[NFBNJ] Proud To Announce National Representative Carla McQuillan bioProvided

[joe ruffalo]

Greetings to all!
I am proud to announce that Carla McQuillan has been assigned as the 
national representative for the 42nd state convention of the NFBNJ, Live The 
Life You Want; Blind With Vision!
Her biography is provided below.
Next week, I will be forwarding an update highlighting information 
pertaining to the state convention.
As of this writing,  165 of the 225 rooms have been reserved.
Remember, the deadline for reserving rooms is October 5  however, once we 
reach the 225 figure, the block will be closed and therefore, don’t 
hesitate!
Updates pertaining to activities and the state convention can be located on 
the state website by visiting,
www.nfbnj.org

As my policy, I will invite Carla to a conference call probably in mid 
October with our members to formerly introduce her to the NFBNJ Federation 
family.
Details will be forthcoming.

Warmly,
Joe


We care. We share. We grow. We make a difference
Joe Ruffalo, President
National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey
973 743 0075
nfbnj1 at verizon.net
www.nfbnj.org
raising Expectations to Live The Life You Want!
Your old car keys can be keys to literacy for the blind.
Donate your unwanted vehicle to us by clicking
www.carshelpingtheblind.org
or call 855 659 9314

**

Carla McQuillan


Executive Director of Main Street Montessori Association


Carla was born and raised in Southern California in the early 60's, the
youngest of 4 children. In the summer before fifth grade, Carla lost a great
deal of vision but did not notice it until she started school in the fall
and was unable to read the chalkboard from the front row. A few years
earlier, her older brother had been diagnosed with a rare genetic eye
condition called Stargardt's disease, which resulted in the loss of central
vision. It was soon confirmed that Carla had the same condition. She was
diagnosed legally blind in 1971.

Because of her remaining peripheral vision, Carla did not "look blind", so
she was not taught Braille or any other alternative techniques of blindness.
She had very little experience with blind people. The only blind person she
knew was her brother, and he was forever using his blindness as an excuse
for standing on the sidelines. Carla knew that this was not the life she
wanted and was determined to do everything in her power to convince the
world that she was not blind.

After high school Carla went to Humboldt State University in Northern
California. There she met her husband Lucas. They were married in the summer
of 1981 and moved to San Diego for Lucas's master's degree program. Though
Carla had not completed her bachelor's degree, she was more than happy to
put her college career on hold and work to support the couple. Her one year
of college had not been very successful. Without the ability to read Braille
and eyesight too poor to read print, Carla, who had been an A student in
high school, saw her grades drop.

She got a job as a Montessori Preschool teacher in San Diego while Lucas
completed his master's degree. Their daughter Alison was born in 1983. In
1985 the family moved to Illinois. Lucas enrolled in a doctoral program at
the University of Illinois, and Carla decided to complete her bachelor's
degree. With Lucas' encouragement, Carla asked for accessible textbooks and
decided to learn Braille. The staff at the university's disabled student's
services office told her how difficult Braille would be to learn and how
inefficient it would be. Discouraged and defeated, Carla wondered if there
was any hope for her future. Fortunately she learned of a scholarship
program through the National Federation of the Blind. She won a scholarship
from the organization's Illinois affiliate in 1988. The state convention
changed her life. Her negative attitudes about blindness and about her own
potential to be a successful professional were replaced by confidence and
self-assurance that remain a hallmark of her character today.

After both graduating with High Distinction from the University of Illinois
in 1988, the McQuillans completed their family with the birth of their son
Duncan. They moved to Oregon to be near Carla's family. Carla started her
own Montessori preschool, which later expanded to include 3 schools and a
Montessori Teacher Certification Program. Carla served as President of the
National Federation of the Blind of Oregon from 1992 until 2006, when her
business responsibilities became too demanding. She also served on the NFB's
national board of directors from 1998 until resigning from that position as
well in 2006. She was re-elected president of the Oregon affiliate in 2012
and still serves in that capacity. She is the director of NFB Camp, the
program that offers child care during the annual convention of the National
Federation of the Blind. Carla was again elected to the national board of
directors in 2016.

"I had such horrible misconceptions about blindness for most of my childhood
and early adult life," Carla says. "I thought I knew what blindness meant,
and I didn't want any part of it. The National Federation of the Blind
taught me that blindness was only as limiting as I allowed it to be. My
friends and colleagues in the movement have been more than ideal role
models; they have saved me from a life of regret and underachievement."


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbnj_nfbnet.org/attachments/20180724/87ad6ccd/attachment.html>