A BRIEF HISTORY OF
THE AMERICAN COUNCIL OF THE BLIND OF OHIO
GREATER CINCINNATI CHAPTER
(ACBOGCC)

In 1979 in Cincinnati, Ohio, a number of blind and visually impaired people met to consider forming a chapter of the American Council of the Blind (ACB), a national organization which was a national advocacy organization representing blind and visually impaired people in the U.S. Included in this group were George Coorey, Dean Wilbur, Sandy Wilbur, Ken Marrs, Gordon Edwards, and Dessie Page. There was already a chapter of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) in Cincinnati, but there were philosophical differences between NFB and ACB. This group found ACB much more satisfactory for their goals. Already, In March of that year, Dean Wilbur and Ken Marrs had met with Derwood McDaniel, a national representative of ACB, to discuss details of having a Cincinnati chapter.

At about the same time in Columbus, Ohio, others led by Dessie Page, were working to form a state affiliate of the national ACB, this affiliate to become the American Council of the Blind of Ohio (ACBO). ACBO secured its incorporation in the state of Ohio and its IRS 501(C)(3) as of November 29, 1979. At about that same time, the Cincinnati group decided it could better serve its purposes by joining ACB-O as one of its chapters, the newly formed chapter was hence forth The American Council of the Blind of Ohio Greater Cincinnati Chapter (ACBOGCC)

In 1984, members of the Cincinnati chapter, George Coorey, Joyce Rogers, and Sandy Wilbur, met with legal counsel and secured incorporation in the state of Ohio as a nonprofit corporation for the chapter. This corporation became The American Council of the Blind of Ohio Greater Cincinnati Chapter (ACBOGCC) with Cooorey, Wilbur, and Rogers named as trustees.

In 1986, ACBOGCC began fundraising through a telemarketing company, Entertainment Productions, headed by Tim Allen. The California based Entertainment Productions worked with ACBOGCC through its Cincinnati fundraising branch, Halevan and Associates. Halevan could work only for 501(C)(3) organizations which ACBOGCC was not at this time. Therefore, ACBOGCC, now an affiliate of ACB-O,requested, was granted permission from ACB-O to operate under its 501(C)(3) for the fundraising effort until 1990. In 1990, President Robert Rogers and ACBOGCC member Dean Wilbur worked together to secure the highly valued IRS 501(C)(3) non-profit tax status for ACBOGCC. This was necessary and much more appropriate for ACBOGCC to continue with fundraising so important to cover the costs of its programs of advocacy for blind and visually impaired people in the greater Cincinnati area.

In 1992, A J Cappell, a Cincinnati based telemarketer fundraising company, assumed the full ownership and operation of the ACBOGCC fundraising previously conducted by the Entertainment Productions company through Halevan. It seems that Tim Allen, the owner of Entertainment Productions , had retired after many years and closed down his company. However, it should be noted that Cappell had become part of the Cincinnati branch of Entertainment Productions in 1988 and had performed well for ACBOGCC in every year after That, even to the present day.

The telemarketing effort has been the most important source of funds for ACBOGCC to date and has made it possible for ACBOGCC to advance its mission of improving the quality and equality of life for individuals who are blind or visually impaired, particularly in the Greater Cincinnati area.

In order to enhance the quality and equality of life for individuals who are blind or visually impaired, ACBOGCC directs its skill and energy to equal access to information, education, employment, transportation, art and recreation, and all other facets of daily living that sighted people take for granted. ACBOGCC engages in advocacy to inform federal, state, and local officials and legislators as well as the general public on issues of importance to people who are blind or visually impaired.