In addition to using the findings of the Workplace Technology Study to improve accessibility and digital inclusion in the workplace, a number of AFB programs support career seekers who are blind or have low vision.
At the 2022 AFB Leadership Conference, Rachel Longan received the newly established Llura Gund Leadership Award, which recognizes an outstanding leader who has benefitted from one of AFB’s employment initiatives, and awards this individual with a $5,000 stipend to support their leadership development beyond AFB’s training programs. Longan, who was in the first cohort of the Blind Leaders Development Program, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who also founded the Mind’s Eye, a support group for individuals coping with blindness, as well as a support group for LGBTQ individuals with vision loss.
Longan is the first recipient of this award. AFB established the Llura Gund Workforce Inclusion Fund through a generous challenge grant from philanthropist Gordon Gund in honor of his wife, the late Llura “Lulie” Gund. This fund supports AFB programs that expand pathways to leadership, inclusive technology, and well-paying career opportunities for people who are blind or have low vision.
Read on to learn about the work that drove the most impact in 2022.
