[NFBNJ] Remembering Joe ....

Tue May 3 22:40:55 UTC 2022

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.”
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