About Irene Lambert

1969–1975:

• In August 1969, I returned to Montreal, Canada, with my husband, Dr. Robert Lambert, our three sons, and two golden retriever guide dogs we trained ourselves. We faced numerous accessibility challenges, particularly the lack of public acceptance for guide dogs. After unsuccessful negotiations with the Board of Place des Arts, we engaged civil rights attorney Claud Armand Shepard, leading to significant media attention.
• I worked with the Guide Dog Foundation in Smithtown, NY, conducting recruitment and evaluations, and advocated for broad recognition of various guide dog training centers. With my husband, I contributed to governmental briefs, urging the establishment of equal rights and services for visually impaired citizens. This effort culminated in the Girard Commission and the passing of “An Act to Ensure the Handicapped in the Exercise of Their Rights” in 1978.
• Guide Dog Foundation Liaison (1970–75): Evaluated candidates and promoted diverse training centers.

1978–2015:

• Legislative Contributions: Active participation in the Girard Commission and supporting legislation for the rights of the handicapped.
• Community Involvement: Initiated a food co-op, organized Block Parents, advanced recycling efforts, and served on the PTA.
• Concordia University: Coordinated research projects and advocated for student support services.
• Organizational Leadership: Held key positions in Low Vision Self-Help Association, Quebec Blind Lawn Bowling Association, and Montreal Association for the Blind.
• International Advocacy: Participated in educational exchanges in China and various national advocacy organizations (ACB, NFB, AEBC, AER).
• Personal Accomplishments: Earned a marine radio operator certificate in 2013.

2015–2021:

• Quebec Accessible: Member since 2015, aimed at updating existing legislation.
• Additional Advocacy Efforts: Campaigns for taxi legislation ensuring guide dog accessibility. Projects with AEBC focusing on transportation, traffic signal accessibility, and personal advocacy.

Recent Activities (2022):

• Active member of LVSHA, organizing events and mentoring.
• Guest speaker on the Triple Vision Podcast.
• Contributed to research on Schools for the Blind in Canada.
• Featured in various publications for advocacy achievements.

Personal Accomplishments:

• First partially sighted student at Lachine High School (1942).
• Held pioneering leadership roles in several advocacy organizations.

This summary reflects a lifelong commitment to advocacy for individuals with visual impairments, highlighting both legislative achievements and community engagement.

I first heard about Ruth in 1987 through a radio interview, and later, a newspaper article detailed her ambitious plans to create a support group for those experiencing vision loss. Ruth sought to bring together individuals with sight difficulty to share knowledge and explore available resources. The 1988 newspaper article painted a vivid picture of her background and numerous community activities. Ruth was an avid golfer, a lawn bowler in the summer, a curler in the winter, and a potter at Stewart Hall. She was also deeply involved in her church, St. John the Baptist Anglican Church in Pointe Claire, and participated in several community organizations.

By the time I learned about her, Ruth was in her late seventies. Life had dealt her some hard blows: she lost her husband to cancer at a young age and her brother soon after. The final challenge was her diagnosis of macular degeneration, which made seeing clearly increasingly difficult. By 1987, driving, reading print, or recognizing facial expressions at events had become significant issues.

Despite these challenges, Ruth was an achiever and a problem solver. When her ophthalmologist informed her there was nothing more he could do, she sought out Dr. Harold Backman, a well-respected optometrist in the West Island known for finding alternative solutions. Dr. Backman eventually became a mentor to Ruth and the LVSHA.

Ruth explored new magnifiers, devices, and rehabilitation agencies. She was never hesitant to travel to Waterloo, Ontario to check out a new device or to join the Montreal Association for the Blind Rehabilitation Centre, where she received the first closed-circuit television (CCTV) allocated to a client. She also avidly read the latest books on coping with low vision.

The minister at St. John the Baptist Church, Reverend Peter Asbil, supported her vision of starting a group and arranged for her to use the Guild Room one afternoon each month. Ruth quickly set a date for the new group's first meeting and easily formed a refreshment committee with the Women's Guild, where she had previously served as president. A conversation with Margaret Jones at the Volunteer Bureau ensured no difficulties in recruiting members for a committee to serve as her board. Publicity was arranged through the News and Chronicle. Ruth and her committee gathered in her living room to finalize the details for the group's first meeting, set to take place after the holidays in January.

Olga Overbury, PhD, had been invited to be the first guest speaker. She spoke about the counseling program she had at the Royal Victoria Hospital, offered under the aegis of Dr. Sean Murphy and Dr. Bruce Jackson to advise patients about services and resources which would benefit them. (Olga, at that time, was a graduate student in the Psychology of Sensory Deficits Program at Concordia University).

Shirley, the newly designated secretary, made note of the new members and inquired if they would need a ride for the next meeting. Another committee member, Ruth Giddy, a fellow golfer, found volunteer drivers, Elsie Weaver and George Hyde. Elsie Weaver and George Hyde were also two members of the original Board. It should go without saying that Ruth was president and you might naturally have assumed that a great many conversations took place at that first meeting about losing eye-sight and ideas about future meetings.

In the meantime, I had been in contact by telephone with Ruth Williams to tell her that I was coordinator of the Sensory Deficit Research Program responsible for scheduling low vision participants. We agreed that Ruth would participate and inform the members of her new group about the research project in February. I would contact them with detailed information about the project and arrange their consent and participation.

On the second Thursday in February at 1:30 pm, the group met for the second time, with even more people attending. Ruth's enthusiasm convinced quite a few to volunteer for my research project and Ruth Giddy even offered to set up transportation for them. This was my introduction to the West Island Association which became a dedicated involvement for me for the next thirty-five years. Ruth even invited the head of the Concordia research project, Robert Lambert, PhD (who was my husband) to be the guest speaker for March and invited me to join the Board of LVSHA as a consultant.

Joining the Board had to be a major consideration for me. I was employed, had a family of four children, two of whom were still at home and in school, a husband and two guide dogs. It soon became apparent that this could be an ideal undertaking for me, given my own experiences with vision loss, my education and training, and my successes advocating for social change. I attended the March meeting with my husband and by April, I found myself on their Board. So it was for the next 35 years.

Our treasury started with a $500 donation from Quebec MNA Joan Dougherty. Those were exciting times for all of us, including the members. Reading was the most common complaint, so those who had been reading large print books brought them in to share with others who could still read large print. Information and demonstrations about magnifiers were extensively discussed. My knowledge of talking books on cassette and where to find them was very useful.

For that first year or so, our choice of guest speakers each month was often determined by the concerns of the members. Of interest was my guide dog, so it was no surprise when they asked me to be their guest speaker. "Zest" was soon to be retired and plans were already made for my husband and me to go to California the next April for our new dogs. Frank Pilon, the sighted husband of a new member, Kay Pilon, recorded my talk, and gave me a copy of that talk, which I still have.

Frank, a photographer and filmmaker, recorded every meeting and gave the cassette to the president after each meeting. Each cassette started with the place, time and speaker for that day. He continued doing that for the many years that he and Kay came to Low Vision. It soon became evident that my knowledge of the blindness field and contacts became really useful. The membership of the group was very similar to those who are there now thirty -five years later, namely couples or widowed men or women and mostly all of retirement age or older.

Projects

Many of the women in the group were avid knitters and crocheters. When Reverend Asbil's wife, Doreen, a nurse at the Royal Victoria Hospital, suggested that patients could use lap covers, Ruth quickly initiated a lap cover knitting project. This project became incredibly popular and meaningful, providing the women with a sense of pride as they gave back to the community. For the next two decades, Low Vision continued to donate lap covers and shawls to the Royal Victoria Hospital, or to Ste. Anne's Veterans Hospital, and later, Bayshore Hospital on the Lakeshore. Some were so beautifully crafted that the hospitals kept them for special awards.

Early on, Ruth was approached by Richard Turner, president of the local branch of the Pioneers of America, interested in funding a project for LV. He was involved in developing a historic park in Rawdon, "Canadiana Pioneer Village". Ruth and the committee, which now included me, sat down with Rick Turner and drew up a plan to hire a bus for a trip in June to go to the "Canadiana Pioneer Village" for lunch in the old mill and a guided tour of the facilities. From time to time, travel was thought by some members with a visual impairment to be too difficult. Despite these challenges, members found the trip to be such a success that the idea of having an outing in June has continued to be a regular activity every year since.

For the first Christmas in 1988, Ruth organized a concert tailored to the needs of individuals with low vision. This included proper lighting, large print programs and song sheets, microphone announcements, and assistance with seating. Ruth reserved the church for early December, and several musical groups, including the John Rennie Bell Ringers and members of the St. Lawrence Choir, volunteered their talents. According to the Bell Ringers, the altar was not wide enough for them. So much to the chagrin of a few church elders, Ruth made all the arrangements for carpenters to make the necessary accommodations with the promise that everything would be returned to normal after the concert, which it was!

Ruth delivered both the welcoming and closing speeches, inviting everyone to refreshments in the church hall afterward. The event was well-attended, including family members, friends, and employees from the Montreal Association for the Blind. A free-will offering was collected and donated to the MAB. Our Christmas concert was earlier than the regular Christmas season. So, Shirley needed to bring poinsettia’s from a Hudson nursery to decorate the church, which were later donated to the church's flower committee for their Christmans decorations. This ended a full year of meetings and activities for the new Low Vision Self-Help Association which we deemed to be a huge success. For Ruth Williams, it was a dream come true!

The second year began on the second Thursday afternoon in January 1989, continuing with the familiar format of conversations as people arrived. Ruth welcomed everyone warmly and shared her thoughts. As membership grew, the Guild Room became too crowded, prompting a move to the church's main hall, which had a stage and high cathedral ceilings. This new space presented challenges with sound dynamics and setup. I provided a temporary sound system, and male volunteers helped with the setup. The stage was used to display books being shared, and we soon developed a collection of talking books on cassette. Hazel Tilden, a board member, managed the project and provided reading assistance.

I don't recall where the June trip was in 1989, as my husband and I were in Miami due to my mother-in-law's passing. However, the Bell Pioneers funded the trip, continuing their support for several more years. Some Pioneers even joined us on the bus as guides and friends.

The Christmas concert that year was another success, featuring members of the St. Lawrence Choir with David Patterson. My husband, Bob Lambert, was also performing with his clarinet. His first piece went very well. Between his performances, we were both sitting in the front row and for some reason he seemed to be fidgeting with the neck of his clarinet. When he returned to the podium to present his second piece, the wrong notes were being heard. So, as an excuse, we heard Bob announce "here is how my grandfather played it for me when I was a little boy". The audience was most amused and gave him a rousing applause. Despite a minor mishap with his clarinet, Bob's performance was well-received and added a humorous touch to the event.

Despite a few changes after the first year, the Board functioned well, still holding meetings in Ruth Williams' living room. During this period, my husband and I were considering moving to the West Island and were house-hunting in Pointe Claire.

In April 1990, Ruth arranged for the group to attend a morning concert of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra at Place des Arts. About thirty of us signed up, and Ruth hired a school bus for transportation, even arranging a special pickup for me. Although the outing was wonderful, Ruth vowed never to book a school bus again due to its discomfort. And we never did!

Ruth's background as a sportswoman led Joan McKay, a champion lawn bowler from Beaconsfield, to contact her about starting a lawn bowling group for visually impaired individuals in West Island. Ruth and several members, including my husband and me, eagerly joined. We spent one afternoon a week during the summer of 1990 learning and enjoying the sport at the Beaconsfield Lawn Bowling Club.

In May 1990, Ruth expressed her desire to step down as president. The Board arranged our first AGM, and a party for Ruth. We gifted Ruth a multifaceted Panasonic talking clock as a token of appreciation. At the first AGM, I was nominated as president, Ruth Giddy as secretary, and Elsie Weaver as treasurer. We were all elected by acclamation. The membership adopted Ruth's recommendation of a $10 annual fee and agreed to a September-to-June schedule. I felt honoured to be Ruth's replacement and looked forward to some busy and interesting times. Little did I know what lay ahead for me.

That summer, while staying in touch with Ruth and attending to Low Vision plans, my husband and I also participated in two conventions. The first was the AER (Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired) convention held in Washington, D. C. That was the same week that Congress passed the landmark legislation called "The Americans with Disabilities Act" (ADA). Our second convention, the “American Council of the Blind” was held in Richmond, Va. We were all ecstatic to have this hard-fought piece of legislation passed into law.

Late in August, Bob was invited to contact the Dean at San Francisco State University (SFSU) about a new job opening he might be interested in. The interview proved very exciting, to determine if Bob would be chosen to head the new office for accessibility and compliance with the ADA for the whole University of California (UC) system. Also, the Department of Psychology offered him a position. If he did not get the Dean's offer, it was an offer he could not refuse.

We returned home to Montreal West, put our house on the market, and began planning another move in our lives. By the end of October, we still had no news from California and our house had still not sold. On November 12, 1990, after a day of cold sleet and snow, Bob suffered a fatal heart attack. On the day of his funeral, I received his invitation for a final interview in the mail. Now what!

For some reason I did attend the LV Christmas concert in early December with my welcoming speech but Ruth with their new minister decided to take over for me. Between November 1990 and January 1991, I decided to stay in Quebec for the time being and rent an apartment in the West Island. Our house in Montreal West sold in January on the same day that the Gulf War was declared. In May, I moved to a town house in Somerville Gardens, Pointe Claire. My experience of looking for a house and then an apartment with various real estate agents over the past couple of years served me well for understanding the bus routes and various areas of Pointe Claire. Angela Stevens, a former student of my husband's and recent Orientation and Mobility graduate from the University of Sherbrooke spent many hours with me and my newest guide dog, "Finesse", learning new walking routes with street names or strategies for crossing busy thoroughfares or best practices from learning from my mistakes.

As far as I can remember, the meetings for the first half of 1991 went smoothly with nothing special to report. By September I was ready to start holding LV Board meetings in my living room. We always had tea and cookies after each meeting. I especially remember purchasing a 10-cup white porcelain teapot for the occasion. I remember how it became too heavy to pour tea with, so it soon became a decoration on the bookshelf!

One significant happening early that Fall was sitting down in the Guild Room with the whole Board to write a proposal for a grant from the Canadian Association of Gerontology. We received the grant and were able to hire two people for one year. One person was Angela Stevens. She was to help out at general meetings and was even more useful during the next summer with the lawn bowling club. Angela authored a well-documented report on the development and functioning needs of a lawn bowling club for blind and partially sighted persons, which is available in the archives. The second person was Loraine Taylor, a student at Marie Victorin College who did a stage (or internship) with us. Loraine's studies were in social work.

One thing I had learned during these last couple of years was that often newcomers to Low Vision were rather nervous about participating in the group. Apparently, my proposal on the grant was accepted as written. We would cover each of the agenda topics I had outlined. The plan was to form a small group of three or four of these newcomers. Loraine would provide us with transportation so that we could meet in each other's homes. They would learn first-hand how Ruth had started this group and how our mission could improve their outlook. In such a tranquil setting, they could share their own diagnosis and concerns for the future, while Loraine would gain first-hand understanding of how some react to low vision while supervising a small group.

By spring 1992, two groups had been completed and the new members seemed to come into the main group much more relaxed and willing to participate. Once Loraine's internship was over, we were never able to have that same setup again. However, we did keep in touch with Lorraine. She was married to Ken Taylor, PhD, a professor in chemistry at Macdonald College who owned Windmill Farm on Ile. Perault. They were very much futurists in organic farming and food production. Several times we arranged visits to the farm, either as an outing to tour their organic farm, or at harvest time to purchase organic and often unusual varieties of fruits and vegetables. Some time that same year, Ruth Williams invited Ross Common, a Baie d'Urfe city councilman, to join the Board. Ross was a very outgoing person and a great team player. His wife, Barbara Commons, a retired physiotherapist, was one of several other physiotherapists who became volunteer drivers for LVSHA.

Ross was very witty and any discussions that might arise, Ross would resolve them in short order. His humor and wit added many unexpected laughs at the meetings. One of Ross's hobbies was bee keeping so at harvest time he would bring in a few containers of honey so that we could sell them as a fund raiser.

One of Ross Common's significant contributions was to have us formalize our mission and bylaws. I still have a very clear picture in my mind of us having a Board meeting around my dining room table. Ruth Williams was there as she continued to attend Board meetings and Ross is holding three different copies of formal documents explaining their differences. With his guidance and suggestions, we finally drew up our constitution and bylaws.

These projects and collaborations during the early years laid a strong foundation for the continued success and growth of the Low Vision Self-Help Association.

The Fire

Then it happened—the most disastrous and disruptive day in the history of Low Vision Self-Help! Early one November morning in 1992, St. John the Baptist Church caught fire. I first learned of the fire from a radio newscast at 5 a.m. I waited until the 5:30 news to make sure that I had heard correctly and gave Ruth a call. Soon, the entire Board was informed, and calls from members began pouring in. There was nothing anyone could know until the fire department declared the fire was out. It seemed to take forever to find out how bad the fire was.

Eventually, we were informed that the church hall was gone, as well as the choir loft, organ and all the organist's music was destroyed as well as the columbarium. However, the sanctuary was preserved. Sometime later we were informed that the section of lockers had also been saved. At Ruth's request, I went to check out our locker with Bill Gordon, a volunteer with LV and a member of the church. We were escorted to a rear entrance with a set of concrete steps still flooded with water and a lot of broken glass. It was a very spooky experience that I will never forget!

Fortunately, our locker had not been affected except for a strong smell of smoke. We now had several containers of smoked honey! My inquiry to Ross Common was whether he thought it was still good or salable. Ross’s response was, "the smoke only increases the flavour and should only increase its value." That settled that!

Finding a new home was not simple. We had no idea how long it would take St. John the Baptist Church to rebuild or if they would rebuild at all. We needed a temporary place to hold our monthly general meetings. Several surrounding churches generously offered free space. We chose Cedar Park United Church for the first couple of meetings. After that, we held the next few meetings at St. John United Church. Eventually, we settled on Villa St. Louis for general meetings due to its ease of access and proximity to where several of our members lived. Rows of chairs were always set up assembly-hall style, saving us time and manpower, although limiting our meeting style options. Kitchen facilities were minimal, but the refreshment committee managed well. If any of our speakers wanted to show slides, they had to bring their own equipment.

We also began holding our Board meetings in a smaller room in the basement of Villa St. Louis. Overall, we managed very well, always felt welcome, and it cost us nothing. The only condition Villa St. Louis asked was that our general meetings be open to residents.

We returned to St. John United for several Christmas concerts. Holding our Christmas concert at St. John United Church was a great asset. The church had ample space for performers, plenty of seating, a good piano, and decent parking. Aside from a few general meetings, we held three Christmas concerts there from 1992 to 1994, each time featuring a variety of performers. Shortly after the fire, I hosted with Paul Gareau from the Montreal Association for the Blind. The next two years, we enlisted Geraldine Doucet, a well-known actress and singer in Montreal. She was also known as the wife of Roger Doucet who sang “0 Canada” for the Montreal Canadiens. Geraldine was a wonderful host and would never consider any remuneration

Other performers during those years were the John Rennie Bell Ringers, the Octet Plus Choir, Peter Freeman and Kim Freeman with their saxophones and later the Saxophone Quartet. Marie K. Benvenist, a music therapist and guest speaker at LV, performed with her musicians who played ancient instruments. One of those years we were entertained by a trio of female singers and an up-and-coming pianist from the Concordia music department. Ted Phillips became a well-known jazz pianist and one of the student singers was no other than Dawn Tyler Watson. Another newly retired well-known singer and long-time radio show host was Fred Hill who starred in the Christmas concert. His performance was rewarded by several encores. His final encore was singing "I wish you a Merry Christmas". As he strolled among the audience, the strains of his singing echoed through the church. The spell was totally enchanting.

Setting up these concerts was time-consuming. It began with reserving the day and time with the church and coordinating with the Lions Club, who sold Christmas cakes at our November meeting and on the concert night. In return, they donated fruit and cherry cakes for refreshments.

West Island always had a great deal of talented musical artists and groups to choose from. But, arranging times and dates was seldom easy. Originally, Elsie Weaver, treasurer and sometimes secretary-treasurer, went shopping with me to select gifts for each performer. There were concert flyers to be designed, printed and distributed. For several years, Ruth Giddy created individual concert announcements folded over with a Christmas sticker on the front. Many of the members would take flyers to post in their residences or wherever they had a connection. All Board members made special efforts to post flyers in all residences, churches, libraries, shopping malls or store windows, etc.

There were programs and song sheets to be printed for distribution at the concert. The refreshment committee made their own arrangements and not to forget the flower committee. The night of the concert everyone on the Board had a role to play; from greeting people as they arrived to handing out programs to ushering them to a seat or manning baskets for the donations. The last, but definitely not least, was the counting of the donation money which varied each time.

The president has always given the welcoming speech and always is at the church early to receive the guest performers and to make sure all the right doors were open and the switches turned on, etc. The refreshment committee was always in early to set up tables and prepare the food and beverages. To the present day it is still the president who carries the responsibility for seeing that everything runs smoothly. Once the "fire years" as we called them, were over, 1992-95, we did make some changes. We shifted the format from one of multiple performers to a single group. For several years we invited a different choral group such as the Octet Plus Choir, the Margo Keenan Choir and the West Island Women's Choir.

Ultimately, we continued having the Octet Plus Choir performing our Christmas concerts until 2019 except for the year their director, Allan Day, was too ill to carry on. The "Jazz Singers" substituted for them. The following year the choir was back under new leadership with Connie Osborne who still directs the choir. Connie had an outgoing personality which not only added a friendly atmosphere to the concert but she also brought a greater variety of modern music with interesting arrangements.

We concluded each concert with a Christmas sing-along, where choir members joined the audience. A set of carols with large-print lyrics was handed out with the program and collected after the concert for reuse the next year. The sing-along has continued to be a joyous ending to our concerts.

September 1995

The "fire years" were finally over! On the second Thursday afternoon of September, we made our debut at the new church hall at our original home, St. John the Baptist Anglican Church. It was beautiful, fully wheelchair accessible from the parking lot, and on the same floor as the church itself. The hall was climate-controlled, with velvet curtains on the windows and drapes on the stage to absorb echoes. There was immediate access to a new and well-equipped kitchen. A large closet at the far end of the room housed tables and chairs for setting up meetings. LVSHA decided to make an annual donation to the church, which was received with thanks.

We resumed our practice of meeting on Thursday afternoons, while continuing to hold our Board meetings at Villa St. Louis. Initially, we met in the basement, but after several years, we moved to the first-floor Board room. We continued holding Board meetings there on the first Thursday morning of each month until the COVID-19 pandemic struck on March 13, 2020. The Villa manager appreciated continuing to receive the annual large print calendar for use in his office.

September 1995 also marked the beginning of the last year of my third term as president. It was time to decide what else I could do for LV to keep it growing as a useful and vibrant organization. As a consultant originally and then president for almost six years, I needed to evaluate what I had brought to the well-being of LV. What could we be doing better, and where were we heading?

During the early years of LVSHA, our members were seniors with little exposure to aids and devices that could help them use their sight to the fullest advantage. They still lived in an era where the stigma and fear of blindness prevented them from admitting any disability. There was no internet access, and no such thing as email, or smartphones.

At that moment, I was in my mid-sixties. I had lived with ongoing vision loss for at least fifty years. Having lived in the U.S. for over twenty years, I returned to Canada with three sons, a highly accomplished blind husband, and a few personal accomplishments. "The Times They Are A-Changin'," as Bob Dylan once said, and I seemed able to keep ahead of the curve.

Before my husband Bob's death, I had my own computer for my job at Concordia. Now, I was taking more computer training at the MAB with Ron Pelletier and Mike Ciarcello. Access to information has always been key for me. Bringing members information about special needs in banking services, telephone services, rehabilitation services, postal services, voting accommodations, or taxation benefits was basic knowledge that our members needed and hopefully chose to use as they saw fit. Resources were equally important. There was no point in knowing about a new talking watch, needle threader, or large print magazine if you did not know where to find them. Members appreciated information about their eye conditions, new treatments, and current research. Discussions on techniques for dealing with social attitudes and family presumptions were ongoing. Small workshops became excellent vehicles for sharing personal views and routines on a range of topics. To say that over the years technology became more and more significant would be to put it mildly.

During those first years, we handed out large-print fact sheets, and members collected brochures and handouts from guest speakers. I even started writing a monthly newsletter with important information, helpful hints, witty sayings, jokes, and event schedules. We gifted members with coloured duotangs with our name on them so they could keep their papers in one place.

I purchased two display stands for the head table to showcase interesting articles. Sales catalogs from as many companies as we could find for aids and devices were displayed. There were often members or volunteers who would have an extra set of photos to share with us. Postage stamps were collected monthly for the Canadian Guide Dog Association who sold them by the pound as their fund raiser. I collected unused pairs of glasses for the Lions Club. The knitters were still bringing in their lap covers for distribution to the local hospital. The year we had Loraine and Angela with us I remember holding a technology fair in the large church hall with several companies displaying and demonstrating what was mostly their high-tech devices. One company in particular was Vision Aids who had a store on Cote-des-Neiges. It was owned by Joan Wright who would bring dozens of low-tech items from the store to sell at a reasonable price.

Having moved to the West Island and being a widow, I spent my time getting involved with other West Island organizations. I represented LV at the Volunteer Bureau and the Integration Committee. It was there that we worked on a publication on how to design a recreation centre that would accommodate the accessible needs of many types of disabilities. I represented our LV group for blind and visually impaired persons. Part of that document is now in the LV archives. The Integration Committee also had sports directors, rec centre managers, education reps and even reps from the Quebec government at its general meetings. The minutes and agenda were often in French which my scanner and screen reader could not read. I never asked for the minutes or handouts to be in any alternate formats. Then, at one meeting I was quite embarrassed when a federal rep was there to observe our activities for a grant request. I could not believe my ears when the president told him that I should be provided with the minutes in Braille or the alternative of my choice. The experience influenced my beliefs that I did have rights and should exercise them.

To be part of the West Island community, we needed to be more visible. Being on the invitation list for community fairs was one route. Once registered, we were invited two or three times a year to participate. I organized my red tote bag on wheels with our necessary supplies for the occasion, ready at any moment. It included a schedule of two-hour shifts for manning the kiosk. All members were encouraged to attend. We gave away many brochures, talked to numerous visitors, and learned a lot about other active organizations on the West Island. One significant encounter was with Alan and Norma Dean at the Diabetes table next to ours. I was often invited to speak to other associations about LV, leading me to join Toastmasters for ten years to improve my public speaking.

Another area of my activities and interests occurred when in 1992 Dr. John Simms, the Executive Director of the Montreal Association for the Blind Centre, invited me to participate in a pilot study sponsored by the Quebec government to establish a Users' Committee at the MAB.

In 1993, I was elected president of the newly established MAB Users' Committee, a position I held until 2009. During those years, I had the privilege of representing the views and needs of the clients of this rehabilitation centre on numerous important committees, including the MAB Board of Directors and its first merger with the Mackay Centre.

By 1996 it was more and more important as to what was presented at monthly meetings. At the AGM the following May, I stepped down as president and became the program chair by acclamation. We were fortunate to have a member step up to the plate for president. May Chicoine had been a member for a couple of years. She was a retired school teacher from the Gaspe and actually lived in the Villa. How convenient was that? … living just around the corner from the church and having the Board meetings in the same building as where you lived. May asked me to co-chair the general meetings with her which was fine with me, as I wanted to spend more time involved with programming but not lose direct contact with the members.

May had macular degeneration with low vision. We would spend a few hours brushing up her reading and writing skills using large print and a tape recorder. Her typewriter and typing skills were put to good use for setting up the agenda and coordinating with Ruth Giddy, a sighted secretary. Ruth, now with a computer and printer, could print multiple copies of the agenda, minutes, newsletter, and membership list. From day one, Ruth had also been chair of the transportation committee, recruiting drivers from her golfing and teaching connections.

May and I made a good team at the head table. At Board meetings held a week ahead of the general meeting, we would discuss our plans. May, though never completely relaxed chairing a meeting, had an admirable sense of order and efficiency, ensuring we usually completed the agenda timely and satisfactorily. She would open meetings with a welcome message and announce the "go-round" question. Frank Pilon would then take his microphone around so everyone could answer the question, a proud ritual for him as he had been recording all meetings since nearly the beginning. The go-round question was a useful way to identify new members and guests and helped those of us with vision loss know who was present.

May would then make any announcements and acknowledgments of items brought in, such as lap covers and stamps. I followed with comments about the items I had displayed on the table. By 1996, I had collected a group of basic items for newcomers to peruse, such as a large print checkbook, felt and dark point pens, various signature guides, and coin holders. One major spin-off from my involvement at MAB was the opening of the Hands-on Shopping Boutique in 1997. Management allowed me to bring selected items from the Boutique to LV meetings for members to observe or purchase.

The program always included a combination of a helpful hint, something new, or a witty saying, followed by the introduction of the guest speaker. Refreshments followed the guest speaker, allowing members to meet the guest in person and ask more personal questions. Seating arrangements varied depending on the agenda, with chairs sometimes in rows or a circle and card tables used for workshops.

By 1996, the Board functioned smoothly with a few committees headed by Board members. Pat Shupe handled publicity, which included newspapers, church bulletins, and community fairs. Other committees covered membership, telephone, hospitality, refreshments, transportation, and entertainment. I was particularly proud of the library committee. Once or twice a year, we met at the Pointe Claire Library with the head librarian, the reference librarian, and any other librarians who cared to attend. LV members presented their eye disorders or degrees of vision loss. We would each share our particular difficulties when functioning independently in the library and discuss possible solutions.

The most memorable meeting of May's first term was the huge celebration of Low Vision's tenth anniversary. The refreshment committee served lunch to almost 100 people, so tightly packed into the hall that there was no escape once seated. The head table was set up parallel to the stage, and guests, members, and volunteers sat at rows of tables perpendicular to it. May sat between Ruth and me, with other Board members on either side. Our speeches and the rest of the program went very well. I would say that our tenth-anniversary party was the best of all our celebrations.

May was re-elected for a second term, which would take us into the 21st century. Her presidency was excellent in that she kept us on track and was open to new ideas. However, her second term ended sadly. In November 1999, Ruth Williams was rushed to the Lakeshore General Hospital with a serious heart condition. Ruth seemed to sense that things might not go well for her. She and I had several serious talks during that time, and she made me promise that "I would never let LV go." I promised her. Unfortunately, our founder passed away before the end of the month. Her funeral service at St. John the Baptist Church was overflowing, and the Women's Guild provided a beautiful reception. Her ashes were laid to rest beside her husband's in the church's new columbarium.

Another unhappy event soon followed. May Chicoine, our current president, suddenly passed away in December, also from a heart condition, shortly after Christmas. As the immediate past president and the only remaining president, I agreed to stand in until the next election in May 2000.

It would be remiss of me not to commemorate one of the original and most unusual Board members, Mr. George Hyde. George, probably at the Volunteer Bureau the day Ruth Williams submitted her request for volunteers to serve on the LVSHA Board, was a tall, slim, slightly greying, well-mannered, and friendly gentleman always dressed in a dark suit and white shirt. Due to minimal loss of field vision from a car accident, he was unemployed and spent much of his time learning the city's bus routes.

George was often seen at community meetings in the West Island, always ready to run errands or visit anyone in the hospital. He was a fixture at our kiosques at community events, happiest when bringing food and drink to those behind the table. We could count on him to collect information from other tables at events. Although he briefly served as treasurer, his primary role was our contact with the Quebec MNA, often offering his services there. At general meetings, he excelled at greeting people. The most memorable example was our tenth-anniversary luncheon. Instead of sitting with the head table, George stayed in the hallway greeting everyone. When the reporter from the News and Chronicle arrived late and couldn't reach us, he interviewed George, who represented our association well. He even referred to himself as director at large on the Board. Reading the story in print, we had to laugh as we never used the term "director" before but that sounded pretty official to us. From then on, we all became directors too! George stayed on as director at large well into the new century until he unexpectedly passed away.

So, at the turn of the century, January 2000, LV was twelve years old. Despite the recent loss of two out of three presidents, there were still some original Board members and several new and active members such as Ruth Broughton, Muriel Hill and Alan Dean With our membership sustaining a general high of 60 plus, everyone looked forward to the new century.

The End of the First Twelve Years

I first met Alan at a community fair when he and his wife, Norma, were manning the Diabetes table next to our LV table. They both seemed friendly and conversations flowed easily. By 1998 Alan had lost most of his sight to diabetes, was fully involved with rehabilitation services at the MAB and was referred to LV.

As president of the MAB Users’ Committee, I spent a lot of time at the MAB. I would often pass through the lobby on the 7000 side. It was not unusual to find Alan there engaging the guard at the desk and whoever else cared to listen in on the stories of his travels. He loved to share his facts and findings on a whole number of subjects, from his knowledge of postage stamps, succulent plants, or monkeys, to name just a few. One of his facts that still haunts me every time I peel a banana is that monkeys never struggle with opening a banana at the stem, but always open them at the opposite end. Then, there were the never ending numbers of jokes! Languages that he knew would be practiced on whomever was around. Volunteerism was his forte, whether it was at the Foundation’s golf tournament or playing the piano upstairs at the Gilman Residence.

During Alan’s rehab, he had been given our LV brochure with my name and number to contact. It was during those telephone conversations I would learn about how the final sudden overnight loss of his sight had such a devastating effect on his life, including the closing of his business. Shortly after joining LV, he accepted our invitation to tell the group about himself under the section of the program that I called “profile a member”. He was also interested in sitting in on a Board meeting. At that meeting he was overly willing to contribute both advice and office supplies that upset the president and a couple of Board members.

By the following AGM in 2000, when our president May Chicoine had died, my preference was to carry on at the Board as Program Director. Alan Dean, our first male candidate, was nominated for president and won by acclamation. Alan and I worked very well together co-chairing the monthly meetings. We followed the usual format where Alan would welcome everyone and share a little levity with one or two of his jokes. His masculine voice carried well enough to cease the chatting during the go-around. He added one more project to our list, that of collecting the metal tabs from drink cans which were contributed to a charity for purchasing wheelchairs.

Remembering that Alan and Norma had raised their family in Pointe Claire, both were successful in business and socially active. They loved having parties and broadening their horizon of friends. Several of us from LV soon became regular invitees. It should not have been surprising to realize their connections and Alan’s organizational skills.

Perhaps one of the first benefits for LV was to learn about Alan’s connection with Mayor Yeoman from Dorval. Mayor Yeoman supported LV in several ways. He enabled us to utilize the city printing facilities as often as needed, and as much as required. We had all of our brochures and Christmas concert posters printed there. He would arrange for us to have several community events at the Dorval Shopping Centre. One year in particular I organized a joint event with the MAB to celebrate “White Cane Week”. As several of our own members were there to demonstrate the writing and uses of braille, The MAB Orientation and Mobility specialists displayed their skills while handing out brochures and enabling personal conversations with us. Even the press found it all very interesting!

Whenever some of Ruth Giddy’s volunteer drivers were no longer able to continue, Alan was very successful in recruiting drivers from his stamp club. When arthritis caused Ruth Giddy to resign as transportation director, it was Alan Dean who persuaded Paul Bissonnette, a beloved Pointe-Claire City Counselman, to join the Board as Transportation Director. To this day, Paul has remained a most reliable and dedicated person throughout these changing times despite his many other major responsibilities at City Hall.

When we were looking for a new treasurer, no one was more surprised than I was when Alan nabbed Bill Rudkin at the church one day, the newly retired MAB manager of client services. Like Paul, Bill remained on the Board as treasurer from 2003 until 2024. While Paul limited his interests in LV to organizing volunteer drivers, Bill attended both Board meetings and general meetings, being of assistance at all times.

A friend of Alan’s, Judy Harris, became secretary for several years, until her husband’s illness required her full attention. Never lacking initiative, after debarking from the bus from an apple picking trip, Alan was heard shouting out for a volunteer to become our next secretary. Sure enough, he received a positive response from Francoise Lafleur, who was there as Jean Rollinson’s guide.

Symphony trips to Place des Arts never wavered. Each season Alan would personally negotiate the renewal of our subscriptions and made certain that each person had a designated driver. He would personally email each driver, who was officially notified with appropriate instructions and the names, addresses and telephone numbers of their passengers. When the new symphony concert hall was finally completed, their subscription prices more than doubled, so that we had to call an end to those delightful morning concerts.

Alan fulfilled the LV Mission to keep us active and to participate in cultural and community activities by initiating two new events. The first event became an annual trip to the Blair Orchard, in Franklin Centre, every September. Arriving shortly before noon we would follow Alan’s instructions for entering and taking a seat for lunch. Then, we did what came naturally; headed directly to the Blair bakery and farm products store, purchasing bread, pies, and jars of every kind of farm product, from apple jelly to pickled onions and more.

Baskets of apples were available, but those of us who loved apple picking would pay for the empty bag size we wanted to fill after lunch. The Blair Kitchen produced about the same lunch, year after year, and always at the same price. Everyone loved the choice of home-made soup, all-you-could-eat of several types of sandwiches, with home-made apple pie and ice cream for dessert.

Most often the September afternoons would be sunny and we would head out to the orchard to pick our apples. Then, chatting on the deck, a leisurely stroll around the grounds was a pleasant activity until the hay wagon arrived, driven by one of the Blair sons on a tractor. The ride around the entire orchard always seemed much larger and more diverse from what it was the year before! Those outings started out being on the third week in September and eventually substituted for our September general meeting, continuing every year until Covid 19 struck in 2020.

The next event that was totally organized by Alan only were the Gilbert & Sullivan (G&S) concerts. They would take place in March at the John Rene High School. Alan would reserve 80 to 100 tickets at a discount in a front centre block. LV members were offered their choice of seats within that block, which was ideal for low vision needs. Norma and he would always be at the assigned entrance with volunteers to guide people to their seats. Members were encouraged to bring as many family members or friends as possible.

At every January general meeting, Alan would arrange with me to invite David Johanssen to speak to the group about the performance being offered that year. David was a director and performer in the G&S productions. In the meantime I was diligently finding guest speakers and keeping in touch with members, both with the first contact calls, and also continuing to share the monthly calls to members made by the telephone committee.

Whenever we had a major speaker such as Dr. Kencoupe or Dr. Serge Gauthier, we opened our meetings to the public. The Hall would usually overflow capacity, so we at least knew that the publicity was attracting attention.

The lawn bowling club was continuing to thrive during the summer months, although several of the original members were no longer there, including me. LV would promote the activity at our meetings, but the club functioned as a totally independent group.

My red zippered tote bag on wheels continued to be of good use at community fairs, supplying the needs for our table. I was also sharing some of my community meetings with Alan, where we represented LV as an organization in West Island.

There was one complaint coming in from a couple of members. They were not able to hear the guest speakers well enough, despite having hearing aids. It was time to do something about a public address system. I had already been attending lectures at Mackay given by the client association. Their advancing technology was impressive and they used it at every meeting. I contacted them for advice for our needs at LV.

After some visits, cost and purchasing plans, and funding from the Rotary Club, it was Bill Rudkin who took charge of setting up the new Public Address System, plus its dismantling and storage each month. The system provided us with at least two benefits. First, to have public address capability with two microphones for the Hall and second, a hands-free microphone for guest speakers. Alan and I shared one microphone at the head table and the second one was used for the go-around.

We were all growing older! Fran and Kay Pilon moved to Ottawa to be closer to their children and grand-children. Yet, over the years we seemed to continue the usual format that was established during those beginning years. Generally speaking our monthly meetings were pretty much the same except for variations of items or individual participation.

The knitting project was still going, but had slowed down with the passing of our original members. One year, a huge donation of yarns was received from a yarn shop that was closing down. Pauline Walsh, who resided at the Villa St. Louis, took the responsibility for distributing the materials to members who could use them. Alan invited Pauline to run for a Board position, which she did. She remained a director until the Covid 19 pandemic began in 2020 when she moved to her daughter’s home.

Stamp collecting petered out as use of the internet was growing. Mailing cards or letters had diminished to the point where collecting the canceled stamps was no longer a viable fund raiser for the Canadian Guide Dog Centre.

There were two major changes in the management of the June and September trips. Alan required total control from beginning to end, and insisted that the bus must be full. From day one, LV had always hired a coach with air conditioning which held fifty people including the driver. Pre-Dean, the bus was never full. The outing was always meant to be a fun and social event. For Alan it was a business arrangement, a way to make the event pay. So it became an obsession for him to fill every single seat, which he did by inviting other people to join us. He would contract with the restaurant manager for a price for fifty persons.

In retrospect, it seems obvious that Alan’s business predilection for making money had continued on into his present role. To be certain of his goals, Alan insisted on taking all the reservations and payments himself. As email became more popular, he would email or call each driver with instructions and the names of each person that was expecting to have a ride to the church where we would meet for the bus.

Alan also introduced the “half&half” fund raiser to be taken on the bus. Bill Rudkin and his friend Don Bridgeman would undertake this task on the return trip of the bus from every outing. This was quite a task for the treasurer on a moving bus, but there was always a happy someone to win their half. And the LV benefit would often provide the extra balance on Alan’s financial report after he and the treasurer completed counting all the cash and receipts for the day.

The Christmas concerts continued with the Octet Plus Choir on the first Wednesday or Thursday in December. Here again, Alan’s tendencies were to want to fill the church. Aside from a full force on publicity, he would invite other groups to attend, such as Women with Red Hats. As soon after the concert as the money had been counted from the “free will” donation, Alan would announce the total in the refreshment hall, and challenge them to round out the amount to the next highest amount. It always worked!

When Alan lost his sight, his wife Norma took up the challenge of learning to drive, ultimately becoming his chauffeur and a volunteer driver for LV. When the existing refreshment committee needed help, Norma stepped in to be in charge for a few years.

Like everything else, even refreshment costs were rising. So, Alan resolved that issue by asking members at tea-time to kick in some change to help out. That practice has continued to this day.

Over the years, LV had been donating the entire amount of the concert’s free will offering to the MAB. To this day we have always had excellent cooperation with them as far as getting guest speakers, having their attendance at the concert, or allowing our publicity on their premises.

Early in November whenever the Lion’s Club began their own fundraiser, selling the Grant Bakery Christmas cakes and shortbread cookies, Allan would spend a day at the MAB taking orders for the Lions Club. Eventually one of our Board of Directors, Patrice Phillion, carried on the event, selling well over 100 items.

Bill Rudkin’s and my ties to the MAB were an extra asset, but times were changing at LV. Our provincial MNA, Geoffrey Kelley, had reduced our annual funding from $1000 to $500 a year. St John the Baptist rental committee asked for review of our donations to the church. As a result of that meeting, we increased the amount twice during Alan’s presidency.

Shortly thereafter, the significant request came. The church had received an offer to rent the hall on Thursdays for more hours than we were using it. Could we shift our meeting time to a Wednesday afternoon? The Board did a lot of surveying and decided that it did seem possible with not too much loss of membership or volunteer drivers. So, after meeting for almost twenty-five years on the second Thursday afternoon of the month, we changed our meetings to be held on the second Wednesday afternoon of each month. Changes had to be made to our publicity announcements and brochures but other than that we made the transition relatively painlessly.

However, the cost of our outings was rising with both coach rentals and restaurant charges. In 2006 the MAB completed their first merger with the Mackay Centre. It seemed perfectly natural that the Board now consider the concert to be our major fundraiser. We would deduct the expenses from the concert from the donation, and contribute the balance to the MAB Foundation. As time went on into the later twenty-teen years, we would send the MAB a fixed amount, and ultimately voted to discontinue our donation.

Even with all the financial and economic changes taking place around us, we seemed to manage reasonably well with fixed grants from Quebec MNA, the City of Pointe Claire, the Christmas concert and membership fees and donations.

Considering all that, we never forgot to celebrate our anniversaries. 2008 was our 20th and 2013 our 25th. Our 20th anniversary in 2008 was a lunch with entertainment, but for the 25th Alan went all out to personally invite more dignitaries such as members of the Rotary Club and the Mayors of Pointe-Claire and Dorval. There certainly were guests from the MAB, our guest speakers and volunteers etc. It was a lunch to be held in our regular meeting hall and the refreshment committee and several able members served.

That was the day that Murphy’s Law decided to act. “What could go wrong did go wrong!” Our room had been rented for the hour before us and they did not leave on time. Neither the refreshment committee nor the tables set-up team could begin preparations until well after noon. As guests and members were arriving, we were asked to wait in the church—which we did, but with no communications as to how long we would be there. Eventually people were getting restless, so I decided to take charge.

I stepped out into the aisle, introduced myself and welcomed everyone with apologies and explanations. I asked all of the members of the Board of Directors to join me, introduced them, had some pictures taken, and spoke about what we did at LV.

When we were eventually called to lunch, I recognised that the tables had been arranged somewhat further apart than expected and stretched well down the corridor. I had been committed to a table, so when Alan called me to sit at his table, I was unable to leave where I was. I believe Bill Rudkin filled in for me. As I learned later, Alan had both Mayors at his table. They had to leave before lunch was over, as did several guests who had to return to work. I don’t remember any speeches that day.

Alan had invited a singer he liked to entertain us, who had no sound support. So, with that many people there all talking away, her voice was totally lost in the hubbub. However, those of us who stayed had a very enjoyable lunch and social experience. Alan’s final report for the archives called it a big success and the Board agreed.

Somewhere around 2014, LV was receiving an announcement from the Montreal Fine Arts Museum about their bilingual service for persons with vision loss. I was able to organize quite a few of our members to meet at the Museum on a prescribed hour and day. The Museum had docents ready to guide several persons at a time through the chosen art works for that day with verbal histories and descriptions of each painting.

Soon thereafter the hands-on tour was developed. As president, Alan accepted their invitation to be the participant for press coverage for this new service. There is an interesting Gazette article in the archives of Alan’s first time emotional reactions with hands-on or touching certain types of art. After a couple of meetings, many of our members found the long walks to reach the starting place and the standing in front of exhibits overly taxing.

Somewhere around 2011 health issues were worsening for both Alan and Norma Dean. They sold their house and moved into the Wellsley Residence. In April 2012 LV received a letter from Norma resigning as head of the refreshment committee due to her poor health. She also reported that when she told the rest of the refreshment committee, they also resigned for similar reasons. Norma was in and out of the hospital for the next year and regretfully passed away in 2013. She never had a chance to enjoy the benefits of moving to the Wellsley. Her obituary in the Montreal Gazette suggested that donations in her memory could be made to LV. LV received over $1000.

For the next two years Alan carried on as president, continuing to manage the outings and the Christmas concert himself, making good use of his computer. He seemed to lean more heavily on the skills of our secretary, Francoise LaFleur, and our treasurer, Bill Rudkin. Norma had been his life partner since 1961 and care-giver since he lost his sight. Living alone at the Wellesley, suffering serious health issues of his own, Alan resigned his presidency in 2015 and left LV completely.

It is my pleasure now to introduce you to John Ohberg, the last president that I was privileged to serve with.

John joined Low Vision in 2012 when Alan Dean was still president and sharing the host table with me. His name had been referred to me by the MAB . Then,one of our volunteer drivers, Irene Parsons met him at a church breakfast. She provided that encouraging link by bringing him to a meeting.

After that meeting it was not unusual for John to come to the host table to chat with me about his latest adventures coping with vision loss. It soon became apparent that this tall soft-spoken articulate gentleman who attended meetings regularly, had travelled alone despite his vision loss, to his vacation spots. He also used local buses and trains to travel on his own into Montreal to continue his rehab training. He had many of the attributes we looked for in choosing new Board members. John accepted our invitation and joined the Board as a director at large in 2013. He soon joined the annual program planning committee, where I was still program director and he always maintained a high level of interest.

When Alan Dean resigned as president in 2015,It seemed to be a no-brainer for the Board to nominate John Ohberg to be our next president. As a widower John still maintained his own household, shopped and cooked for himself and participated in community activities. What better role model could we ask for than that! Yet,, John would protest that he had never been in charge of a group before until he realized that LVSHA could not survive without a president. John was elected as president by acclamation at the May AGM, 2015.

Having been professionally trained and employed as a nuclear engineer it soon became important for John that details mattered while carrying on the LV legacy.

Updating our original Constitution from the early 90’s became important so refinements were all passed with satisfaction on at least two occasions. John assumed responsibility for the monthly board meeting agenda being certain that specific details be spoken to without fail. John assumed responsibility for the Christmas concert and our only fund raiser with competency.

When Alan Dean resigned so did the secretary, Francoise Lafleur. Johana Van de Wygerd took over. I spotted Johana while doing the call around. Johanna had been bringing her Mother to meetings who was in a wheel chair and required a special transportation service. During our chats on the call around I discovered that Johanna seemed to have some excellent computer skills so I was really delighted when I invited her to join the Board as our secretary and she happily accepted.

There was very little other change in the Board members so we all continued our usual jobs with me doing my usual program activities and responsibilities, hosting meetings, some telephone committee calling and being a contact person. Bill Rudkin stayed on as treasurer, sound man, volunteer and driver etc.

Muriel Hill kept us up to date with newspaper announcements and would help with the telephone committee. Karin inherited the telephone committee from me and assumed director of membership from Patrice Philion when Patrice resigned a year or so after John became president. Pauline Walsh continued with the knitting committee which had all but disappeared by 2015. Paul Bissonnette continued on with us as our volunteer driver coordinator.We all pulled together to get John used to being in charge. LV was carrying on like never before. Membership was holding fairly steadily with a few new members while some older ones were passing on. Karin Godin was developing a membership form and reorganising attendance records. Two of John’s major attributes soon became apparent that I believe would mark his legacy as president. They were his desire to continue the LV successis and his attention to detail.

His monthly agenda would often have multiple parts to the main item.

Reviewing the membership at Board meetings it was becoming evident that the majority of our members now had email and aa number of them with good “low vision” had tablets of several sorts and were having difficulties. A number of us on the Board had computers and several of us were using mobiles or cell phones. Yet, we still were only telephoning members about upcoming meetings.

It was now clear to the Board that technology was to be our new challenge. John was already busy exploring the possibility of finding LV an appropriate web site but needing to learn how to set up a website from Mike Ciarcello at the MAB. By 2017 we contracted with Weebly at $20 a month with John as our web master. He also set us up with a G-mail account with our Association’s full name. Membership with Facebook seemed a natural. It was clear that John was taking us into the 21st century!

It seemed to follow that a monthly news letter was in order. It had been a while since I had dropped writing a monthly news letter . Here again John stepped up to the plate and even assumed the responsibility of both writing and sending it out on his Imac computer It seemed obvious to me that our next development was to have someone skilled with the latest computers and mobiles skills to provide some assistance to our members with minor difficulties. With Board approval I invited Leo Bissonnette Ph.D. to join the Board. He graciously accepted the invitation and agreed to host the “TECh-talk Corner.” The arrangement was for him to have his own table and be available 15 minutes before the start of each meeting to assist any member with hang up with whatever technology they were struggling with. That began in 2016 - 2017.

We were still holding our Board meetings every Thursday morning at the Villa St. Louis with no charge but the manager swas very happy to receive the large print calendar every year. Our general monthly meetings were still every Wednesday at St. John the Baptist Anglican Church in Pointe Claire but the church rental office was raising the rent so that we now felt that we would no longer be able to continue any donation to the MAB. Our Chrisstmas concerts were running into more competition for the first week in December so we decided to shift the date to the last Saturday in November. Many of our loyal MAB supporters had retired and even the loyal church member attendance was dropping. John always handled the design and printing of the concert flyers with assistance from our secretary Johanna. Everyone including members distributed the flyers and personally invited friends, family and acquaintances to attend. The octet Plus Choir continued to provide their talents for our only fund raiser of the year. Perhaps the most memorable of those concerts was when the choir presented a debut composition by a high school student who was there in person with his family and friends.

By 2018 John was obviously becoming over burdened so Leo volunteered to become our missing bice-president and assist John as much as possible. Leo helped John organise the agenda each month and manage parts of the news letter.

One of the strangest anomalies of our Low Bision group was that in the thirty years of our existence we had never had a succession system or a vice-president which was probably due to the fact that as a relatively small group of older members it was always difficult to find any one who was even willing to be a board member. Often we would have totally blind and even younger people from the QFB join us because they liked our program of interesting speakkers and activities but never willing to become a board member. How fortunate this was to have Leo, a Ph.D., fairly recently retired from Concordia University,legally blind himself since childhood,living in West island so willing to fill the gap. At the 2018 May AGM Leo was elected by acclamation as our first vice-president. We cancelled the Tech-talk corner as not enough people were using it and Leo continued helping John in his new role as vice-president.

September 2018 was our thirtieth anniversary which I noted with the opening speech about our history and mission.