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.

APH Hall of Fame Inductees page

Learn more about each of the inductees by reading their biographies on the APH website. 
Georgie Lee Abel
Edward Ellis Allen
Lulu (Lou) Johnson Alonso
Loyal Eugene Apple
Samuel Ashcroft
Robert Atkinson
Edwin Albert Baker
Natalie Barraga
Mary K. Bauman
Donald Blasch
Warren Bledsoe
Charles F.F. Campbell
Sir Francis Jeseph Cambell
Thomas Carroll
Michael Collins
Cleo Dolan
William H. English
Eleanor E. Faye
Martha Louise Morrow Foxx
Morris Frank
Sir Charles Frederick Fraser
Kathern Gruber
William Allen Hadley
Frank H. Hall
Phil Hatlen
Euclid Herie
Everett "Butch" Hill
Richard Edwin Hoover
Samuel Gridley Howe
Kathleen M. Huebner
Douglas Inkster
Robert Irwin
Kenneth Jernigan
Laurence C. Jones
Randall T. Jose
Ruth Kaarlela
Helen Keller
Alan Koenig
Roy Kumpe
Berthold Lowenfeld
Ann MacCuspie
Sally Mangold
Durward McDaniel
M.C. Migel
Abraham Nemeth
Arnall Patz
Newel Perry
Alice Raftary
Louis Rives
Sally Rogow
Peter Salmon
Robert J. Smithdas
Susan J. Spungin
Anne Sullivan
Stanley Suterko
Mary Switzer
Josephine Taylor
Dean Tuttle
Louis Vieceli
William Bell Wait
Donald Wedewer
Richard Welsh
Robert H. Whitstock
Russell Williams
James Max Woolly
​Berdell "Pete" Wurzburger