[CT-NFB] RememberingJoe Raffallo

Wed May 4 13:18:40 UTC 2022

What an amazing life. May his memory be a blessing.

On Wed, May 4, 2022 at 1:35 PM Deb Reed via CT-NFB <ct-nfb at nfbnet.org>
wrote:

>  BLOOMFIELD, NJ – Joseph “Joe” Ruffalo Jr., the much-loved and iconic
> leader in New Jersey and national blindness communities, passed away
> quietly this morning at home, comforted by the presence of family members
> and friends.  His death follows his valiant multi-year battle with
> metastasized bladder cancer that developed from Agent Orange exposure
> during the Vietnam War.
>
>
>
> Born on July 6, 1949, to Joe and Rose Ruffalo in Montclair, Joe grew up in
> Bloomfield and was one of five siblings, three of whom, like him, became
> blind from the inherited eye condition retinitis pigmentosa. It was his
> loss of eyesight that would change his life and those of thousands of
> people with whom he connected during his adult life.
>
>
>
> He graduated from Bloomfield High School, attended what was then
>
> Montclair State College, and served in the US Army in Vietnam from
> 1969-70.  He was awarded a Bronze Star for valor. He also brought home a
> number of service-related health issues, including his cancer, which would
> not manifest themselves until five decades later.
>
>
>
> Joe learned in 1976 that retinitis pigmentosa would slowly claim his
> vision. For six years he continued his work as a manager in a Thom McAn
> shoe store, but by 1983 he began looking for guidance about how to achieve
> greater proficiency and control over his life as a blind adult.
>
>
>
> As it happened, Joe dedicated his adult life modeling and teaching others
> the philosophy of the National Federation of the Blind: teach the public
> that blindness is only a characteristic of each blind individual.
> Empowered by proper training, skills, attitude, and techniques, blindness
> can be reduced to a physical nuisance. And bolstered by love, hope and
> determination, each blind or visually impaired person can indeed live the
> lives they want.
>
>
> Back in the 1980s, professionals at the NJ state blindness agency
> discouraged Joe from learning any blindness skills including the use of a
> white mobility cane because he still had reliable residual vision so could
> do without them.
>
>
>
> Though eager to obtain the necessary skills, at the time Joe believed he
> had no recourse but to adhere to the advice of the only professionals he
> knew. Not until 1986 did he learn to use a cane, and he accomplished that
> by teaching himself. While at the state blindness training center, then
> located in Newark, Joe discovered a talent for baking which led to a
> successful nine-year career as the owner of a pastry business.
>
>
>
> In 1988 Joe tentatively attended his first NFB chapter meeting in Newark.
> He reported that after ten minutes he knew that his life was about to
> change dramatically. Realizing that the NFB was a place of fraternity and
> empowerment, empathy and accomplishment, Joe says, "I saw blind people
> doing things I wanted to do. They were holding jobs, volunteering, and
> achieving in every pursuit." This was the beginning of Joe's own growth and
> achievement as a blind person. In 1990 he became second vice president of
> the New Jersey affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind.
>
>
>
> Two years later he was first vice president and by 1993 he was president
> of the NFBNJ, a position he held until 2020. “It is a tremendous honor and
> responsibility to promote positive attitudes about blindness and the
> abilities of blind people," Joe said at the time.  He was a member of the
> NFB National Board of Directors for 20  years and it would be difficult to
> find a blind New Jerseyan who has not met Joe or been helped directly or
> indirectly by him.
>
>
>
> Joe's community involvement was not limited to the National Federation of
> the Blind. He was a leader in the Lions Club of Belleville for more than 25
> years, serving as president for three. He has also held positions as
> zone/regent chair and served on the district 16-B cabinet.
>
>
>
> In more than 24 years with the Knights of Columbus, Joe held the positions
> of guard, warden, and deputy grand knight, and was an active member of the
> Boy Scouts of America for more than 14 years.
>
>
>
>  As past president of the Special Education Parent and Professional
> Organization for13 years and past chairman of the board of trustees of the
> NJ Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CBVI), he further worked
> to ensure the full integration of people with disabilities into society. He
> received the agency’s Trailblazer Award two years ago for his achievements
> and contributions to the blindness community.
>
>
>
> Joe attended the Therapeutic Massage Center to obtain certification in
> massage therapy and from 1998 to 2000 provided massage for staff, patients,
> and visitors at Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville, before moving his
> practice to a private office. He has served as a consultant to the Somerset
> School of Massage, making recommendations to staff and students and
> answering questions about training methods for blind students.
>
>
>
> Joe also worked to smooth others' transitions from dependence to
> independence as a leader in two programs sponsored by the NJ Commission for
> the Blind and Visually Impaired. He was previously employed by the First
> Occupational Center of New Jersey as a program specialist in the Senior
> Community Independent Living Services (SCILS) program, which identifies
> people over age fifty-five in Essex and Ocean counties who experienced
> vision loss, with the goal of teaching independence skills so that these
> seniors can remain active in the community and independent in their homes.
>
>
>
> Joe’s dedication to the blindness community stretched along the lifespan,
> As state program director and northern region coordinator of the
> Leadership, Education, Advocacy, and Determination (LEAD) program,
> administered in partnership with Heightened Independence and Progress, Joe
> provided mentoring activities for blind teenagers and their families until
> the program was terminated in 2013.
>
>
>
> Most recently, Joe served as a mentor to blind and visually impaired high
> school students in a transition program sponsored by the NJ CBVI and the
> Family Resource Center called EDGE for Employment, Direction, Guidance and
> Engagement.
>
>
>
> Joe's many contributions to the community were recognized in November
> 2000when he was honored with the Partnership for Progress Award at the NJ
> Commission’s Believe and Achieve ninetieth anniversary celebration and he
> was presented in 2020 with the agency’s Trailblazer Award.
>
>
>
> In July 2001 his leadership in the blindness community was again
> acknowledged when he was elected to the board of directors of the National
> Federation of the Blind. In October of 2002 the State of New Jersey honored
> by presenting him with the New Jersey Vietnam Service Medal.
>
>
>
> Joe was always encouraged and supported by his wife of 44 years, Judy, and
> his two sons, Joseph and James. In his spare time Joe liked sports of all
> kinds, especially baseball and basketball, and enjoyed hosting “Thru Our
> Eyes”, an Internet radio program that highlighted blindness issues and
> promote positive attitudes about blindness.
>
>
>
> Joe's life and work expressed his commitment to the blind and their
> struggle for equality in society. His achievements stand as an example for
> others, like those of the Federationists who deeply impressed him at his
> first chapter meeting. He achieves and grows, facing every challenge with
> energy, enthusiasm, and common sense as well as his trademark sense of
> humor replete with jokes and stories usually told at his own expense.
>
>
> In addition to his wife and two adult sons and their wives, Joe is
> survived by his sister Jane Degenshein also a leader in our National
> Federation of the Blind community and her husband Larry; his brothers
> Robert and Richard and another sister, Rose as well as a host of nieces,
> nephews great nieces and great nephews and cousins.
>
>
>
> Additionally, surviving Joe are thousands of blind and visually impaired
> people of all ages across the country who have been assisted and influenced
> by Joe Ruffalo Jr. who lived his trademark signature: “We care, we share,
> we grow, we make a difference.”
>
>
> Deborah J. Reed
> Central Chapter President
> NFB of CT
> Deb.reed57 at gmail.com
> 860-378-5370
> “Live the life you want, blindness is not what holds you back.” National
> Federation Of The Blind
>
>
>
>
>
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-- 
*Trudy Swenson*
*trudyswenson at gmail.com <trudyswenson at gmail.com>*
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