AFB Blog

One of the first questions people ask one another is, “What do you do for a living?” That question has such deep implications for most of us. Our jobs can be closely tied to who we are and what we value. What we do for work tells the world a lot about us: It can indicate our level of education or give an idea about someone’s personality. We often associate our self-worth with our careers. When we get a new job, we feel valued and when we get a promotion or raise, we feel a sense of…

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. In 2011, President Barack Obama also referred to White Cane Safety Day as Blind Americans Equality Day. In honor of White Cane Awareness Day, Amir Rahimi, AFB’s Major Donor and Corporate…

On October 11, 2021, the FDR Memorial Legacy Committee (FDR Committee) hosted a celebration to commemorate the 137th birthday of former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt with a wreath-laying ceremony at the FDR Memorial in Washington, DC. The wreath-laying coincides with the 75th anniversary of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt becoming chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights and drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Featured guests included Dr. Kirk Adams, President and CEO of the…

Video Transcript National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) is held each October to commemorate the many and varied contributions of people with disabilities to America’s workplaces and economy. NDEAM's 2021 theme is “America’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion.” This year, we reflect on the importance of ensuring that people with disabilities have full access to employment and community involvement during the national recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. We understand the…

Photograph of Eleanor Roosevelt and Robert B. Irwin with others at the World Conference on Work for the Blind, 1931. Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (October 11, 1884 – November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She served as the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four terms in office, making her the longest-serving first lady of the United States. President Harry S. Truman later called her the "First…

As swathes of the United States continue to recover from the aftermath of recent hurricanes Henri and Ida—and as the nation tracks the movements of Hurricane Sam and Tropical Storm Victor—an article entitled, "The Value of Orientation and Mobility in the Preparation, Response, and Recovery of the 2017 Hurricane Season in Puerto Rico," by Kevin McCormack, in the upcoming September-October 2021 issue of the Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness (JVIB), offers some reflections on the skills…

The Disability Information and Access Line (DIAL), funded by both the Administration for Community Living (ACL) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is an information and referral center that assists with locating vaccine sites, appointment scheduling, locating transportation to the appointment, in-home testing determination, COVID-19 vaccination education, and overcoming barriers to vaccination for people with disabilities. Additionally, DIAL specialists can help people with…

Join us, September 23, 8:00 PM Eastern, for an encore presentation of the AFB 100 “Art of Inclusion” concert and celebration, co-hosted by Haben Girma, author of the best-selling memoir Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law, and AFB president and CEO Kirk Adams, Ph.D.—with performances by Grammy-nominated artists Amadou & Mariam and Marcus Roberts, jazz pianist Matthew Whitaker, Tony-nominated Sean Allan Krill, songwriter Jennah Bell, hip-hop artist Aloe Blacc, and students…

First some good news: U.S. Eliminates Student Loan Debt For Some Borrowers With Disabilities NPR, August 19, 2021 "The U.S. Education Department announced Thursday that it is discharging the outstanding student loans of more than 323,000 borrowers who have significant, permanent disabilities, and will remove barriers for borrowers who qualify for this relief in the future. The announcement will erase some $5.8 billion in debt and marks a significant step toward fixing a troubled debt relief…