CONTACT: Tony Stephens, Assistant Vice-President, Communications 212.502.7627 | tstephens@afb.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 2, 2025) — The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) is excited to announce the 2025 recipient of the Corinne Kirchner Research Award. The award will be presented to Dr. Tiffany Wild of The Ohio State University.
AFB recognizes Dr. Wild with this award for her prolific scholarly work encompassing the conceptual learning of students who are blind or have low vision, with a focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education.
“Through her published research, Dr. Wild continues to guide educators in ways that can open doors of opportunity for blind and low-vision students in the disciplines of science and mathematics, doors that had historically not always been open for our community in previous generations,” said Eric Bridges, AFB president and CEO. “Her passion for using research to empower students to succeed in the classroom embodies the spirit of Dr. Kirchner, who dedicated her own life’s work to furthering research that elevates the education of students who are blind or have low vision.”
The announcement of the award comes at a significant moment, as AFB received the sad news of Dr. Kirchner’s death on June 15, 2025, at age 90. Throughout her long and storied career, Dr. Kirchner established herself as one of the leading scholars on matters pertaining to people with disabilities, particularly those who are blind or have low vision.
Established in 2007, the Corinne Kirchner Research Award recognizes scholars and researchers who have made groundbreaking contributions to the field of blindness and low vision through their published work. Named after Corinne Endreny Kirchner, Ph.D., who set the benchmark against which much of the subsequent research in the field has been compared, AFB presents this award to scholars who have conducted investigations of demographic data, analysis of outcomes for programs and service delivery, and scientific examination of socio-ecological trends in the population of people who are blind or have low vision.
The 2025 recipient of the Kirchner award, Dr. Wild is an associate professor, as well as the assistant chair, for the Department of Teaching and Learning at The Ohio State University. Her body of qualitative research has focused on the conceptual learning of students with visual impairments. She received her Ph.D. from The Ohio State University in 2008, and she holds an M.Ed. in special education from Vanderbilt University, a B.S.Ed. in middle childhood science and mathematics education from Ohio University, and a B.A. in environmental science and mathematics from Capital University. In addition to her extensive research activities, she has far-reaching experience in the classroom as a teacher of visually impaired students, having previously taught in Ohio and Tennessee.
Join AFB in celebrating Dr. Wild’s accomplishments and remembering the legacy of Dr. Kirchner at the annual awards luncheon in Arlington, Virginia, which will be held on November 13th as part of the 2025 AFB Leadership Conference. For more details, visit www.afb.org/afblc.
Founded in 1921, the American Foundation for the Blind creates equal opportunities and expands possibilities for people who are blind, deafblind, or have low vision through advocacy, thought leadership, and strategic partnerships. In addition to publishing the Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness (JVIB), AFB is also the proud steward of the Helen Keller Archive, which is available on the AFB website at www.afb.org.
