

One of the Council’s ongoing advocacy priorities is the quest to persuade businesses and public agencies to make their documents and forms accessible to people with vision loss. Sometimes accessibility issues come into play in the Council’s own efforts to function well as an organization—one that happens to be led by a person who is… Continue Reading Changing Systems One Business at a Time