The DAV
Blind Chapter held their annual business meeting in Atlantic City, NJ on
August 5, 2023 Newly Elected Officers are:
COMMANDER: Leonard Pope
SENIOR VICE COMMANDER: Janice Thompson
FIRST JUNIOR VICE COMMANDER: Dennis
O'Connell
Appointments
Adjutant: Paul Kaminsky
Chaplin: Ron Lester
JUDGE ADVOCATE: Dennis O'connell
TREASURER: Paul Kaminsky
SPECIAL NOTICE:
DAV MEMBERSHIP
DUES ARE NO LONGER SET RESPECTIVE TO AGE.
MEMBERSHIP DUES ARE
NOW: $350
(80 YEARS OR OLDER STILL NO COST)
DUES CAN BE PAID
WITH A MONTHLY CREDIT CARD CHARGE OF AS LOW AS $10 PER MONTH
Our Purpose
The
Blind Veterans National Chapter, the only Blind Chapter in the Disabled
American Veterans organization.
Purpose is to build better lives for America's
blind veterans and their families.
Who else knows more about
sight loss than those who live with it day after day?
Click here for the Blind Veterans National Chapter's Constitution & Bylaws
NEWSLETTERS: The Blind Veterans National Chapter produces a newsletter bimonthly. Click here for the old newsletters.
May
2012 DAV Magazine Published an Article Considered Still Relavent Today:
"White
Cane Means YIELD!" To Read: Click Here.
DAV Blind Veterans National Chapter #1
Delivers
The Keys To A New Ford Van
In The Photo Above
Left Center (the late)
Past Commander Eddie Humphrey
Right Center
(the late) Past
Commander Richard Bugbee
Deliver The Keys.
DAV Blind Veterans National Chapter #1Delivers The Keys To A New Ford VanTo The Tucson, AZ Blind Rehab Center.
The Van Is The First Van The Blind Chapter
Has Ever Been Able To Donate. The Van
Will Be Used By The Blind Rehab Center
Allowing Them To Ensure Blind Vets always
Have Transportation To Provide Access
To Their Mobility Training.
Donations Accrued Were Savings
Accumulated From Donations
Received From Many DAV Chapters.
Many Thanks From The DAV Blind Veterans Community
To All Those Generous Chapters.
Meetings
DAV
National Blind Chapter #1 Annual Meetings
are held during the DAV National
conventions
Past Annual
Installation of Officers
Breakfast
Held During The DAV National Conventions
Hope to return some
day!
National Blind Chapter's Newest Project
The Tactile Braille American Flag
The Blind Veterans National Chapter has for the
past few years been causing Tactile Braille Flags to be placed throughout the
country so blind veterans may once again see, with their fingers, our American
Flag. As one blind veteran said: "I know I am being remembered with someone
making it possible for me able again to see my Flag." The primary goal of the
Chapter is to hopefully have one of these Bronze Braille American Flags
displayed proudly in every VA Facility where Visual Impairment Support Team
(VIST) Coordinators are assigned. After that, continue to have installed in
all VA Facilities in the Nation.
The Blind Veterans National Chapter #1 working with the non profit organizations (Kansas Braille Transscription Institute, KS and the American Braille Flag Project, FL) Have placed more than 150 Vronze Tactile Braille American Flags throughout the United states. Sites such as the Arlington National Cemetery, World Trade Center, Flingt 93 Memorial (Shanksville, PA), VA Blind Rehab Centers, VA Medical Centeers, VA Nursing Homes, National Cemeteries, etc. DAV National Headquarters has also placed a Bronze Tactile Braille American Flag on their grounds.
The American Braille Flag is a tactile
representation of the American Flag, recognized in 2008 by the U.S.
Congress as an official tactile representation of the American Flag. The
upper left corner are the stars, each of which represents the 50 states
and are arranged in nine rows in alternating clusters of six and five.
The long smooth horizontal lines represent the red stripes. The end of
each stripe is embossed with the Braille dots 4, 5, 6 followed by the
lower case "r", indicating the color red. Between each of the
representations of the red stripes are the long raised textured areas
representing the white stripes. The end of each stripe is embossed with
the Braille dots 4, 5, 6 followed by the lower case "w", indicating the
color white. As should be, there are a total of thirteen stripes which
represent the original thirteen American colonies of England which
became the original thirteen states. The pledge of allegiance is
embossed over the smooth red stripes. This graphic not only serves those
Americans who have become blind, but equally serves as a
teaching/learning tactile aid for instructing blind students how the
American flag appears to the sighted. The flag comes in various sizes and designs.
Raising The Flag For All To See...Including
The Blind
Below are some videos of places where these Flags
have found homes!
Lake City, Florida (video)
Wichita, KS VA medical center (video)
Topeka, KS VA medical Center (video)
Augusta, GA VA medical Center (video)
Iraq Veteran(video)
Jacksonville, FL VA OPC(video)
Membership
Membership in the Disabled American
Veterans Blind Veterans National Chapter requires meeting the eligibility
requirements for the Disabled American Veterans and the Blind Veterans National
Chapter as listed below.
DAV Requirements:
Any man
or woman, who was wounded, gassed, injured or disabled in line of duty during
time of war, while in the service of either the military or naval forces of the
United States of America, and who has not been dishonorably discharged or
separated from such service, or who may still be in active service in the armed
forces of the United States of America is eligible for membership in the
Disabled American Veterans. Others, who are disabled while serving with any of
the armed forces of any nations associated with the United States of America as
allies during any of its war periods, who are American citizens and who are
honorably discharged, are also eligible.
BLIND CHAPTER Requirements
Requirements for
membership: (rev. 9/75) any man or woman who is eligible for membership
under article III of the national constitution of the parent organization and
suffered the anatomical loss of both eyes, or is blind in both eyes, with
20/200 visual acuity or less, or has visual field reduction to 20 degrees or
less, shall be eligible for membership.
Note:
You do not have to have a service connection disability for
blindness to be eligible; your disability can be for any
disability.
The Disabled American Veterans shall not have honorary
members.
You may want to contact the VIST (Visual
Impairment Service Team) Coordinator at the Veterans
Administration Medical Center that you go to for assistance with
blind rehabilitation and prosthetics.
JOIN
THE DAV BLIND VETERANS NATIONAL CHAPTER #1
1. Click here
for Membership Application (NEW Member, Mail In)
2. Click
here for Online Membership Application (NEW Member & Credit Card Required)
3. Click here
for Membership Transfer Form (From One Chapter to Blind Chapter, No Costs)
MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS
MAIL - Contact
DAV - Blind
Veterans National ChapteR #1
Atten: Paul Kaminsky USN-Ret
4295 Powderhorn Ct,
Middleburg, FL 32068-2210
Elected & Appointed Officers (As of August 2023)
COMMANDER:
LEONARD POPE
SENIOR VICE
COMMANDER:
JJANICE THOMPSON
FIRST JUNIOR
VICE COMMANDER: DENNIS O'CONNELL
JUDGE ADVOCATE:
DENNIS O'CONNELL
CHAPLIN:
RON LESTER
ADJUTANT:
PAUL KAMINSKY
TREASURER :
PAUL KAMINSKY
Chapter Commander: LEONARD POPE
E-mail Chapter Commander
Chapter Adjutant: PAUL KAMINSKY
E-mail Chapter Adjutant
IF I
CANNOT SPEAK GOOD OF MY COMRADE,
I WILL NOT SPEAK ILL OF HIM OR HER