Leaders & Legends

By: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com
Updated March 28, 2022

The Hall of Fame for Leaders and Legends of the Blindness Field, located in the Migel Library at the American Printing House for the Blind, is dedicated to preserving, honoring, and promoting the tradition of excellence manifested by the specific individuals inducted into the APH Hall of Fame and through the history of outstanding services provided to people who are blind or visually impaired.

Mission of the Hall of Fame

The Museum of the American Printing House for the Blind is dedicated to preserving and presenting the fascinating educational history of people who are blind and the historic contributions of the American Printing House for the Blind for the benefit of people who are visually impaired, educators of people who are visually impaired, and the broader community. They have an amazing hands-on collection that is a must see - particularly for those who are interested in the field of visual impairments and those who serve individuals who are blind or visually impaired.

The professionals featured in the APH Hall of Fame include professionals of the recent and distant past that are a cross-section of heroes and pioneers who not only shaped the vision field's history, philosophy, knowledge and skills, but also gave insights into current and future challenges. These giants shared strategies to ensure that services for blind persons remain unique and specialized.

Nomination Criteria

Persons who have made significant contributions to improve the lives of those who are blind or visual impaired in such areas as professional practice, research, writing, leadership, direct service, and/or in their professional organizations.

Persons are eligible five years after departure/retirement from positions where their significant lifetime body of work was made.
Individuals from North America are eligible for nomination. (North America is defined as US, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean).

APH Hall of Fame

Below are some of the pictures I took during my recent visit to the APH Hall of Fame.

plaques of Susan Jay Spungin, Frank H. Hall, William B. Wait, Robert Smithdas, Randall T. Jose, Charles Frederick Fraser

plaques of inductees Roy Kumpe, J. Max Woolly, William A. Hadley, Stanley Suterko, Newel Perry, and Michael T. Collins

plaques of inductees Mary Elizabeth Switzer, Kathern Gruber, Richard Edwin Hoover, and Russell Williams

plaques of inductees Fr. Thomas Carroll, Peter J. Salmon, Cleo Dolan, Louis H. Rives, Jr.

plaques of inductees Kenneth Jernigan, Durward K. McDaniel, Eleanor E. Faye, MD, C. Warren Bledsoe, Phil Hatlen, Pete Wurzburger

plaques of inductees Natalie Carter Barraga, Everett "Butch" Hill, Dean W. Tuttle, Berthold Lowenfeld, Francis J. Campbell, Alan J. Koenig

plaques of inductees Sally Mangold, Richard L. Welsh, Sally Rogow, Edward Ellis Allen, Euclid J. Herie, Edwin Albert Baker

plaques of inductees Martha Morrow Foxx, Laurence C. Jones, Abraham Nemeth, Arnall Patz, Robert Whitstock, Morris Frank

plaques of inductees William H. English, Alice Geisler Raftary, Ruth Kaarlela, Louis Vieceli

plaques of inductees Mary K. Bauman, Josephine Lister Taylor, Douglas Inkster, John Robert Atkinson

APH Hall of Fame Inductees page

Learn more about each of the inductees by reading their biographies on the APH website.

History of Visual Impairments

Professional Practice

Vision Professionals

Professionalism

Teacher Resources

Professional Publications

VI Book Resources

Family Resources

Thank you for visiting!

The mission of Teaching Students with Visual Impairments is to provide all persons involved in education students who are blind or visually impaired with the necessary resources to help each student become successful members of their communities and to equip those in the visual impairment field with resources to meet the wide range of needs of the students they serve.

Welcome to Teaching Students with Visual Impairments

Leaders & Legends

Mission of the Hall of Fame

Nomination Criteria

APH Hall of Fame

APH Hall of Fame Inductees page