03/05/2016

still image from the video honoring The Charmed Life of Carl Augusto - showing Carl, cane in hand, in front of the American Foundation for the Blind logo

It's the final day of a packed 2016 AFB Leadership Conference. Last night we celebrated our retiring President & CEO Carl R. Augusto's 25 years of outstanding leadership and service to the American Foundation for the Blind. If you are able to, please join us in honoring Carl and his legacy of outstanding service, with a gift to AFB.

Each year, we honor individuals, corporations and organizations that eliminate or substantially reduce inequities faced by people with vision loss. Yesterday afternoon, we presented the 2016 Access Awards to Avid Technology, Inc., Glinda Hill, ITNAmerica, Netflix and the National Federation of the Blind (NFB).

Congratulations to the 2016 Access Award Winners! Learn more about the 2016 Access Award recipients and their work.

Back Row, Standing: AFB President of Programs and Policy Paul Schroeder; Ed Gray of Avid Technology; NFB President Mark Riccobono; AFB President and CEO Carl Augusto. Front Row, Seated: Glinda Foster Hill; ITNAmerica Founder and President Katherine Freund; Netflix Director of Global Operations Tracy Wright Back Row, Standing: AFB President of Programs and Policy Paul Schroeder; Ed Gray of Avid Technology; NFB President Mark Riccobono; AFB President and CEO Carl Augusto. Front Row, Seated: Glinda Foster Hill; ITNAmerica Founder and President Katherine Freund; Netflix Director of Global Operations Tracy Wright

Few leaders have transformed our field and the major organizations they represent more than Carl Augusto and Tuck Tinsley. Together they discussed the dramatic changes they have witnessed in education, rehabilitation, technology, and services for people with vision loss, and encouraged our field to tackle those challenges head on. And they had a little fun swapping stories, too...

Tuck Tinsley and Carl Augusto, sharing stories, reflections, and advice at the 2016 AFB Leadership Conference

And today, AFB celebrated the accomplishments of the 2016 winners of the Migel Medals, the highest honor in the blindness field. The 2016 recipients are Michael Bina, Ed.D., Gordon Gund, and Llura “Lulie” Liggett Gund.

Michael J. Bina has served as president of the Maryland School for the Blind since 2008, where he is responsible for statewide programs that serve 56 percent of Maryland students who are blind or visually impaired. Gordon Gund is chairman and CEO of Gund Investment Corporation in Princeton, N.J. He is also the chairman and co-founder of the Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB), a national non-profit dedicated to finding causes and treatments for retinal diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa, which Gund is blind from, and age-related macular degeneration. Llura “Lulie” Liggett Gund is president of the New Jersey chapter of FFB, and a member of the of the national FFB founding group. She also serves as a member of FFB’s national Board of Trustees Learn more about the outstanding achievements of the 2016 Migel Medal recipients.

Migel Medals 2016 ceremony, with Dr. Rosanne Silberman reading the congratulatory letters to the winners Dr. Rosanne Silberman reading the congratulatory letters to the winners