by Daniel Parker, RDPFS Intern
As we continue our commemoration of this year’s Black History Month, many observances acknowledge the importance of its themes throughout the year. Some notable offerings from organizations in the blind and visually impaired (BVI) community focus on different perspectives of Black history and disability. First, this blog post from Paths to Literacy brings together a variety of educational resources, including selected books available from the National Braille Press; a post from the New England Consortium on Deafblindness and Perkins School for the Blind honoring prominent African American historical figures with blindness and hearing loss; a biography of the month’s founder, Dr. Carter G. Woodson; and selections from the American Printing House for the Blind (APH)’s extensive Black History Month Archives. In addition, this post by Roxann Griffith, a Black, disabled veteran and senior policy advisor at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), discusses how her previous career within the U.S. government, Black disabled military history, and her own intersecting identities help to shape her mission and her work with ODEP. An additional post by Freddie Peaco of the Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP), is a detailed summation of the impact of people who are blind and visually impaired on African American history and culture. Finally, Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), addresses Black History Month among other things in an episode of his Presidential Release podcast. These are just a few of the ways in which diverse organizations throughout the community continue to respect and honor this all-important month.
