As I compose this special message, we on the Blinded Veterans Association’s Board of Directors have finished up our first trimester of service to the organization. There have been several things that have happened during that short period of four months, for which we can be both grateful and, on the other hand, challenged by some of the complexities facing us. Collectively, we have encountered cancer, arthritis, diabetes, and other maladies. We have had children […]

During the holiday season of 1947, with BVA not even yet three years old, members of the Association and their families helped the people of war-torn Europe through CARE, an acronym at the time for “Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe, Inc.” CARE sent millions of packages from the United States for delivery to friends, relatives, and specified groups or persons in Europe. It was a government-approved service composed of 27 relief agencies and the […]

Join BVA and the Elizabeth Dole Foundation this Tuesday, December 12, at 11:00am Eastern Time for an empowering panel discussion about the importance of family caregiving of veterans with sight loss. From their personal and professional experiences, BVA Executive Director Don Overton, Chief of Staff Tim Hornik, and National Service Director Duayne Driscoll will together address Champions and Allies: Caring for Blindness/Low Vision. The three will share assistive technologies, experiential knowledge, and resources to help […]

VA has announced that all veterans of World War II are now eligible for no-cost VA inpatient and outpatient health care, which includes all medical services. The expansion of the care will include those who served between December 7, 1941, and December 31, 1946, regardless of their length of service or financial status. An early release of the information on November 9 implied erroneously that World War II veterans were automatically eligible for nursing home […]

Perhaps no other U.S. demographic can appreciate the Thanksgiving holiday as much as our nation’s veterans who have spent many a Thanksgiving far from family, friends, and football. Despite that premise, the Military has never ignored or disregarded Thanksgiving, not since the Civil War at least, and going back even further in many cases.  And, while culinary accomplishments of the Military are not typically associated with gourmet fare, the provisions themselves and the cooking performances […]

It may be Halloween and the end of October but BVA’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Group is currently collaborating with the Washington DC VA Medical Center’s Vision Impairment Services Outpatient Rehabilitation (VISOR) Clinic in the planning of an all-day October 31 event that promotes awareness of the White Cane and care of our nation’s blind and low vision veterans. Potential attendees of the event are beckoned with the following: “Join Us in the Journey toward a Brighter […]

All the Light We Cannot See, an American drama limited series developed for Netflix, will be released next Thursday, November 2. The four part-series, based on Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel that carries the same name, follows the stories of two teenagers—a blind French girl named Marie-Laure and a German soldier named Werner—whose paths cross in enemy-occupied France during World War II. BVA National Headquarters has been invited to a special live screening of […]

Please act now as quickly as possible to participate in the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic scheduled for April 1-7, 2024, in Snowmass, Colorado! The world-class event, co-hosted by VA and Disabled American Veterans, is also supported by a host of private sector sponsors. Registration includes lodging, meals, and a variety of sports and recreation activities such as those enumerated below. Because a doctor must fill out a portion of the application and because […]

White Cane Day activities are again on the rise with a restoration of the past interest, thanks to motivated individual BVA members and their regional groups.  After a long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic that included even last year, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Blind Rehabilitation Service (BRS) support groups and their respective Visual Impairment Services Team (VIST) Coordinators also commemorated the significance of white cane safety through pre-planned public events such as walks, […]

BVA National Headquarters has received from VA a limited supply of 11” X 17” printed posters to publicize and promote Veterans Day, now just four weeks away! The posters can be displayed in classrooms, civic and community centers, government buildings such as VA facilities, military installations, and individual offices across the country. Although the BVA allotment is limited, a few extra copies remain for interested BVA members and friends. The VA Veterans Day National Committee […]