Medium

Medium

As the president and chief executive officer of the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), Kirk Adams is a longtime champion of people who are blind or visually impaired and is committed to creating a more inclusive, accessible world for the more than 20 million Americans with vision loss.

Adams has led AFB in a new and innovative direction since becoming president and CEO in 2016. With a renewed focus on cultivating in-depth and actionable knowledge and promoting understanding of issues affecting children, working-age adults, and older people who are blind or visually impaired, Adams’ role involves pursuing strategic relationships with peers, policymakers, employers, and other influencers in order to engender and accelerate systemic advancement.

A preeminent leader in the field of blindness, Adams frequently serves as a keynote speaker at conferences across the country, informing audiences of AFB priority issue areas that include education, vocational rehabilitation and workforce participation, vision loss and aging, and technology. He has consulted with top leadership at Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and other high profile tech-oriented companies to discuss topics ranging from product and digital accessibility to civil and disability rights, as well as key leaders in sectors that include finance, public policy, and non-profits, to name just a few.

Before joining AFB, Adams served as president and CEO of The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc., where his work involved providing independence and self-sufficiency through employment for people who are blind. Prior to his chief executive role, he was also general manager of administration and director of public relations and resource development.

Active in his community, Adams was a member of the Governor’s Task Force on Disability Employment and the Seattle Public Library’s Strategic Plan Advisory Committee. He served on the boards of the Aerospace Futures Alliance and the Association of Washington Business. He was also the treasurer and member of the Board of the National Association for the Employment of People Who Are Blind and a board member of National Industries for the Blind.

Adams graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. He earned his master’s degree in not-for-profit leadership at Seattle University in Washington, and is completing a doctorate in leadership and change at Antioch University in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

Janie Blome began with APH in 2000. Prior to joining APH, she worked for 18 years as a teacher of students who are visually impaired in Arkansas. AER, the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired, is the largest professional organization in the field of blindness. AER's mission is to support professionals who provide education and rehabilitation services to people with visual impairments.

 

Tanni L. Anthony, Ed.S., is senior consultant on visual disabilities and project director of the Colorado services to children with deafblindness of the Colorado Department of Education in Denver. She has written articles, taught courses, and presented papers on working with infants and young children who are visually impaired and multiply disabled. Tanni is a North Dakota native and was in the first class of teachers of the Visually Impaired at the University of North Dakota.

What it really takes for Successful Transition

Eric Guillary works as the Director of Youth Services for Louisiana Center For The Blind at Ruston, LA. Mr. Guillary coordinates the Buddy Program which is designed for youth grades 4-9. This innovative summer program for blind children, grades four through eight, combines hard work and fun activities to
provide a rewarding experience that children cherish. Eric is also an active member of the National Federation of the Blind.

Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired is the largest worldwide distance educator of blind and visually impaired people, their families and blindness service professionals. Founded in 1920 by William Hadley and Dr. E.V.L. Brown, Hadley offers classes free of charge to its blind and visually impaired students and their families and affordable tuition classes to blindness professionals. It offers more than 90 tuition-free distance education courses to blind or visually impaired individuals, their families and professionals working in the blindness field. Hadley relies on contributions from individuals, foundations and corporations to fund its programs. The Hadley School is accredited by Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council since 1958 and the North Central Association on Accreditation and School Improvement since 1978.