ABLE - Audio Braille Literacy Enhancement

04/28/2026

We are so proud of Sam for his self advocacy. Sam is the eighth grader who was our News Anchor at the ABLE 60th celebration in October of 2025, sharing ABLE’s history. The volunteer and staff braille/tactile team are so honored to have produced braille and tactile school work for Sam throughout his school years.

Cheryl Orgas

04/23/2026

The ABLE Team is so excited to do the Birdathon at Wehr Nature Center on Sunday, May 3, from 9:30A.M. to 11:00A.M. Feel free to join us!

The audio descriptions of all the trails in English and Spanish are on the Wehr website. They were prepared by ABLE and read by Veronica from Vision Forward. There are also tactile maps of the grounds, including hiking paths and trail descriptions in English and Spanish braille.

Cheryl Orgas

Birdathon for Birders with Vision Loss Sunday, May 3, 9 am-4 pm
We are excited to be a host site for the 2026 Blind Birder Birdathon, a global celebration that invites individuals who are blind or have low vision to listen for bird species over a 24-hour period. No experience is necessary. A designated sit-spot will be available, and volunteers will be on hand to lead trail birding walks. This is a FREE event, $5 parking fee for non-members. Please register by contacting Holly Walz at holly.walz@milwaukeecountywi.gov

This is the broader Birdability event that we are joining with for community and participation:

Birdability's Global Blind Birder Birdathon takes place on May 3 and 4, 2026. Birders may choose one day that works best for them. Birders are also welcome to bird both days. Please Bird in whatever way is accessible and meaningful for you, for at least two hours within a 24 hour period - that does not have to be consecutive time, and can be spread out over several sessions, or all at once. Listen, observe, and enjoy birds in your own way.
More information and education about Birdability's Blind Birder Birdathon can be obtained at this website: https://www.birdability.org/blind-birdathon

Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired

The Blind Birder Bird-a-Thon is a 24-hour birding event designed for birders who are blind and low-vision. This global event encourages participants to identify as many bird species as possible by sound (or sight!), celebrating accessibility and the joy of birding.

04/22/2026

What a great opportunity. I am excited to be there on May 16th.
- Cheryl Orgas

Hello,
I am a Wisconsin artist inviting you and your community to "Feel Quill," an accessible art installation that uses feather quills to represent braille in a highly tactile form. The exhibit, located at Abel Contemporary Gallery in Stoughton, Wisconsin, is accompanied by braille texts.
On May 16th, there is a special artist talk featuring me and David Ballman of Madison, who will read the exhibit's braille texts, including “Hope Is the Thing with Feathers” by poet Emily Dickinson.
I sincerely hope you and your community will come to experience this unique, tactile artwork. Please spread the word!
Warmly,
Leslie Iwai

EVENT DETAILS
Feel Quill Art Exhibition: Friday, April 24 - Wednesday, June 14
Opening Reception: Friday, April 24, 5 pm – 8 pm
Artist Talk (Leslie Iwai) and Reading in Braille (David Ballmann): Saturday, May 16, 1 pm – 3 pm

ABEL CONTEMPORARY GALLERY
524 East Main Street
Stoughton, WI 53589
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 10 am - 5 pm, Sunday, 11 am - 5 pm
Tel: 608-845-6600


LINKS
https://www.leslieiwai.com/events/2026/04/24
https://www.leslieiwai.com/events/2026/5/16
https://www.abelcontemporary.com

QUESTIONS
Leslie Iwai: leslie.iwai@gmail.com
OR Abel Contemporary Gallery: 608-645-6600

Vision Forward Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired

Abel Contemporary Gallery represents artists with national reputations along with the work of well-known local artists and emerging talent. For owner Theresa Abel, a painter, and her partner Tim O’Neill, a woodworker and metalsmith, it is important to exhibit fine art and fine craft side by side. ...

04/13/2026

Dear ABLE Friends:

Karen and I presented to the Milwaukee Delta Gamma Alumnae Chapter on Saturday, April 11, which happened to be this chapter's Founders Day, which was chartered on April 11, 1910.

Delta Gamma, founded in 1873 in Oxford, Mississippi, is an international women’s fraternity with over 151 collegiate chapters and 200+ alumnae groups focused on sisterhood, philanthropy, and "Doing Good." Known for its "Service for Sight" philanthropy, the organization supports visually impaired individuals and fosters personal, educational, and leadership development for its members.

At ABLE’s founding in October of 1965, Delta Gamma was one of five organizations who helped ABLE (formerly Volunteer Services for the Visually Handicapped) get its start. Donating 106 hours of volunteer time by March of 1966, purchasing our first Thermoform machine for $500, and making annual donations through the years, this organization has been instrumental in ABLE’s success.

I was so honored to speak in front of this warm welcoming group of women on Saturday. Thanks Delta Gamma for your generosity over the years.

With much gratitude,
Cheryl Orgas

P.S. Delta Gamma Sorority was very helpful to me personally in that the membership became my readers during my undergraduate years at Lawrence University from 1978-1982. Between ABLE giving me the braille and audio books I needed and Delta Gamma being there for me, my college years were a great success.

Photo of Cheryl Orgas speaking
Photo of (left to right) Delta Gamma Chapter President Kristina McGuirk, Delta Gamma VP Foundation Carmen Cruz, Cheryl Orgas, Executive Director, and Karen Duerr, Office Manager.

04/08/2026

Dear ABLE Friends:

I am saddened to share the news of the passing of one of ABLE’s long time audio volunteers Pat Jipson. Pat recorded for ABLE for over 20 years, giving blind and print disabled individuals access to the printed word. She gave nearly 5,500 hours of her time reading books and other materials. One of the last books Pat read was "White Cane Day" by Kristin Grender - one of our Wisconsin Teachers of the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Our thoughts are with her family and friends during this difficult time.

Sincerely,
Cheryl Orgas

Schmidt & Bartelt Funeral and Cremation Services, Wauwatosa, Menomonee Falls, Whitefish Bay, Sussex, Mequon, Oconomowoc, Mukwonago, Wisconsin, vaults, caskets, cremation, cemteries, funerals, urns

04/07/2026

Dear ABLE Friends,

I am sharing with you information about Margaret Casey’s performance this weekend at County Clare. The play reading is "Chapatti, a Cat Lady and Dog Man". She is working with her partner, Beaux.

Margaret has been reading books in our ABLE Sound Center since 2023, giving ABLE recipients 175 hours of her time. For instance, Margaret did a fabulous job reading the Wauwatosa Reads book from 2024 "What the Tide Leaves Behind" by Malcolm McDowell Woods.

See link for more information: https://milirisharts.org/2026/03/09/chapatti-pint-and-a-play-reading-april-9-to-april-12/

Cheryl Orgas

A “Pint and a Play” returns to County Clare’s Joyce Room this April as Milwaukee Irish Arts presents a staged reading of Christian O’Reilly’s heartwarming play Chapatti. Romance is a di…

03/30/2026

Help me celebrate the Center for Deaf-Blind Person’s 40 years of excellent service in the community.
Cheryl Orgas

Center for Deaf-Blind Persons, Inc.
OPEN HOUSE!
You are cordially invited!
When: April 16th, 2026
Time: 10:00am-2pm
Where: 8306 W. Lincoln Ave., West Allis, WI, 53219

2025 was our 40th anniversary! We also have completed renovations made possible by a grant from the Lowe’s Hometowns program. Come help us celebrate!

Schedule of Events
10am: Welcome
10:15am: Welcoming Remarks
10:30am-11:15am: Assistive Technology Demo
11:30am-12:15pm: Training Kitchen Demo
12:45pm-1:00pm: Official Remarks
1:00pm-2:00pm: Panel Discussion: Living with Dual Sensory Loss
Refreshments will be provided
If you have questions, you can call us at (414) 781-7477 or email aklenz@deaf-blind.org

OPTIMISM IS THE FAITH THAT LEADS TO ACHIEVEMENT.-Hellen Kellar HARD THINGS ARE PUT IN OUR WAY, NOT TO STOP US, BUT TO CALL OUT OUR COURAGE AND STRENGTH.-UNKNOWNWHEN YOU CAN’T CHANGE THE DIRECTION OF THE WIND – ADJUST YOUR SAILS. -H. JACKSON BROWNTHE WORLD BECOMES A QUIETER PLACE. PEOPLE SEE THIN...

03/12/2026

Dear ABLE Friends:

One of our amazing colleagues, Sandy Rowley, first a braille volunteer and then the Braille Services Coordinator who was with ABLE (formerly VSVH) for over 35 years, has passed away.

Find a link to her obituary below.

She trained and coached many braille volunteers and was responsible for thousands and thousands of braille pages through her many years of dedicated service to this organization.

Here are a few comments from those who worked with her.

"She was my braille teacher in 2004 from September to May 2005. I received lots of one-on-one attention, many times. meeting her at an office on 6th and Virginia with one other student at first. She was a wonderful teacher, the best. I loved the one-on-one teaching, a dream come true!

I have a blue cloth bag she gave me with braille on the outside ... with English underneath. It says:

'Readers are a touch above the rest!'

She also gave me a blue "Rubik's Cube" key chain with braille dots."

- Lenore (still volunteering today)

"Sandy was an excellent teacher and a warm thoughtful friend. She was also very patient with us. She has a warm place in my heart."

- Barb, (still volunteering today, with us since 1997)

"Sandy was such a mentor for me. So kind and encouraging. I have fond memories of meeting at her apartment with her and her husband during his illness and with her dad. And also meeting at Bakers Square a couple times. We exchanged Christmas cards. She will be missed."

- Former Staff Person

I spoke with Sandy last autumn in preparing for our 60th anniversary celebration. She had so many fond memories of ABLE and the staff, recipients, and volunteers with whom she worked. I sensed when we hung up I had made her day. We have so much to be grateful for in all Sandy did for ABLE, formerly VSVH.

My deepest condolences to Sandy’s family

Sincerely,
Cheryl Orgas

Wife of the late Richard. Sister of Nancy Maliborski and Kathleen Weber. Preceded in death by her parents Alex and Gertrude Kubach and...

03/11/2026

The Fabulous ABLE Sound Center -

I would like to acknowledge National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled. Established in 1931, they celebrated 95 years of service on Tuesday, the 3rd of March.

02/16/2026

Get Ex Fabula Events in your calendar - it's so fun and impactful! -

I am excited to share with you events happening at Ex Fabula this spring. I loved attending one of Ex Fabula’s classes on learning to do story telling. It was fun to practice and to hear the stories of others. Going to one of their events is so powerful.

02/05/2026

Dear ABLE Friends:

I am delighted to share a photo of two of our ABLE Board Members Xinyue Hippe and Guadalupe Torrijos, who are attending Hamilton at the Marcus Center with Julie Hapeman, ABLE 2024 award winner.

We have been making programs in braille and large print for the Marcus Center for well over 20 years. Thank you Marcus Center for being such a tremendous partner and for taking accessibility seriously for blind and print disabled individuals.

Cheryl Orgas

Photo of Xinyue and Guadalupe with their programs in braille at Hamilton.

Photo of Julie Hapeman with her ABLE Award from 2024.

02/02/2026

Dear ABLE Friends:

I would like to highlight some of our audio volunteers today.

In the ABLE Sound Center, we have read the Alexandra Ivy Series for the Wisconsin Talking Book and Braille Library.

All our ABLE narrators did a fabulous job. I so enjoyed this series. See below how many times each book was released and take note of the hours each volunteer has given since their start date as volunteers at ABLE.

"Don’t Look": 514 downloads or cartridges released. Read by Tiffany Tinsey who gave 494 hours since 2021.

"Faceless": 330 downloads or cartridges released. Read by Jan Beaton who gave 241 hours since 2021. Sadly Jan is deceased. She was an excellent reader. Our deepest condolences to her family.

"Unstable": 997 downloads or cartridges released. ead by Neil Jaehnert who gave 154 hours since 2021.

"Desperate Acts": 785 downloads or cartridges released. Read by Merete Mohs who gave 538 hours since 2019.

"Murder Club": 1164 downloads or cartridges released. Read by Kathy Herbst who gave 324 hours since 2016.

Warmly,
Cheryl Orgas

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