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Oregon Commission for the Blind

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OCB News and Information

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​In the New​s

Baker and former OCB client is interviewed on KXL ​News ​​about her delicious bakery in Beaverton!​ ​

OCB's Summer Work Experience 50th Anniversary was highlighted in the Governor's My Oregon News!​​

​Doctor and therapist opens new Silverton office to work with under-served people in his community. Read the story in OurTownLive.com​.

OCB aids effort to make PDX the second airport in world to ha​ve new accessibility technology​.

Governor Kate Brown's newsletter My Oregon News ​profiled a client​ who is working through a new intiative and OCB partnership with Amazon.​​​​

Chemeketa ​Community College profiles Francisco​, a computer science​ student who seeks to ​inspire and encourage people with vision loss to pursue the degree of their choice​.

OCB client is interviewed on the March edition of the Eyes on Success webcast​ ​about her steps to career success in the music field, including the role OCB played.​

Blind skiier, mountain climber, and Paralympic competitor Nancy Stevens was highlighted in March's Ski Meissner newsletter​.​

Overwhelmed by the fact that traffic-related pedestrian fatalities and injuries are on the rise in Oregon and nationally, OCB Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist Malinda ​Carlson wrote an excellent list of Ten Safety Tips for Pedestrians​ to help our clients be as safe as possible.

"Falls Cafe Opens Under New Management."  PDF: OurTown Community News 8-15-2021.pdf Or read the story online​.

Blind Oregonian competing in Paralympics works to bridge gap between mental health, disability. Cli​​​​ck here to read the story on KTVZ.​​

SWEP got a shout-out from one of our valued partners in the Beaverton Resource Guide; click here to read more.

“Silver Falls lodge is back open under new management, taking reservations for summer."​ Click here to read in OregonLive​ about exciting changes to Silver Falls State Park including our BE program's Silver Falls Cafe.​

​OCB Information

OCB's 2023-25 Governor's B​udget

58500-Commission for the Blind 23-25 Governors Budget.pdf​

​Annual Report to Legislature on Rulemaking Activity


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Events and Information

NDEAM, White Cane Day are in October 

Annually in October, National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) celebrates and showcases the contributions of America’s workers with disabilities past and present. This year’s theme is "Advancing Access and Equity". To learn more, click here: NDEAM, U.S. Department of Labor.​

This October 15, as it has since 1964, White Cane Day will celebrate the achievements and independence of people who are blind or visually impaired. OCB would like to recognize our partner agency the Oregon Department of Transportation for their work to improve safety for all pedestrians including those who are blind​. ​To learn more visit oregon.gov/odot.

Theater Audio Description

Theater and musical lovers who would benefit from an audio-described performance in Portland are invited to check out upcoming events by CADA – Committee for Audio Description in the Arts.”​

Alternative Format Ballots

Visually impaired voters can now navigate to their county elections website and log in to access their current voter status and record. There, they can access the Alternate Format Ballot, a fillable form with check boxes they can complete using assistive technology such as a screen reader or iPhone's VoiceOver.

Accessible voting permits Oregon voters to participate in the electoral process, casting a confidential ballot indepently and wihout the assistance of others.

Learn more at the Secretary of State's website: https://sos.oregon.gov/voting/pages/disabilities.aspx​

Trust That Your Vote Counts!

Track the status of your mail-in ballot from printed to accepted with this accessible and free process. Four Oregon counties have Ballot Tracking: Multno​mah, Marion, Washington, and Yamhill.

The voter provides full name, date of birth, zip code, and desired notification method.​ The CAPTCHA system used to ensure your response is human (and not an online robot) is a simple and accessible check mark. If there is a problem with your signature, you will be notified within a day.​ The percentage of successful voters with Ballot Tracking is very high, and anyone can help a voter get signed up!