This spring, the Council welcomed six volunteers from Exact Sciences into our offices to help with our efforts to make our space more inviting to all. The group spent their morning planting aromatic herbs in pots for our sensory garden; sprucing up the Sharper Vision Store by replacing old hooks to hold products; and organizing… Continue Reading Exact Sciences Volunteers Spruce Up Council Offices and Garden
Earlier this summer, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that local municipalities across the state can use drop boxes to collect absentee ballots. That decision overturned the 2022 ruling barring the drop boxes. This is a major win for voters with disabilities across Wisconsin. “Many voters, including those with disabilities, face barriers when casting their ballot,”… Continue Reading Ballot Drop Boxes are Once Again an Option for This Fall’s Elections
Are you an artist living with blindness or low vision? Do you know someone who is? We are currently accepting submissions for Gallery Night 2024, scheduled for Friday, November 1. We welcome artwork in a wide range of formats. Last year’s display included paintings, photographs, digital drawings, knitted and crocheted pieces, wood carvings, ceramics, and… Continue Reading Showcase Your Talent at Gallery Night
For many people, fishing is a great way to relax and get out in nature. It’s hard to think of a hobby more closely associated with de-stressing. But for people with disabilities, including those with vision loss, it’s not as simple as grabbing a rod and shoving off in a rowboat. That’s where Fishing Has… Continue Reading Fishing Outings Return After a Two-Year Absence
The Council is pleased to welcome debbie rasmussen to our staff! Debbie joined in April as fund development coordinator, working side-by-side with Lori Werbeckes, our fund development director. Debbie’s role is to maintain donor records and support fundraising efforts in a variety of other ways. Debbie holds a B.A. in psychology from the University of… Continue Reading Welcome Fund Development Coordinator Debbie Rasmussen to the Council Staff
“My college experience has been a learning curve,” says Shayna Wederath, a freshman at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. “I found that there were some places that I wasn’t totally prepared. Now I am putting in the work this semester to get myself to where I am prepared and starting to move toward a successful college… Continue Reading Student Spotlight 2021: Shayna Wederath
Last fall, leaders in 23 Wisconsin communities joined Governor Tony Evers in proclaiming October 15 White Cane Safety Day. White Cane Safety Day is an annual opportunity to raise awareness of White Cane Laws and other pedestrian safety measures. We’re grateful to all the local officials who stepped up to champion pedestrian safety in their… Continue Reading Help Make Pedestrian Safety a Priority in Your Community
A few years ago, Becky Fraire of Madison, diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, received her first white cane from the Council. She found that the cane took time to master, but when she finally did get the hang of it, “a switch flipped and the cane felt more like wings than a cane!” she says. To… Continue Reading White Cane Fund Supports Dignity, Independence and Flight
TRACK is a way to remember the factors that can contribute to eye health while living with diabetes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 37 million Americans, more than 11% of the U.S. population, had diabetes in 2019, and at least 96 million adults were pre-diabetic. Elevated glucose levels in the… Continue Reading Stay on Track of Your Diabetes
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We’re halfway through 2024, and the Council has accomplished so much already this year! But that’s no reason not to be excited about everything we achieved last year. Our 2023 Annual Report is full of the year’s highlights, including our advocacy successes, trends in vision services, our scholarship program, improvements we’ve made to our property,… Continue Reading Annual Report Now Available Online
We’re pleased to announce this year’s Council Scholarship recipients! Each year, we award $2,000 scholarships to several students from around the state who are blind or low vision and will be enrolled in post-secondary education in the fall. Past recipients have used the scholarship funds in a variety of ways to help fuel their college… Continue Reading Introducing our 2024 Council Scholarship Recipients
When a friend, family member, coworker or other person in your life loses their vision, it can be hard to know how to describe things to them. For instance, telling someone who can’t see that a chair is “over there” isn’t going to do them much good. Much of our standard language for describing things… Continue Reading Don’t Say “Over There”: How to be a Better Describer for Someone who is Blind or Low Vision