California Celebrates
Hello everyone. No matter where you live in the country, you can probably hear the cheering coming from California.
On September 29 around 2:30 p.m., Gov. Gray Davis signed SB105 which was introduced by Sen. John Burton. This bill establishes a Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired within the Department of Rehabilitation and provides for line authority, which we have never had before. The California Council of the Blind, the National Federation of the Blind of California and all major organizations for the blind in California formed the Blind Alliance for Rehabilitation Change (BARC). Our bill became a two-year bill and we believe it passed because, for the first time in California history, all organizations and agencies serving blind people came together. The implementation of the bill begins July 1, 2003.
We are also celebrating because the Ninth Circuit Court has reversed a decision which would have damaged our special education schools in the Los Angeles District. Our special schools will remain open and no quotas will be allowed. Because of a court decision earlier this year the Frances Blend School in Los Angeles and all other special ed schools, except for those which serve deaf children, were in jeopardy. The parents from the special schools all came together, and with tremendous support from organizations like ours, the school district finally appealed the case and we have achieved this successful conclusion.
We in CCB hope our good fortune can be a source of encouragement to those of you who are seeking special entities to serve blind and visually impaired people in your own communities.
I hope you are having a great day like we are here in California.
VAB Presents Lifetime Achievement Award
The Virginia Association of the Blind-Shenandoah Valley recently presented Louise Byrd of Roanoke with its Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her continuing work and advocacy in support of programs and services that enhance the lives of individuals who are blind or have visual impairments.
Byrd, one of six children whose father died when she was nine, joined the Navy during World War II and helped decipher Japanese secret communications. Following the war, she married Dalton Byrd, raised a family and worked almost three decades in the ITT night vision division. She slowly began losing her vision due to macular degeneration, and decided to do what she could to help others with similar vision loss. At the age of 78 she attended computer school in Connecticut. She graduated and received a computer with software that enabled her to use the computer despite her vision loss.
Byrd has served in a number of offices, including president of the Roanoke Alliance of the Visually Enabled, president of the local Blinded Veterans Association, and as one of the founding members of the VAB-Shenandoah Valley at Roanoke, where she served as a director and secretary, and currently serves as secretary-treasurer.
If you know someone deserving of this award, contact Kenneth Lovern at (540) 342-8080.
Friends-in-Art Listserv
Friends-in-Art has just created a listserv for aspiring artists and those interested in the arts. List members will be able to share information and opinions on topics related to the connection between visual impairments and the arts. To subscribe, send a blank message to: [email protected].