[il-talk] Illinois Independent, Summer 2017

Thu Jun 29 12:22:07 UTC 2017

Very nice newsletter. 

Patti S. Gregory-Chang Esq.
Treasurer
National Federation of the Blind of Illinois
pattischang at gmail.com
www.nfbofillinois.orgFollow @NFBI on twitter
Join the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois group on facebook.

-----Original Message-----
From: IL-Talk [mailto:il-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Deborah Kent
Stein via IL-Talk
Sent: Wednesday, June 28, 2017 8:40 PM
To: 'NFB of Illinois Mailing List'
Cc: Deborah Kent Stein
Subject: [il-talk] Illinois Independent, Summer 2017

ILLINOIS INDEPENDENT

Summer 2017

National Federation of the Blind of Illinois

President: Denise R. Avant

Editors: Deborah Kent Stein and Robert Gardner

Denise R. Avant (773) 991-8050

Davant1958 at gmail.com

Deborah Kent Stein

(773) 203-1394

Dkent5817 at att.net

Robert Gardner

(309) 236-6606

rgardner4 at gmail.com

Formatting: Glenn Moore and Janna Harvey

Newsline Edition: David Meyer

(708) 209-1767

datemeyer at sbcglobal.net

Print and Braille Editions: Bill Reif

(217) 801-2996

billreif at ameritech.net

Website: Brian Mackey

(609) 953-6988

Bmackey88 at gmail.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS

>From the President’s Desk, by Denise R. Avant

A Legislative Breakthrough, by David Meyer

Braille Is about Touching, by Robert Gardner

Adventures in Soccer, by Leslie Hamric

NO LA, by Alex Gamiño

In Memoriam: Annette Grove

FROM THE PRESIDENT's DESK

By Denise R. Avant

This column will have the usual announcements about our upcoming national
and state conventions, our 2017 national and state scholarship finalists,
and our BELL Academy programs. But the most significant item I want to share
with you is the overwhelming passage by both houses of the Illinois
legislature of HB 2626, the Parental Rights for the Blind Act. 

In 1981, the United States Supreme Court in Santosky v. Kramer held that
parents have a fundamental right to parent their children. This ruling meant
that if the state moves to take a child away from the parent, there must be
notice and opportunity for the parent to be heard. Furthermore, at any
hearing there must be clear and convincing evidence that it is in the best
interest of the child to be removed from the parent.  

In Illinois the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) cannot
remove a child from a custodial parent unless there is evidence that the
child is an abused or neglected dependent minor. The parent's rights cannot
be terminated permanently unless the parent is found to be unfit. During the
entire two-step process, the best interest of the child is paramount. In a
divorce case where custody and visitation are at issue, the judge has to
take the best interest of the child into account. 

Lately, across the country, we have seen cases in which blind parents'
custody of their children is disrupted or lost altogether, based on
blindness alone. In 2010 a blind couple in Missouri lost custody of their
newborn child in the hospital because hospital staff and social workers
determined that they would not be capable of taking care of her. The parents
had done nothing to cause harm to their child, yet they were not granted
custody for ten weeks. We know of situations in which couples have let the
hospital staff believe that the sighted parent will be the primary
caregiver, even when this is untrue, simply to avoid being questioned. 

In Illinois we know of cases in divorce proceedings in which the sighted
spouse has requested sole custody, asking that the noncustodial blind parent
never be left alone with the child during visitation. Suffice it to say,
visitation rights normally are not limited for the noncustodial parent
unless there is evidence that the child would be in danger. During the time
when the parties were married, the blind parent was alone with the child as
the primary caregiver without any adverse results. 

Cases such as these are based on nothing more than presumptions,
misconceptions, and prejudices about blind parents, held by judges, lawyers,
doctors, nurses, and social workers. HB 2626 simply states that a blind
parent cannot lose the right to parent his or her child based on blindness
alone. The bill in no way states that blind parents can never lose custody
of their child. It simply prevents removal of the child based on a false
presumption. Parties in litigation will have to present evidence showing how
blindness, if it does, has an impact on a person's ability to parent, or to
present evidence that there is some  other reason why the person cannot
parent and that it is in the best interest of the child that the parent's
rights be restricted or terminated. This is only right, for we know as blind
people that if a blind person takes proper and necessary steps, he or she
can raise healthy and happy children. 

We are very grateful to Representative Laura Fine and Senators Sue Rezin and
John Mulroe for sponsoring and co-sponsoring the House and Senate bills. We
thank all of the members in both chambers who recognized that blind people,
too, have a right to parent. Our members Debbie Stein, Bill Reif, and Leslie
Hamric testified in support of the legislation. Ray Campbell of the Illinois
Council of the Blind (ICB) and many others wrote in support of the bill. Our
members were energized by our efforts to get this bill passed. Many of them
wrote in support and traveled to Springfield to show their support in
person. 

DCFS requested a slight modification to the bill, which the NFB of Illinois
did not oppose. After the modification was made, DCFS offered no opposition.
In the upcoming weeks and months we will work with DCFS to come up with
regulations implementing HB 2626. 

One of our missions in the Federation is to educate the public about
blindness. We are more than willing to share with anyone, blind or sighted,
our resources for blind parents. A page with information related to blind
parents is linked to the NFB website. You can visit the blind parents page
here. We want the holding of Santosky to be realized for blind parents
throughout the country. 

Illinois has two 2017 national scholarship finalist. The first is Ayoub
Zurikat, who is from Jordan. Ayoub will be attending Wheaton College in the
fall, and he is seeking a masters in social work. Aneri Brahmbhatt is a
former Freedom Link participant. She will attend Belmont University in the
fall. Her major will be business administration for musicians. 

Illinois has selected its 2017 state scholarship finalists. Emma Meyer,
president of the Illinois Association of Blind Students (IABS), will be
attending the University of Iowa in the fall. She is planning to declare a
pre-law major. Amy Bosko, who is the second vice president of IABS, will be
attending the University of Illinois/Chicago, majoring in social work.
Dustin Cather, who is new to our affiliate, is already an active member of
IABS and of the National Association of Blind Students (NABS). He attends
Oregon State University online, majoring in political science.
Congratulations to all of the 2017 scholarship finalists! We wish all of
them the best of luck. 

On April 22, 2017, IABS and the NFBI sponsored our fourth annual student
seminar. The seminar was put on by and for students, and all of the content
was geared toward student concerns. I want to congratulate IABS President
Emma Meyer and the rest of the students who made the seminar a success. 

We are soon heading out for national convention, which will take place July
10-15, 2017, in Orlando, Florida. Illinois has a particular reason to look
forward to this convention. Amy Lund, who has been the lead teacher for our
BELL Academies since 2014, will receive the Distinguished Educator of Blind
Students Award. 

Pre-registration has closed and the main hotel is full, but you still might
have a chance to attend convention. In fact, many years ago I managed to get
registered and find a room in the overflow hotel two weeks before
convention. So, you never know. For more information, go to www.nfb.org. 

Illinois is heading into its busiest season as an affiliate. When we
returned from national convention, we will start the first of our two BELL
Academies. Chicago BELL will be held at the Chicago Lighthouse for People
Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired, July 17-28. We thank Dr. Janet Sczlyk
for the use of the Lighthouse facilities for the fourth year in a row. Our
Springfield BELL program will be held from July 31 to August 4. We soon will
be taking applications for our tenth Freedom Link program for blind middle
and high school students.

We are already preparing for our state convention at the Chicago Mariott
Naperville in Naperville, Illinois. The dates are October 27-29. We do not
know yet who our national representative will be, but no doubt we will have
this information within a few days of national convention. We have some
confirmed speakers, and we are waiting for more. You will have an
opportunity to meet our three state scholarship finalists, and we hope that
at least one of our national scholarship finalists will attend. 

Let's go build the Federation! 

A LEGISLATIVE BREAKTHROUGH

By David Meyer

Back in 2015 our affiliate president, Denise Avant, asked me if I would
consider chairing the State Legislation Committee. Having never chaired such
a committee and having little knowledge of the legislation process in
Illinois, I was hesitant. Add to that my perception that the Illinois
General Assembly seemed in a perpetual stalemate, a situation where members
seemed more interested in voting the party line rather than working together
for the greater good of Illinois. I thought chairing an NFBI  State
Legislation Committee with the expectation of getting something done was
beyond me. After I expressed much reservation, Denise asked me to take time
to think it over and let her know what I wanted to do.  Reluctantly I agreed
to her request.

Before calling the first committee meeting, I decided the only way we had a
chance of getting anything passed would be to choose an issue that made
sense to both political parties. Additionally, what we should propose ought
to be a piece of legislation without high costs. Remembering a national NFB
priority that our state affiliate had worked on in previous years, I thought
we had an issue that just might work. That issue was the right of blind
parents not to face the threat of losing custody of a child solely on the
ground of blindness.  

Though I’ve never been a parent, I remembered how heartbroken my wife and I
felt when I showed her an email documenting the struggles of a blind couple
in Missouri. They had their child taken away from them before mom ever left
the hospital. Since then  I’ve learned of a mother in Decatur who also had
her baby removed from her care while still in the hospital after delivery.
Additionally, I was reminded several times by individuals in a
rehabilitation program where I occasionally spoke that blindness was a
prevalent reason, perhaps the sole reason, that blind individuals were
having trouble seeking custody of children they’d successfully helped raise.

Although the first meeting  of the State Legislation Committee went well
enough, my perception was that everyone on the committee was pesamistic
about getting anything done in our partisan state political environment.
During the second meeting, Bill Reif, the former chair of the State
Legislative Committee, produced a draft of a Parental Rights bill he had
presented to the state legislature a few years ago with no meaningful
results. We learned that the state of Maryland had passed a Parental Rights
Act using language produced by the National Federation of the Blind.  Once
that language was obtained and the committee had a chance to look at it, we
decided to submit it to members of the House Human Services Committee.   A
member of our committee drafted a letter that laid out why we considered
such legislation necessary.

By this time the deadline for introducing bills to the House had long
passed. We knew we could not get any results in 2016.  We decided to submit
what we had in 2017, to ask the legislators we contacted to consider
submitting a bill then. Two representatives on the Human Services Committee
wrote back, expressing an interest in introducing such a Parental Rights
bill. AS chairman of the committee, I thanked them and confirmed we would
look forward to working with them in the future.

In 2017 the State legislation committee began working much earlier, knowing
we did not have much time to make our presence known. We also gained two new
members on our committee. This was a real blessing, as one new member had a
representative interested in our issue, and the other new member had a
personal friend serving in the Illinois Senate. An additional benefit was
that the senator was a Republican, while the interested House member was a
Democrat.  

One day I received a call from Patti Chang. She had received an email from
the Illinois Bar Association about a parental rights bill. She gave me a
bill number, told me to look it up on the website, then to get back with
her. The bill was HB2626. It was called the Parental Rights for the Blind
Act, and the text of the bill was identical to what we had submitted the
previous year.

We went to work recruiting blind parents to testify, soliciting assistance
from other groups, and communicating with the sponsor, Representative Laura
Fine. Not only was she easy to work with, she did something that was
unprecedented: she participated in one of our Legislative Committee
conference calls, offering suggestions on how to improve our written
testimony. While that was going on, committee member Julieta Meyer contacted
her friend, Senator Sue Rezin. Patti contacted her senator, John Mulroe,
whom she knew from her days working as a prosecuting attorney for the city
of Chicago. Both senators indicated that they were willing to sponsor our
bill in the senate. 

Three days later several of us went to Springfield and witnessed the first
crucial step for passage of this legislation,  getting through the Domestic
Relations Law subcommittee. Debbie Stein, Leslie Hamric, and Bill Reif all
testified about their experiences as blind parents. The bill pass the
subcommittee by a 2-1 vote. 

Our next hurdle was the House Judiciary Civil Committee. The bill passed
there by an 8-3 margin. At this point the Illinois Department of Children
and Family Services (DCFS) offered an amendment. We decided we would have a
much better chance of passing this legislation if DCFS did not oppose it. We
accepted the amendment and waited to see if the bill would be approved,
which it was. 

Finally, on April 28, the bill was up for its third reading in the House.
The vote was taken, and it passed, eighty-nine for and  six against.

The bill was then immediately introduced into the Illinois Senate by Sue
Rezin, republican, and cosponsored by John Mulroe, democrat. Again several
of us went to Springfield to witness another committee vote. We provided
both oral and written testimony, as well as several Record of Appearance
Witness slips in support of the bill. We were delighted that in addition to
our witness slips, we had backing from a member of the Illinois Council of
the Blind and from friends of some of our members. It was helpful that there
were no witness slips in opposition. Following our oral testimony, a vote
was taken and the bill passed out of the Judiciary  committee with a 10-0
vote.

On May 19 the bill came before the full Senate for a third reading and a
vote. The bill passed 49-0 with no abstentions. We now await the signature
of Governor Bruce Rauner. It is worth noting that if he does nothing, the
bill will become law 60 days from the date of passage.

How did the NFBI manage to pass a bill with such strong bipartisan support?
In my opinion, I would cite the following: parental custody is an issue that
lends itself to bipartisan support; we were willing to accept an amendment
from  DCFS, preventing a possible political battle which we might have lost;
we communicated with legislators; and we followed through on all our
actions.

I believe the work we have put in this year will pay off in the future. We
now seem to have a presence with the Illinois legislature. Contrary to what
seems to be the prevalent thought today, the Illinois legislature is indeed
capable of a bipartisan response. If we are willing to work with both
parties when proposing legislation, the NFBI really can get things done.

BRAILLE IS ABOUT TOUCHING

by Robert Gardner

"How do we get more young people involved?" "We need more youth to keep our
organization going!" Whether you're active in your church, Kiwanis, or a
local book club, undoubtedly you have heard these sentiments. We in the
National Federation of the Blind are no exception. Often we express these
concerns in our local chapters and state affiliates. 

Hang onto that thought, and let's switch gears. Let's talk about Braille for
a moment. Specifically, let's discuss Braille and blind children. 

For twenty-nine years the National Federation of the Blind held an annual
contest called Braille Readers Are Leaders (BRAL) for students in grades
K-12. In 2012 the national contest was discontinued. The following year the
NFB of Illinois decided to organize its own statewide contest, known as
Illinois Braille Readers Are Leaders, or iBRAL. iBRAL turned out to be a
great success, with more than thirty kids taking part. 

The Illinois contest was patterned after the former national contest, though
the reading period was somewhat shorter. Each contestant was placed in one
of five groups according to grade: K-1, 2-3, 4-5, 6-8, or 9-12. The
objective was for a contestant to read the most Braille pages in his or her
category. Cash prizes were awarded to the top three readers in each group,
and every entrant received a complimentary "goodie bag" of Braille-related
gifts. Gifts included such items as Braille calendars, slates and styluses,
and gift certificates from Seedlings Books for the Blind or National Braille
Press. 

In 2015 the iBRAL contest was expanded to include Minnesota. iBRAL became
LOL 2, for Land o' Lincoln and Land o' Lakes. Then, for the 2016-17 contest,
the NFB of Illinois invited all of the eight states bordering the Great
Lakes to get involved. As one might guess, the contest is now called the
Great Lakes BRAL Contest For Kids. It isn't an overly imaginative name, but
it's certainly descriptive. Here's a question for you: can you name the
eight states that touch one or more of the Great Lakes? If not, read on for
the answer. 

It's easy to see the primary objective of this contest—to promote the
reading of Braille at a young age. In particular the contest aims to promote
the reading of Braille for recreation. If a child reads Braille for fun,
Braille will become a natural part of his or her life at school and at home.
Later Braille will be a tool in his or her career. We all know that learning
and using Braille at an early age results in greater Braille fluency later
in life. 

We also see many immediate benefits of our BRAL contest. After the close of
the contest one teacher of the visually impaired wrote, "As I was walking
into my school building last week, your email came through, and I was
excited to share with my students that their prizes were on the way. When I
got to Ava's classroom, there she was, opening her treats already! Both
Shane and Ava were very excited to get their packages (especially at school
in front of their peers!). 

"They are thrilled with the coupons to select and buy Braille books. Shane
has to complete some end-of-the-quarter testing. Then I am going to let him
make the call to redeem his free book as a reward. Always have to push those
independence skills! 

"We took a photo of both students with their rewards. The front office is
going to feature it on the school web page and maybe get some district
recognition, too. It was such a positive experience that we all look forward
to doing it again next year. 

"Thanks for all the work you did to make this a reality. I for one
appreciate your efforts!" 

The contest can generate a surprising amount of interest—and a surprising
amount of competitiveness—among the kids who take part. One mother wrote at
the end of the recent contest, "Attached is Matthew's reading log. I don't
think he slept much over the last couple of weeks. I kept finding him awake
in the middle of the night reading some more. Thanks!"

After being notified that her daughter was a winner in her grade category,
another mother wrote, "Thank you so much! Mariam is thrilled! She worked so
hard on doing extra reading. Thank you for the program. It really encouraged
her to have some fun reading and not view it just as work." 

It's not unusual for some children to read three thousand pages or more
during the seven weeks of the contest. In the 2016-17 competition, Anthony
Spears, a seventh grader from Illinois, read more pages than any other
contestant. Anthony, who goes by L.T., read an amazing 4,015 Braille pages!
He wrote to us, 

"Thank you for letting me be in the BRAL contest this year. I like the
challenge of reading against other students. Thank you for inviting me to
the state convention. I will talk to my parents about it. I hope I can come,
and it would be a pleasure meeting all of you, too." 

Now let's get back to our original question.  How can we, the NFB, attract
more young people to our organization? The answers to that question are
many, complex, and sometimes debatable. But one thing has become apparent to
those within the NFB of Illinois who have organized and administered these
BRAL contests. The vast majority of children entering the contest have had
no previous connection with the National Federation of the Blind. In other
words, the BRAL contest is their first exposure to the NFB. 

As the Great Lakes BRAL Contest for Kids continues, we see ourselves
touching children on two levels. We are encouraging them to read Braille, to
increase their Braille skills. We are also exposing them to an organization,
the National Federation of the Blind, that can benefit them in countless
ways. Without really planning to do so, we have opened new horizons for
blind kids by sparking their interest in a Braille reading contest. If not
now, maybe later, maybe when they become adults, these children will
remember the National Federation of the Blind. Then it will be their turn to
reach out to us. 

Were you able to name the eight states bordering the Great Lakes? Going from
west to east, they are Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana,
Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. 

For reference the excerpt above about Matthew was from his mother, Karen
Leinart from Illinois. The words about Mariam were written by her mother,
Colleen Samura from New York. The wonderful letter about Ava and Shane was
from Sherry Kennedy, a TVI in Ohio. 

In conclusion, the administrator of the Great Lakes BRAL contest, Deborah
Stein, says, "Thanks to all who were involved in the Great Lakes Braille
Readers Are Leaders contest this past year. It was an adventure putting
together a coalition of eight states to participate in the contest. But all
the work was worth it when you learn that the kids read over 16,000 Braille
pages. Congratulations to every student who took part!" 

For further information about the contest, visit the webpage here.   

ADVENTURES IN SOCCER

By Leslie Hamric

As blind parents we often wonder about how we will have fun with our
children. For example, how do we keep track of our children when we cannot
see what they are doing? How do we make sure they are kept safe? My
seven-year-old son, Michael, and I have had many fun adventures outdoors,
including playing soccer, bike riding, and playing on thee equipment in the
park. I would like to tell our story of discovery as we found a way to play
soccer.

It was a beautiful spring afternoon in 2016, and I had just received a
soccer ball with rattles in it from the NFB Independence Market. I wanted to
figure out a way to play soccer with Michael like he would play with his
sighted dad. Off we went to the Tennis court in the park. I guessed that
would be a good place to start, since the ball wouldn’t get hung up on
anything there. 

Feeling a bit apprehensive, I positioned the ball at the left side of my
right foot, then hesitated. It was now or never and I knew it. One, two,
three, kick! Rattle rattle went the ball. 

Michael sped after the ball, then got in position. “Here it comes,” he said.
The ball rattled back toward me. By following the sound, I learned I could
run after it!

Oops! The ball went right past me. Michael brought it to me and I lined up
again. “Over here, Mommy,” he said. I pointed my foot straight toward the
sound of his voice, slid my foot back, then kicked with all my might. He got
the ball this time!

Repeating the same process, I got to where I could keep my “ear” on the
ball. Sighted folks learn to keep their eye on the ball and go after it at
the same time. Hand-eye coordination. In my case it was hand-ear
coordination.

Now, it was the seventh try. I heard the rattle of the ball coming. And this
time I went for it and got it! What a triumphant moment. I could do this!
All it took was a soccer ball that made sound so I could hear it. 

Michael and I must have spent another hour or so kicking the ball back and
forth. I couldn’t wait to tell Andy, my husband, all about our soccer
adventure when he came home from work. And that evening I regaled him with
the account of our fun time! 

A few weeks later we decided to have a picnic in the park and play soccer
afterwards. Here was a chance to try out my new system. By the end of our
little game, Andy and Michael were both in the habit of telling me when the
ball was about to come my way. They also let me know when one of them was
ready to receive the ball. All three of us had a blast, and I was able to
participate equally.

We had so much fun we don’t even know who won. Did it really matter? No, it
didn’t. The most important thing was all the fun we had.

I was so excited that day I texted Michael’s soccer coach and told him all
about our soccer adventures. I told him about the adapted ball with rattles
that made sound. The best part was telling him how exhilarated I felt that I
could participate in a game I thought was impossible. I later found out the
coach told a student in his fifth grade class all about how I, a blind mom,
was still able to play soccer with my family. All it took was a few
modifications.

As I bring this to a close, I would like to leave you with some important,
yet simple thoughts. Be willing to try new things. It’s okay to wonder
whether something will work or not. For example, when I purchased the soccer
ball with rattles from the Independence Market, I didn’t have a clue it
might change my view of what is possible. But I tried, and look what I found
out! 

The NFB is only a phone call or email away. Next time you question how
something can be done, never fear, go straight to the NFB and find out how
to turn impossibilities into possibilities. A simple modification, like the
soccer ball described here, might change your life and open up a whole new
world. A soccer ball that rattles certainly allowed me to have adventures
with Michael and Andy that I hope to experience again.

NO LA 2017

by Alex Gamiño

In March of this year, I had the amazing opportunity to take a trip to New
Orleans, Louisiana, with the music department from my school, Addison Trail
High School in Lombard, Illinois. I am a member of the choir, and both the
choir and the band got to go. We went during the week after Mardi Gras, so
the trip gave us a chance to learn about that exciting event even though the
crowds were gone by then.

We left on a bus on March 2 at 4 p.m., ready for an eighteen-hour ride. Much
to my later regret, I spent about 75 percent of that time wide awake. 

We arrived at our first destination, Mardi Gras World, at nearly 11 the next
morning and toured the area. I got to take pictures of a lot of astonishing
floats that had been made for Mardi Gras. I'd never seen anything like them.

We explored the World War II Museum right after Mardi Gras World. We watched
a short interactive movie about the war. It was amazing! During the next
couple of days we went to some other awesome places. My favorites were
Jackson Square, the French Quarter, and Preservation Hall. 

On the morning of March 4 we performed at Jackson Square. We stood on some
steps right in the open area and performed our repertoire. I was honestly
astonished by the audience that gathered to hear us perform. We seemed to be
a big hit! 

The French Quarter was a huge shopping district in New Orleans with many
tourist attractions. My personal favorite was the beignet place. Pronounced
ben-YAY, a beignet is like a fritter, but so much better! A world-famous
café in New Orleans makes these little packages of happiness. 

The shopping part of the French Quarter was fun, too. As we walked around I
had a little trouble keeping up with everyone. I was using my cane, though,
and I never got lost. Everyone from my school had the same backpack and
school uniform, and I managed to distinguish the people in my group. 

Finally, Preservation Hall! Preservation Hall is a music hall, mainly known
for jazz. The players are world-renowned, and we got a private concert. We
were so close to the performers I almost got hit in the face by the trombone
player's slide! It was the most incredible live performance I've ever
experienced. 

We started the equally long journey back around eight p.m. on March 5. The
bus ride was slightly more bearable this time. By now I knew more people
from talking to them, and we had a lot to talk about. 

The trip was officially over when we arrived back at school just before 3
the next afternoon. Going to No LA (New Orleans, Louisiana) was probably the
greatest opportunity I've ever gotten, and it was the most fun trip I've
ever taken. I would love to do it again some day.

IN MEMORIAM 

Annette Grove

1939-2017

Federationists were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Annette Riess
Grove on May 14, 2017. Annette died peacefully at her home in Belleville,
surrounded by her loving family. 

Annette grew up in Mascoutah, Illinois. She earned a BA in psychology and
sociology from MacMurray College, and in 1994 she received an MA in health
care management from Webster University. 

For several years Annette worked as a counselor with the Illinois Department
of Mental Health. She was a full-time homemaker while her three sons were
growing up. When the boys were launched she returned to the workforce,
taking a job with MERS Goodwill in Missouri. Later she joined the staff of
Goodwill International, a position that involved extensive travel overseas.
She regularly visited Goodwill facilities in eighteen different countries.
She retired in December 2016 after forty years of service to Goodwill.

Annette Grove was deeply committed to her Christian faith, and she was very
active in her Presbyterian Church community. At the age of seventy-six she
ran a half-marathon to raise funds for World Vision, a Christian relief
organization. 

Due to her premature birth, Annette had low vision all her life. In the
early 1980s she joined the NFB of Illinois. For many years she served as
president of the Four Rivers Chapter in Belleville, and she held a seat on
the NFBI board of directors in the early 2000s. 

Federationists from Illinois and across the country remember Annette Grove
for the dedication and organization skills she brought to the annual
Washington  Seminar. "Year after year, Annette kept leading the planning
calls," says Rose Sloan. "She made the schedule. She planned the Illinois
delegation dinners. After graduation, my first job was working for the
National Federation of the Blind in advocacy and policy. I honestly thank my
first experience [with Washington Seminar] in DC for shaping my career path.
I have Annette to thank for that. I will forever be grateful to her." 

"Annette was one of the best organized people I have ever known," recalls
Cathy Randall. "We will miss her laugh and her charm." 

"We were all blessed to have known Annette," says Bob Gardner. "The NFBI was
blessed to have someone of her talents within it. As I shed a few tears, I
find it hard to believe she is gone."

Annette was predeceased by her husband of thirty-eight years, Dick Grove.
She is survived by her three sons, Allen, David, and Colin; her three
daughters-in-law; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. To
send condolences visit Moll Funeral Home.  

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