Chris Fendrick headshot. Man wearing shirt and tie, smiling.

[Editor’s Note: The following post comes from Chris Fendrick, a fellow in the Centennial Cohort of the Blind Leaders Development Program, and the second of a two-parter. His first entry describes the program; Part 2 recaps the AFB Leadership Conference.]

Victoria Watts. Woman with long blonde hair, smiling.

Victoria Watts is many things – entrepreneur and mother foremost among them. She is also a woman committed to giving back.

Donald Wedewer speaking from a lectern at the Helen Keller Centennial Congress in Boston, MA, 1980. Courtesy, Helen Keller Archive.The American Foundation for the Blind mourns the passing of Donald H. Wedewer, 96, of Charleston, South Carolina, a former AFB trustee and beloved colleague who committed his life to service.

Maureen Hayden. JVIB, Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness.

When asked, "Were you nervous the first time you had to use a Bunsen burner with an open flame during microbiology lab?" Maureen J. Hayden, a blind woman who is pursuing a doctoral degree in marine biology at Texas A&M University, replied, "Of course!"

Marc Safman headshot. A man in a gray suit and glasses, smiling. Marc Safman is a fellow in the Blind Leaders Development Program Centennial Cohort. Marc is deafblind and has experience as a paralegal specializing in anti-money laundering compliance and litigation.

Editor’s note: In the United States, October 15 is celebrated as White Cane Awareness Day — originally established as White Cane Safety Day by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. White canes are a powerful mobility tool and symbol of independence for people who are blind, deafblind, or have low vision.

Disability Pride Flag - a black background with five zigzag lines colored blue, yellow, white, red, and green going diagonally across.

Happy Disability Pride Month!

Have you not heard of Disability Pride Month? I am not surprised! Even in my work as a research specialist for the American Foundation for the Blind, I have found that most of my professional colleagues have not previously heard of this pride month, either.