The Awards Committee is searching for nominees who you feel are deserving of national recognition for their work in ACB or the blindness community. Awards will be presented at the 2024 conference and convention in Jacksonville, Florida.
All nomination letters must be received electronically by 11:59 p.m. Eastern on April 1st, 2024. Letters received after that date will not be accepted. We ask that letters be limited to no more than 750 words. Please be sure to email your nomination letters to [email protected].
Important: The reach of the candidate’s work MUST be national, not just local. Once the committee has received your nomination letters, we will review and judge the entries submitted against the criteria.
All About the Awards
The Durward K. McDaniel Ambassador Award is given in recognition of a blind person who may or may not be a member of a blindness organization but who has, through his or her personal characteristics and activities, unrelated to his/her employment, contributed most to the acceptance and understanding of blind people as capable, contributing members of the community.
Originally called the Ambassador Award, this award was first given in 1963. The first recipient was Jearldine Noeller. More recent recipients include Durward K. McDaniel (1983), Roger Petersen (1999), Ed Walker (2003), Dr. W. Aubrey Webson (2017), Allan Peterson (2021), Janet Dickelman (2022), and Carla Ruschival (2023).
The George Card Award is 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.
George Card was the first recipient of this award in 1968. Card’s leadership roles included that of executive secretary of the Wisconsin Council of the Blind, member of the ACB Board of Directors, and delegate to the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind. (from “People of Vision,” Chapter 4, in the section “1948: The 7th NFB Convention — Baltimore, Maryland.”) More recent recipients include Eugene Lozano (1993), Charles Crawford (1998), Abraham Nemeth (2002), Camille Caffarelli (2020), and Sandra Troiano (2023).
The James R. Olsen Distinguished Service Award is periodically given to individuals who have made important contributions which have advanced opportunities for the blind community. This award can be given to an individual or an organization.
This award was originally named the Distinguished Service Award. It was renamed for James R. “Jim” Olsen following his passing in 2005. Previous winners include Kathy Megivern (1997), Shirley Keller of Creative Adaptations for Learning (2001), Jim Olsen (2005), Leroy Johnson (2007), Kim Crowell and the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (2021), and JPMorgan Chase (2023).
The Robert S. Bray Award is given to a person who has made a contribution toward improving library technology or communication devices. It could also be given for expanding access for all blind people, or for making opportunities within the mainstream media.
This award was named for Robert S. Bray, who was chief of the Division for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress — now known as the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled. The first recipient was Charles La Casce (1977). Other recipients include James Chandler (1983), Stephen Dwornik (1994), Jim Stovall (1995), Jim Fruchterman (2002), Karen Keninger (2020), and Brian Hartgen (2023).
The Margarine G. Beaman Volunteer Recognition Award honors individuals who have given tirelessly of their efforts, resources, expertise or time toward improving the quality of life in the blindness community. The achievements, accomplishments, or service on which the nominations are based must reflect ACB’s vision and mission. This award may be given to a deserving individual or organization.
The award was named for Margarine Beaman, who was the convention’s volunteer coordinator. It was first given in 2016 to Margarine Beaman. Other winners include Sally Benjamin (2017), Patti Cox (2019), Michael Smitherman (2020), Rhonda Trott (2022), and Sheila Young (2023).
The Affiliate Outreach Award is based on a recommendation by an affiliate president, which recognizes a local chapter for a new outreach program. This program must have a measurable outcome.
The Affiliate Outreach Award was first presented in 2000 to the Council of Citizens with Low Vision International. Other previous winners include the Middle Tennessee Council of the Blind (2009), ACB of Ohio-Columbus Chapter (2015), and Friends ‘n Focus-Medina (Ohio) chapter (2021).
The Affiliate Growth Awards are based on the greatest increase in membership, as determined by the 2023-2024 membership reports. One award is given for the greatest percentage of growth, and another is presented to the affiliate with the largest number of new members. The 2023 winners are the Independent Visually Impaired Entrepreneurs (for a 52.63% growth in membership) and Council of Citizens with Low Vision International (38 new members).
Deadlines and Questions
Nominations open on January 1st, and close on April 1st, 2024. Submit your nominations as soon as possible; late submissions will not be considered. That email address is [email protected]. If you have any questions, contact Carrie Muth at (541) 269-1993, or Koni Sims at (605) 941-9512.