Gainesville, Georgia—The Georgia Council of the Blind held its annual convention/conference meeting April 28-29, 2017, at the Ramada Inn Lanier Centre.
Attendees to the convention enjoyed a Welcome Reception Friday evening with young paralympian Matt Simpson of Team USA. Simpson was quoted as saying, “A disability does not have to stop you from finding your dream. Sometimes the disability is the opportunity that helps you find and achieve your dream.” Simpson is a member of the United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) and won silver with the U.S. Men’s Goalball team in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. The evening’s festivities ended with an auction fundraiser and a Jeopardy-style game featuring famous blind people in history, movies, music and politics.
Saturday’s activities kicked off with a welcome from Gainesville mayor Danny Dunagan. Dunagan stopped by the Ramada Inn as he began a round of appearances at local festivals and parade.
Convention meetings included updates from Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA) representatives Kay McGill, Paul Raymond and Denine Woodson. Ms. McGill is the Older Blind Program Manager—Project Independence: Georgia Vision Program for Adults Age 55 and over. Mr. Raymond is the statewide blindness services coordinator for the VR and older blind programs. Ms. Woodson is the new Director of Blind and Deaf Services. Other notable speakers included Dan Dillon board member of the national organization, American Council of the Blind (ACB).
Also speaking during the day’s events were Audrey Demmitt and Gainesville’s own Mike Wofford. Ms. Demmitt, an R.N. for 35 years currently works for the American Foundation for the Blind as a writer, support group adviser and peer adviser for visionaware.org. Mr. Wofford is the owner and general manager of GLORY 1330 WGTJ radio station in Gainesville. Mr. Wofford shared experiences from his life as well as his work in broadcasting, sports and a new business venture called "I Can See Computers."
Leisure activities during the weekend included a hands-on guided tour of the Northeast Georgia History Center. Tour visitors used tools in the blacksmith shop, ground corn with a wood pestle, and shaved a length of wood with a draw knife. Included in the tour were two Bibles, one in Braille and one in the now-defunct use of raised letters. Convention attendees enjoyed a tandem bike ride at nearby Midtown Greenway. The bikes were steered by members of the South Forsyth Triathlon Club, a triathlete group based in Cumming, GA.
The convention concluded with a statewide board of directors meeting to conduct the business of the nine chapters and affiliates.
The Greater Hall Chapter meets the second Saturday of each month at Smoky Springs Retirement Residence, 940 South Enota Drive, Gainesville, GA. For more information, call Dianne Roberts at 770-932-1112 or Judy Presley at 706-878-2962
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