Nick Sinram As a teen, former Council Scholarship Recipient and current chair of our Board of Directors Nick Sinram didn’t know exactly what he wanted to study in college, but he did have a good idea of where he wanted to do it. Growing up on the Mississippi River in Prairie du Chien, he loved… Continue Reading From Scholarship Recipient to Board Chair, Nick Sinram Gives Back to the Council
Denise Jess, Amy Wurf, Kathleen Callen and Nate Wegehaupt were among the Council staffers on hand at last year’s Disability Pride Festival in Madison. Throughout July, communities across Wisconsin are celebrating Disability Pride Month. Last year, we published this article about what Disability Pride means and why we celebrate it. We hope you are able… Continue Reading Disability Pride Month Celebrates the Diverse Disabilities Community
Alyson Dahl When 2025 Council Scholarship recipient Alyson Dahl was 15, she received news that no teen wants to hear: Alyson would be unable to get a driver’s license due to her vision loss. Alyson was diagnosed with coloboma just a few weeks after she was born and has had low vision her entire life.… Continue Reading 2025 Student Spotlight: Alyson Dahl
An ad for a braille typewriter designed by AFB to expand employment opportunities. The Council’s highly trained vision rehabilitation professionals empower people who are blind or low vision to live life on their own terms in a variety of ways. They help clients gain the skills to navigate safely through their community, use access technology… Continue Reading The History of Vision Rehabilitation: Undervalued, Overlooked, Urgently Needed
Members of the VisionServe Alliance Board of Directors at their board meeting last fall. Across the country, there are a number of organizations dedicated to empowering people who are blind or low vision. While each of these organizations specializes in different areas of the vision loss field and all have their own unique identity, they… Continue Reading National Blindness and Low Vision Networks Work Together Toward Common Mission
We’re pleased to announce this year’s Council Scholarship recipients! Each year, we award $2,000 scholarships to students from around Wisconsin 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 experience. In… Continue Reading Introducing our 2025 Council Scholarship Recipients
Karen Heesen Karen Heesen has been teaching students who are blind or low vision at the Wisconsin School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (WSBVI) in Janesville how to read braille for 25 years. In that role, Karen has helped generations of students with vision loss connect with written language. Her efforts have not gone… Continue Reading Former Board Member Karen Heesen Wins Crystal Apple Teaching Award
The Spring 2025 Issue of the Council Courier newsletter is now available on our website! In this issue: The Case for Insurance Coverage of Vision Services Provided by the Council Message from Executive Director Denise Jess: Advocacy is About Making Change Inside and Outside of Government Promote Independence with a Gift to the White Cane… Continue Reading Spring Issue of the Council Courier Newsletter Now Available Online
It wasn’t hard for former Council Scholarship recipient Ashley Handrick to decide on where to go to school. Edgewood College in Madison was just a short drive from her hometown of Mount Horeb, and she had a few friends also going there with whom she could share a dorm suite. Having a friend who knew… Continue Reading Past Council Scholarship Recipient Ashley Handrick Brings Smiles to Her Students’ Faces
It didn’t take long for former Council Scholarship Recipient Annika Konrad to discover her love of writing. While in middle school, Annika found that writing helped her express her thoughts. The once-shy kid then spent all four of her high school years working for the school newspaper. When she started college and began taking classes… Continue Reading Former Scholarship Recipient Annika Konrad Continues the Cycle of Learning
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Nick Sinram As a teen, former Council Scholarship Recipient and current chair of our Board of Directors Nick Sinram didn’t know exactly what he wanted to study in college, but he did have a good idea of where he wanted to do it. Growing up on the Mississippi River in Prairie du Chien, he loved… Continue Reading From Scholarship Recipient to Board Chair, Nick Sinram Gives Back to the Council
Denise Jess, Amy Wurf, Kathleen Callen and Nate Wegehaupt were among the Council staffers on hand at last year’s Disability Pride Festival in Madison. Throughout July, communities across Wisconsin are celebrating Disability Pride Month. Last year, we published this article about what Disability Pride means and why we celebrate it. We hope you are able… Continue Reading Disability Pride Month Celebrates the Diverse Disabilities Community
Alyson Dahl When 2025 Council Scholarship recipient Alyson Dahl was 15, she received news that no teen wants to hear: Alyson would be unable to get a driver’s license due to her vision loss. Alyson was diagnosed with coloboma just a few weeks after she was born and has had low vision her entire life.… Continue Reading 2025 Student Spotlight: Alyson Dahl
An ad for a braille typewriter designed by AFB to expand employment opportunities. The Council’s highly trained vision rehabilitation professionals empower people who are blind or low vision to live life on their own terms in a variety of ways. They help clients gain the skills to navigate safely through their community, use access technology… Continue Reading The History of Vision Rehabilitation: Undervalued, Overlooked, Urgently Needed
Members of the VisionServe Alliance Board of Directors at their board meeting last fall. Across the country, there are a number of organizations dedicated to empowering people who are blind or low vision. While each of these organizations specializes in different areas of the vision loss field and all have their own unique identity, they… Continue Reading National Blindness and Low Vision Networks Work Together Toward Common Mission
We’re pleased to announce this year’s Council Scholarship recipients! Each year, we award $2,000 scholarships to students from around Wisconsin 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 experience. In… Continue Reading Introducing our 2025 Council Scholarship Recipients
Karen Heesen Karen Heesen has been teaching students who are blind or low vision at the Wisconsin School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (WSBVI) in Janesville how to read braille for 25 years. In that role, Karen has helped generations of students with vision loss connect with written language. Her efforts have not gone… Continue Reading Former Board Member Karen Heesen Wins Crystal Apple Teaching Award
The Spring 2025 Issue of the Council Courier newsletter is now available on our website! In this issue: The Case for Insurance Coverage of Vision Services Provided by the Council Message from Executive Director Denise Jess: Advocacy is About Making Change Inside and Outside of Government Promote Independence with a Gift to the White Cane… Continue Reading Spring Issue of the Council Courier Newsletter Now Available Online
It wasn’t hard for former Council Scholarship recipient Ashley Handrick to decide on where to go to school. Edgewood College in Madison was just a short drive from her hometown of Mount Horeb, and she had a few friends also going there with whom she could share a dorm suite. Having a friend who knew… Continue Reading Past Council Scholarship Recipient Ashley Handrick Brings Smiles to Her Students’ Faces
It didn’t take long for former Council Scholarship Recipient Annika Konrad to discover her love of writing. While in middle school, Annika found that writing helped her express her thoughts. The once-shy kid then spent all four of her high school years working for the school newspaper. When she started college and began taking classes… Continue Reading Former Scholarship Recipient Annika Konrad Continues the Cycle of Learning