NFB - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Board of Directors
Adelmo Vigil was born in the small community of Amalia, New Mexico, in 1951. He was adopted as a baby by his aunt and uncle and raised as an only child on their small ranch. Although it was clear very early that he did not have normal vision, his parents expected him to handle his share of the chores, which included caring for the horses, cows, sheep, and goats. At the age of five Adelmo received the official diagnosis of retinitis pigmentosa. He began his education in the local public school, but no one there had any expertise in the needs of blind students. Adelmo was not taught Braille, could not read the print that he was expected to use, and therefore did not read or write well. In 1964 when he was thirteen, his parents decided to enroll him in the New Mexico School for the Blind. Although the family did not wish to be separated, it was their hope that Adelmo would receive a better education at the residential school.
Job Titles:
- Exceptional Student Services
Job Titles:
- Executive Director, Blindness Initiatives
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Representative
- State President
Barbara Manuel was raised in the small Alabama town of Citronelle, about thirty miles north of Mobile. She has retinitis pigmentosa but did not know or encounter any blind people growing up, so she simply coped with her vision loss the best she could throughout her education in the local public schools. Her coping mechanisms included copying questions and assignments from close friends rather than trying to read the blackboard. Despite some struggles, she remembers being an average student.
In her early twenties, Barbara took advantage of job training at the E.H. Gentry facility operated by the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind in Talladega to learn medical clerical work. When work in that field was no longer available, she took her first job in the Randolph-Sheppard vending program, working for another vendor that she met through an RP support group. After six years, a snack-bar location at the Mobile City Garage became available. Ten years later, an opportunity to run a full cafeteria at the University of South Alabama Nursing School arose. Barbara and her employees served breakfast and lunch daily, and she also took advantage of catering opportunities, which she enjoyed immensely. Finally, Barbara obtained her current location at the United States Coast Guard Aviation Center in Mobile. She now manages seventeen employees and runs an operation that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner 365 days a year, as well as maintaining the facility's seventy-two sleeping quarters. She is proud that she often receives compliments about the food and facilities.
Barbara first learned about the National Federation of the Blind through a contact from her days at E.H. Gentry. That friend convinced her to attend an affiliate convention in Mobile sometime in the mid-1980s, which she says, "Changed everything." She became the chapter president in Mobile in around 1989 and served in that capacity for eleven years, while also rotating on and off the affiliate board of directors. After stepping down as Mobile chapter president, Barbara remained active and rose to affiliate vice president, which was the position she held when the late Joy Harris stepped down for health reasons in 2017.
Under Barbara's leadership, the affiliate was successful in getting parental rights legislation enacted in 2019. "I was so proud when we went to the governor's signing of that initiative," she says. "When we can pull together, the sky's the limit."
Barbara is proud of what she has been able to accomplish with a relatively small but growing team. "Everyone can do something, even if it's just make a phone call," she says. At the same time, "I always tell my members that we need each of them, and we need every blind person in Alabama to join and be an active part of our movement." The affiliate is currently engaged in a long-running battle with the state over accessible absentee voting, which has been a struggle because the secretary of state did an about-face on supporting it, even though military and overseas voters can submit absentee ballots electronically. Because of her work in this area, Barbara has also become a member of The League of Women Voters. She is grateful to Lou Ann Blake and the late Scott LaBarre for their assistance and is determined to keep up the fight.
Barbara also serves on the board of the National Association of Blind Merchants, and in 2022 she was elected to the National Board of Directors. When she is not engaged in Federation activities, she enjoys spending time with her son and daughter-in-law, granddaughter, and two great-granddaughters. She also enjoys traveling with her best friend, whom she has known since they were in the first grade.
Reflecting on the character of our movement, Barbara recently said: "The National Federation of the Blind strives to embrace one common thread that is tightly woven throughout our movement: ‘blindness.' We are a close-knit family, and it's our goal to create a place for every blind individual, from every walk of life."
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- President
- Member of Research and Development Committee
Job Titles:
- Executive Director, Fiscal Services
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Board of Directors
Carla was born and raised in Southern California in the early 60's, the youngest of 4 children. In the summer before fifth grade, Carla lost a great deal of vision but did not notice it until she started school in the fall and was unable to read the chalkboard from the front row. A few years earlier, her older brother had been diagnosed with a rare genetic eye condition called Stargardt's disease, which resulted in the loss of central vision. It was soon confirmed that Carla had the same condition. She was diagnosed legally blind in 1971.
Nomination Form (fillable PDF)--Email is strongly encouraged for transmitting nominations; letters of support and other relevant materials should be included as attachments. Applications sent by mail and postmarked by the deadline will also be accepted. Send all material byMay 1, 2018, to Carla McQuillan, Chairperson, Teacher Award Committee, president@nfb-oregon.org or by mail to 5005 Main Street, Springfield, OR 97478.
Job Titles:
- Director of Public Relations
Job Titles:
- Director
- Special Education Services
Job Titles:
- Division of Special Education Services
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Ambassadors Committee
Job Titles:
- Co - Chairperson
- Member of Committee
Job Titles:
- Director, Special Education Services and Supports
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Membership Committee
Denise Avant (she/her/hers) is an attorney who served for 30 years in the Office of the Cook County Public Defender, working in appellate and post-conviction units. Prior to that, she worked for two years at the Will County Legal Assistance Program, Inc. in Illinois.
She is 1st Vice President of NFB of Illinois and serves on the NFB Board of Directors and the NFB's Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She also serves on the board of the National Association of Blind Lawyers, a division of the NFB. She was recently selected to serve on the Board of Directors of Access Living - Chicago. Denise is also chair of the American Bar Association Commission on Disability Rights.
Job Titles:
- Education Administrator II
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Resolutions Committee
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Board of Directors
- State President
Donald Porterfield was elected to the National Federation of the Blind's Board of Directors in July of 2022. He was born in 1959 to James and Doris Porterfield. He has three siblings: an older sister, an older brother, and his twin. His blindness is caused by diabetes and did not manifest itself until he was forty-eight years old.
Donald says that he was a medium to good student, but his school experience was significantly enhanced by his participation as an athlete. "I was lucky to be good at sports, and that bought me some friends, but given that I am an introvert, the thing that I feel most fortunate about is that I am a twin and was born with my best childhood friend."
The onset of Donald's blindness occurred in the same year his father died, so he and his family had two crises to deal with in the same year. For some, their adjustment to Donald's blindness was a slow process, while some adjusted quicker. Some saw that it was not their responsibility to take care of Donald, but that sense of obligation they felt didn't last long when it became clear that Donald was doing his own cooking, laundry, and had no trouble with his personal hygiene. This he could boast even before any training in the skills of blindness.
From as early as he can remember, Donald wanted to be a prosecutor, but it took him some time to get to a place where he could go to law school. He spent the first twenty-three years of his working career in the golf resort and hospitality industry. For much of that time he was an executive, and many years of his tenure with the company saw him as vice president of food and beverage operations. This was not an easy job for him because unquestionably he is an introvert and had to learn how to be gregarious and outgoing. He laughs that his twin brother can walk into a supermarket and walk out knowing one hundred people, but this was not how Donald experienced life. Learning to be outgoing has been a challenge. "My former manager and mentor was somewhat bombastic and always put me into a position where I had to improve my stage presence. At times he certainly made me uncomfortable, but this paid off not only in my career as a manager but would reveal itself as beneficial in the other twists and turns that would come to make up my life."
It was in the second week of his second year in law school that Donald, at age forty-eight, began experiencing real vision problems. He had noticed a slight decrease in vision over time, and this he attributed to age. But on that fatal day, he found that he simply could not focus on any of the work before him. Figuring that he was fatigued, he went to take a nap. After the nap his vision seemed normal again, but when he went back to school on the following Monday, the focus problems returned, so off to an ophthalmologist he went. The diagnosis was retinopathy, a result of his diabetes, and much of the next two years found him going to doctors once a week and trying different surgeries, all while managing his studies in law school. "When I found that my reading speed dropped from four hundred words a minute to sixty words a minute, I was afraid, but I soon realized that either I had to pack it in and leave or figure it out and keep moving toward my dream. I chose the latter and along the journey found out I was an auditory learner. Ultimately, I graduated with my law degree. After graduation we had to try one more surgery. The surgeon thought he could restore most of my vision if he peeled off the scar tissue that had accumulated, but he tried and he was wrong. The result is that now I can still see light and certain shapes, but I can no longer perceive the difference between most colors."
Donald graduated from law school at age fifty and moved back To Arizona. "I knew that if I was going to be a competent lawyer and blind man, I needed blindness training". He first learned about the National Federation of the Blind while in Training at Saavi Services for the Blind from the person who would become his wife and now the primary partner in everything he does. He did his homework and concluded that he liked the grassroots civil rights organization that he found in the National Federation of the Blind. "I grew up as a black kid in the 60s, so I understood discrimination and was experiencing the same things as a blind person. Not only did I get disparate treatment, but I was also being patronized and not very subtly ways told that I was incapable. I realized I had the spirit of a Federationist without being a member, and in the Federation was where I wanted to be." So off he went to a chapter meeting and later on that year to a national convention where he took his first ride with a blind driver as President Riccobono chauffeured him around the hotel parking lot. He was hooked.
After gaining the Skills, tools, and competency through training, Donald fulfilled his lifelong professional dream by becoming a deputy county attorney, serving as a prosecutor for Pima County, Arizona. When he was going through law school, many of his colleagues mistakenly believed that he wanted to be a defense attorney, but he believes the role of a prosecutor is that of a "minister of justice." Being a prosecutor is more than just prosecuting people who commit crimes; it is about making sure everyone connected to the criminal justice system is treated fairly and receives justice.
Donald's first significant job in the Federation was serving as the legislative director for the Arizona affiliate. His tenure has witnessed the passage of the statute that protects the rights of blind parents, and he is equally happy about the pieces of legislation that he and his affiliate members have kept from becoming law. Many of these attempts have involved increasing regulations on guide dogs and their users, and all of these have been successfully turned back.
When asked what asset he thought to be the most significant of those he brings to the Federation, he said, "I can easily talk to policymakers about blind equality, and I love doing it. We have many members who don't have that comfort level, and because I am an introvert, I understand their unwillingness and perhaps inability to speak out. Given my background, I've learned to work around my innate inability, and I think this makes me a stronger advocate. … Hamilton is one of my favorite plays. In Hamilton they ask the question "who will tell your story." That same question has been asked of us. Only we can tell our story because we are the only ones living an authentic life as a blind person."
"I used to have to work at getting into the character of being an advocate, a describer of life as I and others live it, but I now realize I am not playing another character; I am simply being me. I like educating the public about the positive truths about blind people. I was faced with so many misconceptions when I was ready to take the bar examination and was searching for a job that any chance to minimize these for others is one I enthusiastically embrace."
Given that a major goal of his life is to live one that is full, balanced, and enjoyable, his activities go well beyond his professional work and organizational commitment. He and Amy love to travel and to embrace the new experiences it offers. He loves jazz and they spend a lot of time listening to this art form and going to concerts. He also loves to read and often he and Amy find themselves sharing a book and the pleasant conversations that accompany the reading.
"I love my wife Amy, and everything I do, I do with her. We are passionate about civil rights for the blind, and we often say our family is in the civil rights business. I love how fortunate we are that we can travel this path together."
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Member of the Officers Team
- Representative
- Secretary - Utah
Job Titles:
- Special Education Division
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Member of Committee
Job Titles:
- Co - Chairperson of the Employment Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- State President
Job Titles:
- Executive Director, Operations
Job Titles:
- Executive Director, Advocacy and Policy
Job Titles:
- Division of Learning Services
Job Titles:
- Co - Chairperson
- Member of Committee
Job Titles:
- Co - Chairperson of the Employment Committee
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- Chairman of the Communications Committee
- Member of Communications Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the PAC Plan Committee
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Board of Directors
- State President
Job Titles:
- Member of the Officers Team
- President - Maryland
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Technology Evaluation Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Member of the Officers Team
- Treasurer - Texas
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Member of the Officers Team
- First Vice President and Board Chair - Louisiana
- State President
Job Titles:
- Exceptional Student Leadership Unit
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Member of the Officers Team
- Representative
- Second Vice President - Indiana
Job Titles:
- President of the NFB of Maryland
Ronza Othman (she/her/hers) manages and oversees the staff and work of a Federal agency's anti-discrimination and anti-harassment complaint program, including conducting investigations, implementing a conflict resolution program, providing training, and issuing decisions on the merits of complaints. Ronza previously served as a national subject matter expert and coordinated programs related to integration of post-9/11 communities and countering violent extremism for the Federal government. She also worked for several years in Illinois as a county prosecutor, focusing on sex crimes and domestic violence. As a trauma survivor, she is committed to helping other survivors and has volunteered on a sexual assault and suicide crisis hotline since 2004.
Ronza serves as the President of the NFB of Maryland and as the Chairperson of the NFB Blind Federal Employment Committee, 1st Vice President of the National Association of Blind Lawyers, and a member of the NFB Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
Job Titles:
- Co - Chairperson
- Member of Committee
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner of Brown Goldstein & Levy
- Weisbaum
Sharon Krevor-Weisbaum (she/her/hers) is the Managing Partner of Brown Goldstein & Levy, a Baltimore-based law firm. Sharon has represented the NFB and its members for many years. She is a passionate and forceful advocate for individuals with disabilities and their families who confront barriers in education, high-stakes testing, employment, housing, and accessing state and federal services and supports. Sharon has represented a range of entities that provide supports and services to individuals with disabilities.
Job Titles:
- Co - Chairperson
- Member of the Board of Directors
- President
- Member of Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Representative
Tim Elder (he/him/his) is a San Francisco-based civil rights litigator focusing on disability discrimination cases through his firm, the TRE Legal Practice. He has helped secure injunctions against testing entities for their failure to accommodate disabled students, negotiated groundbreaking settlements with publicly traded companies, tried employment discrimination claims before juries and argued before federal trial and appellate courts. He holds leadership positions in the American Bar Association and the National Association of Blind Lawyers, and he actively works to promote diversity within the legal profession.
Tim is President of the NFB of California.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Board of Directors
- State President
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Kenneth Jernigan Fund Committee
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Board of Directors