When 2024 Council Scholarship recipient Marin Gundlach first got her hands on an iPod Shuffle at age 5, she says she immediately became interested in technology. That was when the Belleville native, who has been blind since birth, first encountered VoiceOver technology that allowed her to fully utilize the music device. “Finding that really opened… Continue Reading 2024 Student Spotlight: Marin Gundlach
After 16 years at the Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired, Program Assistant Judith Rasmussen is leaving her position to begin her next stage in life. Judith has been an invaluable member of the Council team, often serving as the first face or voice people encounter when they reach out to the Council… Continue Reading Thank You, Judith, For 16 Wonderful Years With the Council!
How to change the time on a talking watch is one of the most frequent questions we get at our Sharper Vision Store. So we made a video starring Customer Care Specialist Greg Schmidt to show you how to do it step by step. In case you need to change the date as well, Greg… Continue Reading New Video Shows You How to Change the Time on a Talking Watch
Some people find the inspiration for their life calling in a book or a movie. Others find it through the experience of a family member or mentor. While still in high school, Bayfield County native George Tuttle found his on a ski slope in Vermont. George and his brother were part of an adaptive downhill… Continue Reading 2022 Student Spotlight: George Tuttle
Interested in learning more about the array of vision services the Council offers? We invite you to check out this new video featuring our talented, highly qualified Vision Services team. The 12-minute video provides a great overview of our vision services menu, which includes low vision evaluations, vision rehab therapy, access technology instruction, orientation and… Continue Reading New Video: Vision Services at the Council
Governor Tony Evers will deliver his State Budget Address on February 15. The speech will lay out his vision for state spending during the next two years. The fiscal debate at the State Capitol in the coming months will include what to do with an unprecedented $7.1 billion revenue surplus from the last budget period.… Continue Reading Advocacy Update February 2023
Louis Braille once wrote: “Access to communication in the widest sense is access to knowledge.” The raised dot system he developed has been a powerful and liberating tool for people with vision loss since the early 1900s. January is Braille Literacy Month, but the opportunity to learn braille is now a year-round thing at the… Continue Reading Improving Quality of Life Through Braille Literacy
The Council relies on support that comes in many forms, from small monetary donations to community sponsorships to the talents of our wonderful volunteers. We’d like to invite you to consider giving to the Council in a new, everlasting way: planned giving. A planned gift is a contribution arranged in the present to be donated… Continue Reading Support the Council in a Lasting Way Through Planned Giving
Start getting ready for this year’s Big Share online fundraising extravaganza, which takes place Tuesday, March 7. The Big Share is a one-day giving event organized by Community Shares of Wisconsin (CSW). This fun, interactive affair is an all-day event that benefits the 70 nonprofit organizations that are CSW members, including the Council. Last year,… Continue Reading Get Ready for The Big Share on March 7
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Earlier this month, members of the Council staff took the hour drive from Madison to Dodgeville for our On Sight: Vision Loss Resources in Southwest Wisconsin event. At this free educational event, Council staff gave presentations on a variety of topics important for people in Southwest Wisconsin who are blind or low vision, from accessing… Continue Reading On Sight Event Brought the Council to Southwest Wisconsin
Another White Cane Safety Day has come and gone, with over three dozen municipalities across the entire state (along with the State of Wisconsin and Milwaukee County) issuing proclamations celebrating the day on October 15. 2024 marked the 60th anniversary of White Cane Safety Day, which was first proclaimed by President Lyndon B. Johnson and… Continue Reading More than 30 Wisconsin Communities Proclaimed October 15 White Cane Safety Day
When Liz Fryseth started her new job as a housing navigator at the YWCA in La Crosse, she ran into an issue almost right away: Nearly all their documents were printed on paper and not available digitally. For someone who is low vision or blind like Liz, those documents were inaccessible. After bringing up this… Continue Reading Disability Employment Month Celebrates All Workers