June 23, 1946 — May 29, 2020
Camille Ann Caffarelli, Founder and Executive Director of Horizons for the Blind, passed away at her home on May 29, 2020, after a long and courageous battle with cancer.
Camille had a passion for life, and that was exemplified in her dedication and commitment to friends and family. The adversities that confronted her in life sculpted her to become the incredible champion for those individuals that shared her same challenges. The accomplishments that Camille achieved are a testament to the incredible person that she was.
Blind since birth, Camille realized, even as a child, that experiencing life through the cultural arts should not be limited to those who view them in traditional ways. After her first husband died of a brain tumor in 1975, she became the sole provider for her family of three young boys.
In 1977, she started Horizons out of the basement of her Chicago home. Her first project was with the Chicago Botanic Gardens, where she helped create tactile exhibits, maps and braille signage for the nature trails. This was followed by more projects with the Shedd Aquarium, Brookfield Zoo and Chicago Field Museum.
Horizons really began to flourish when she received inquiries from utility and other companies about making billing statements accessible to their customers who were blind or visually impaired. Today, Horizons is a leading provider of alternative billing and financial statements in braille, large print and audio formats.
Camille believed that people with vision impairments should have the same rights as sighted consumers to read this information, without assistance. This is not only an issue of accessibility but also of privacy, independence and self-reliance.
Throughout her career, Camille has been committed to partnering with national and state organizations which support the needs and interests of people who are blind or visually impaired. She has been honored by numerous groups such as Lions International, Chicago Jaycees, City of Chicago Honor Roll of Handicapped Chicagoans and the recipient of the Impressa Award from the Women’s Division of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans. She also served as chair of the Advisory Committee of the Illinois Talking Book and Braille Service, state chair for the Blind Services Planning Council for Illinois, and chair of the Crafts and Hobbies Committee of the Braille Authority of North America.
She also received American Council of the Blind’s George Card Award posthumously in 2020, given to an individual who has dedicated his or her life to work with and for people who are blind, making a real difference and improving quality of life, for providing leadership and being a positive role model.
Camille never let any physical disabilities deter her from living life to its fullest. She once said, “You are what everyone else is. Just because you can’t see, doesn’t mean can’t interact and do the things everyone else does.”