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| Article Type: | Obituary |
| Subject: | Advocates (Biography) |
| Pub Date: | 05/01/2012 |
| Publication: | Name: Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness Publisher: American Foundation for the Blind Audience: Academic Format: Magazine/Journal Subject: Health Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2012 American Foundation for the Blind ISSN: 0145-482X |
| Issue: | Date: May, 2012 Source Volume: 106 Source Issue: 5 |
| Persons: | Biographee: Levine, Helen G. |
| Geographic: | Geographic Scope: United States Geographic Code: 1USA United States |
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| Accession Number: | 290520544 |
| Full Text: | A recipient of the 1996 AFB Migel Medal and past president of the National Braille Association Helen G. Levine died on March 13, 2012, at age 96. Before she became a Cincinnati, Ohio, wife and mother and, later, an advocate for people who are blind, Mrs. Levine made her debut on Broadway in 1937 in the ensemble of Having a Wonderful Time, which starred Ginger Rogers and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. Mrs. Levine's interest in blindness was sparked over 60 years ago when, while pregnant with her third child, a close friend gave birth to a son who was blind. In 1951, in Cincinnati, she founded and served as the first chairperson of Aid to the Visually Handicapped, a service of the National Council of Jewish Women. For that project, she recruited, trained, and supervised volunteers who served blind and visually impaired children by making accessible textbooks in audio, braille, and large print format. From 1959 to 1967, she spent her time teaching professionals and the public about the education and mobility needs of people who are visually impaired by holding seminars in Ohio and across the United States. In 1969, she was employed by the Cincinnati Public Schools as a specialist, and she established its Living Skills Center, which focused on issues of adjustment and mobility for students with visual impairments. From 1963 to 1972, Mrs. Levine served as president of the Cincinnati Library Society for the Blind. In addition, Mrs. Levine began a lifetime of volunteering for the Clovernook Center for the Blind in 1954, and in 1995 Clovernook created the Helen G. Levine Award, which is given annually to an outstanding volunteer. From 1950 to 1975, she served as president of the National Braille Association. Her lifetime of dedication to people who are blind earned her the honor of being named one of the 1979 Enquirer's Women of the Year, as well as the 1996 Migel Medal. |
| Gale Copyright: | Copyright 2012 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. |