The Older Americans Act (OAA) was first passed in 1965 as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society” initiative, with the goal of supporting older Americans to continue living at home and in their community with dignity and independence for as long as possible. It authorized a wide range of services, including home-delivered meals, support… Continue Reading New Rules Provide Opportunity to Improve the Older Americans Act
Community Shares of Wisconsin (CSW) is honoring Council Executive Director Denise Jess for her years of work promoting the rights and dignity of people living with vision loss. At CSW’s September 28 Community Change-Maker Awards event, Denise will be presented with the Linda Sundberg Civil Rights Defender Award. The Linda Sundberg Award is given each… Continue Reading Executive Director Denise Jess Receives Civil Rights Award
The Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired is among the 70 nonprofits that benefit from Community Shares of Wisconsin workplace giving campaigns. Workplace giving is a simple and effective way for employees to support area nonprofits by having a specified amount deducted from each paycheck. In most cases, employees can choose to make… Continue Reading Workplace Giving Makes It Easy to Support the Organizations You Value
Keeping in touch with our donors is always important, but even more so during turbulent times. Our Fund Development Director Lori Werbeckes is sending hand-written notes to those who give monthly. These notes keep them informed about our virtual education, vision services and advocacy efforts. We appreciate the support of monthly donors. Interested in making… Continue Reading How to Decide Where to Donate
“I have been using online banking for the past 14 years,” says Marge, a Council client. “It makes it easy for me to manage my finances without depending on a person who can see.” As a person who is blind/visually impaired, Marge wanted to maintain independence and privacy for her finances. Online banking makes this… Continue Reading Increasing Independence: An Overview of Online Banking
Billboard Advertising Raises Awareness of Council Services and Visual Impairment Council and Adams Outdoor Advertising staff in front of the newly installed billboard on Stoughton Road. In 2016, Adams Outdoor Advertising launched Adams Collaborate, a campaign to provide local nonprofits with $250,000 worth of free billboard advertising in the Madison, Kenosha and Racine areas. As… Continue Reading Billboard Advertising Raises Awareness of Council Services and Visual Impairment
2019 Council scholarship recipient, Mia Zutter, is a junior at the College of Saint Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota. She sat down with Katherine Corbett, Council Writer, to chat about her future goals, her move off campus and how resilience has played a role throughout her life. Katherine Corbett: You have a career goal of being… Continue Reading Student Spotlight: Mia Zutter
Board members contributed to the Big Share to provide a match during the afternoon. On Tuesday, March 3, the Council participated in an online day of giving called The Big Share. This day of donations is presented by Community Shares of Wisconsin, a membership organization of more than 60 grassroots nonprofits making a sustainable difference… Continue Reading The Big Share Recap and Thank You
The Council welcomes Kathleen Callen as the newest Program Associate. She will manage event sign-ups and logistics, keep the Council’s website up to date, and may talk with store customers and clients on the phone while working the front desk. “I am super excited to be working at the Council because of the people,” Kathleen… Continue Reading Meet Kathleen Callen, the Council’s Newest Program Associate
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Don’t worry, this is not a rerun. But we understand why you might suspect that at first glance. After all, this is the fourth consecutive year UW-Whitewater Senior Grace Caine has been a Council Scholarship recipient. We recently caught up with Grace by phone on a break during marching band practice. The Music Education major… Continue Reading 2023 Student Spotlight: Grace Caine
For many, the words “artificial intelligence” conjure up science fiction fears of computers taking over the world. Jim Denham, Access Technology Specialist at the Council, says there’s no need to be afraid. In fact, as new and controversial as it seems, Jim says forms of artificial intelligence (AI) have been put to good use for… Continue Reading Don’t Fear the Chatbot: The Potential Benefits of Artificial Intelligence
Whether on foot, on a bicycle or in a car, anyone who’s been to the corner of Cottage Grove Road and Monona Drive in Madison during the past five months knows it’s a challenging intersection to navigate these days. Extensive construction, including the laying of new underground piping, while necessary, has turned the intersection into… Continue Reading Let Your Lived Experience Power Your Pedestrian Safety Advocacy