NIB Thanks Blinded Veterans For their Service at BVA 65th Anniversary Conference

Ned Rupp staffed a table in the exhibit hall where he talked to attendees (pictured in the photo left) about the services that NIB offers to wounded warriors.

NIB is a proud sponsor and participant at the Blinded Veterans Association 65th National Convention, August 24–28, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Virginia.

At an Operation Peer Support session on Tuesday, August 24, Brian Hurley and Jeff Mittman shared their personal stories of how they became blind, but more importantly how their lives were altered and their careers changed, and the steps they took to adapt to their blindness. Brian, who is legally blind due to retinitis pigmentosa, expounded on the advances in assistive technologies for the blind and visually impaired. Like many in the audience, Jeff was wounded by a roadside bomb in Iraq. In that attack, his left eye was destroyed; his right arm was badly damaged; and he lost his nose, his lips, and most of his teeth. He thanked the blinded veterans for their heroism and courage, and encouraged them to focus on what they could do and not on what they couldn’t do.

Ned Rupp staffed a table in the exhibit hall where he talked to attendees about the services that NIB offers to wounded warriors, and told them about the SKILCRAFT® products and services offered through the AbilityOne Program. The convention bags given to all registered attendees were courtesy of NIB and Lighthouse Graphics, an operational division of East Texas Lighthouse for the Blind.

On Monday evening, NIB hosted a dinner for BVA’s Operation Peer Support program, which connects combat-blinded veterans of World War II, Korea and Vietnam with newly blinded veterans who have been wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. Most of the newly blinded are young soldiers and Marines victimized by encounters with improvised explosive devices or sniper fire. NIB staff members attending the reception and dinner were Kevin Lynch, president and CEO; Angela Hartley, executive vice president; Thomas Panek, vice president, relationship management; Jessica Carter, director, public policy; Jennifer King, director, project development; Brian Hurley, external affairs program director; Jeffrey Mittman, national account manager; and Ned Rupp, veteran affairs specialist – wounded warriors.

For more information, contact Brian Hurley at 703-310-0327 or bhurley@nib.org.