[Ohio-talk] NFB Ohio Convention 1959

[Eric Duffy]

I was reading an archieved issue of the Monitor and found the following
article. Thought it might be of interest:

 

OHIO CONVENTION 

The Ohio Council of the Blind held its thirteenth annual convention in
Cincinnati, September 18-20, under the able chairmanship of George A.
Martin. One of the highlights of the convention was the appearance of Nyal
and Cosa McConoughey. As Monitor readers may remember, Nyal lost his sight
in 1956, while holding a United States Civil Service job in Japan. The
National Federation and the Ohio Council were instrumental in enabling him
to retain his Civil Service rating and be re-assigned to another responsible
position in Japan. We were happy to have with us, for the first time, a
Kentucky delegation. It included Mr. and Mrs. Bert Becker, Mr. and Mrs. Bob
Whitehead, and Harold Reagan, president of the KFB. 

A feature of the Saturday morning session was the appearance of John Henle,
chief of Services to the Blind in Ohio, Charles Zack, Ohio rehabilitation
counselor, and Kenneth Jernigan, of the Iowa Commission for the Blind. These
speakers brought out quite forcibly the defects in present rehabilitation
programs and described their plans for improving them. One of the
encouraging things was the sincere request for our cooperation by Mr. Henle.
He invited suggestions, questions and constructive criticisms. 

Mr. Jernigan was our banquet speaker, his topic being Colonialism and the
Blind. I heard many compliments which perhaps did not reach Ken's ears. 

During the business sessions all officers were re-elected and four important
resolutions adopted: (1) Proposed a study of the feasibility of a credit
union to be sponsored by the OCB; (2) Pointed out the need for, and called
for the establishment of, an orientation or adjustment center for the blind
in Ohio; (3) Asked for a study of the sightsaving classes throughout Ohio;
(4) Demanded that the present ceiling be removed from the number of days
indigent blind may receive hospitalization. The convention approved gifts to
the six home teachers in Ohio, the Braille Monitor, the Good Cheer magazine,
and the Hadley Correspondence School for the Blind. 

This had been the first year that the affiliates of the OCB had attempted a
coordinated Mother's Day sale of box candy. The division of the net proceeds
brought the OCB $1,206. It was voted to repeat this sale in 1960.