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<DIV>Greetings to all!</DIV>
<DIV>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!</DIV>
<DIV>Her biography is provided below.</DIV>
<DIV>Next week, I will be forwarding an update highlighting information
pertaining to the state convention.</DIV>
<DIV>As of this writing, 165 of the 225 rooms have been
reserved.</DIV>
<DIV>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!</DIV>
<DIV>Updates pertaining to activities and the state convention can be
located on
the state website by visiting,</DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://www.nfbnj.org">www.nfbnj.org</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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.</DIV>
<DIV>Details will be forthcoming.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Warmly,</DIV>
<DIV>Joe </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">We
care. We
share. We grow. We make a difference<BR>Joe Ruffalo, President <BR>National
Federation of the Blind of New Jersey <BR>973 743
0075<BR>nfbnj1@verizon.net<BR><A
href="http://www.nfbnj.org">www.nfbnj.org</A></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">raising
Expectations to Live The Life You Want!</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">Your
old
car keys can be keys to literacy for the blind.<BR>Donate your unwanted
vehicle
to us by clicking <BR>www.carshelpingtheblind.org <BR>or call 855 659
9314<BR></DIV>
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<DIV>**</DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Carla McQuillan</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Executive Director of Main Street Montessori Association</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Carla was born and raised in Southern California in the early 60's,
the</DIV>
<DIV>youngest of 4 children. In the summer before fifth grade, Carla lost a
great</DIV>
<DIV>deal of vision but did not notice it until she started school in the
fall</DIV>
<DIV>and was unable to read the chalkboard from the front row. A few
years</DIV>
<DIV>earlier, her older brother had been diagnosed with a rare genetic
eye</DIV>
<DIV>condition called Stargardt's disease, which resulted in the loss of
central</DIV>
<DIV>vision. It was soon confirmed that Carla had the same condition. She
was</DIV>
<DIV>diagnosed legally blind in 1971.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Because of her remaining peripheral vision, Carla did not "look blind",
so</DIV>
<DIV>she was not taught Braille or any other alternative techniques of
blindness.</DIV>
<DIV>She had very little experience with blind people. The only blind person
she</DIV>
<DIV>knew was her brother, and he was forever using his blindness as an
excuse</DIV>
<DIV>for standing on the sidelines. Carla knew that this was not the life
she</DIV>
<DIV>wanted and was determined to do everything in her power to convince
the</DIV>
<DIV>world that she was not blind.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>After high school Carla went to Humboldt State University in
Northern</DIV>
<DIV>California. There she met her husband Lucas. They were married in the
summer</DIV>
<DIV>of 1981 and moved to San Diego for Lucas's master's degree program.
Though</DIV>
<DIV>Carla had not completed her bachelor's degree, she was more than happy
to</DIV>
<DIV>put her college career on hold and work to support the couple. Her one
year</DIV>
<DIV>of college had not been very successful. Without the ability to read
Braille</DIV>
<DIV>and eyesight too poor to read print, Carla, who had been an A student
in</DIV>
<DIV>high school, saw her grades drop.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>She got a job as a Montessori Preschool teacher in San Diego while
Lucas</DIV>
<DIV>completed his master's degree. Their daughter Alison was born in 1983.
In</DIV>
<DIV>1985 the family moved to Illinois. Lucas enrolled in a doctoral program
at</DIV>
<DIV>the University of Illinois, and Carla decided to complete her
bachelor's</DIV>
<DIV>degree. With Lucas' encouragement, Carla asked for accessible textbooks
and</DIV>
<DIV>decided to learn Braille. The staff at the university's disabled
student's</DIV>
<DIV>services office told her how difficult Braille would be to learn and
how</DIV>
<DIV>inefficient it would be. Discouraged and defeated, Carla wondered if
there</DIV>
<DIV>was any hope for her future. Fortunately she learned of a
scholarship</DIV>
<DIV>program through the National Federation of the Blind. She won a
scholarship</DIV>
<DIV>from the organization's Illinois affiliate in 1988. The state
convention</DIV>
<DIV>changed her life. Her negative attitudes about blindness and about her
own</DIV>
<DIV>potential to be a successful professional were replaced by confidence
and</DIV>
<DIV>self-assurance that remain a hallmark of her character today.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>After both graduating with High Distinction from the University of
Illinois</DIV>
<DIV>in 1988, the McQuillans completed their family with the birth of their
son</DIV>
<DIV>Duncan. They moved to Oregon to be near Carla's family. Carla started
her</DIV>
<DIV>own Montessori preschool, which later expanded to include 3 schools and
a</DIV>
<DIV>Montessori Teacher Certification Program. Carla served as President of
the</DIV>
<DIV>National Federation of the Blind of Oregon from 1992 until 2006, when
her</DIV>
<DIV>business responsibilities became too demanding. She also served on the
NFB's</DIV>
<DIV>national board of directors from 1998 until resigning from that
position
as</DIV>
<DIV>well in 2006. She was re-elected president of the Oregon affiliate in
2012</DIV>
<DIV>and still serves in that capacity. She is the director of NFB Camp,
the</DIV>
<DIV>program that offers child care during the annual convention of the
National</DIV>
<DIV>Federation of the Blind. Carla was again elected to the national board
of</DIV>
<DIV>directors in 2016.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>"I had such horrible misconceptions about blindness for most of my
childhood</DIV>
<DIV>and early adult life," Carla says. "I thought I knew what blindness
meant,</DIV>
<DIV>and I didn't want any part of it. The National Federation of the
Blind</DIV>
<DIV>taught me that blindness was only as limiting as I allowed it to be.
My</DIV>
<DIV>friends and colleagues in the movement have been more than ideal
role</DIV>
<DIV>models; they have saved me from a life of regret and underachievement."
</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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