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The Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award

Letter of Recommendation Form
Thank you for your support of the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards program.
Please complete the form below to submit your letter of recommendation in support of the award nominee. Recommendations cannot exceed 800 words. You will not be able to submit your recommendation if the maximum word count exceeds 800 words.
Please note that recommendations should come from someone other than the person who nominated the candidate. Please note that required fields on this form are indicated by an asterisk (*).

* Nominee Name:
* Your First Name:
* Your Last Name:
* Your State:
* Your Phone Number:
* Your Email Address:
* Your Relationship to Nominee:

Please enter your letter of recommendation in the text area provided below: Dear Bolotin Award Committee, My name is Wendy Harkins Davis, and I am writing in support of White Canes Connect to receive a Bolotin Award at the 2024 National Convention. I am the Director of Marketing and Outreach for Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF) and have worked with Lisa Bryant and David Goldstein, the hosts, on several occasions and have found their willingness to participate in open and frank conversations to be powerful in educating the general public on issues related to low-vision and blindness which is essential for our communities to make the changes necessary for equity, accessibility and inclusion. The first occasion that I worked with Lisa and David was when they invited me to join them on a podcast to share information about Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF.) PATF is a state-wide nonprofit that helps people get funding to purchase assistive technology like screen readers and vision goggles. PATF is Pennsylvania’s designated Alternative Finance Program for Assistive Technology (AFP) which is a federally funded program originally authorized under the ADA Act. Many of the challenges of a small nonprofit is educating our community about the availability of resources. The podcast was an impactful vehicle to communicate an important resource to our low-vision and blind community. PATF works with people of all income levels, all disabilities and health conditions and all ages, so the information we were able to disseminate on the podcast pertained to all listeners and can be especially impactful for individuals with co-morbidities and multiple disabilities that are struggling to identify resources for their diverse and complicated needs. I was so impressed with the professionalism and openness of both Lisa and David to discuss the perspectives of someone with low-vision and blindness, that I invited them to join me on a Philadelphia-based radio show to have an open and frank conversation about having a low-vision and blindness disability. The radio producer said it was one of the best radio shows they have ever had and has re-run the show multiple times! Lisa and David shared personal experiences and answered questions with frank and open answers that were often humorous. It was an amazing opportunity to ask questions that sighted people may be uncomfortable to ask in normal conversation and helped build a better understanding of the low-vision and blind experience. I passionately recommend White Canes Connect for the Bolotin Award for the impactful work in educating both the low-vision and blind communities on valuable resources and for educating the sighted community on the perspectives of the low-vision and blind communities. As a parent of two children born with moderate to profound hearing loss, I understand the impact of educating our communities about disabilities to better develop equity and inclusion and for creating a sense of pride that empowers our individuals with disabilities to pursue their passions and to live their lives with independence and confidence. Sincerely yours, Wendy Harkins Davis Director of Marketing and Outreach
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The Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award

Letter of Recommendation Form