Includes photo: Ed Bryant's Distinguished Service Award Plaque
From the Editor: I wasn't going to include the following, but several friends asked that it be carried. I feel very honored that the National Federation of the Blind chose to present me this award. On July 6, 2002, at the our annual NFB convention, in Louisville, Kentucky, NFB National Board Member Gary Wunder presented me with the NFB Distinguished Service Award. At the presentation, Mr. Wunder made the following remarks:
Our recipient came into the world on February 10, 1945, a normal birth, and a real joy to his parents. They say, however, that he found the process so upsetting that it took more than a year before he would say a word. He's over that now, and it is through his words that he is known.
The person we honor is blind and a diabetic. His blindness in the middle of a successful and expanding career brought on his unwanted and unplanned retirement, but, in character with our Federation philosophy, he decided he must make lemonade from lemons. Our recipient simply found himself a new career, one that would give him a reason to live and give others an option to live.
With the help of the Federation and his own innate drive and creativity, this man transcended retirement and put his energy into a volunteer position which is every bit as demanding as any paid one.
When our recipient came to the Federation he knew what it was like to be independent and successful; but what he didn't know was how he could continue to be both and be blind. The organization which gave him that knowledge is one he credits with being the most important and impressive he has ever known.
When our colleague looked at blindness and diabetes, he found a lot of information about each but almost nothing about both. Where others said, "Gee, that's too bad," this man said "Listen, this is unacceptable." His colleagues in the National Federation of the Blind agreed with him and together we started a Division which since has become the Diabetes Action Network. Our new Division took up the cause of good, quality, people-oriented information about blindness and diabetes and so formed the Voice of the Diabetic. It's first and only Editor is the man we honor today. The Voice is the story of a small newsletter that soon became a magazine; its first printing starting at 600, and its circulation, now at 300,000.
We say we save lives, and indeed we do; but generally we mean we create opportunity so a life is worth living. The work we do with blind diabetics not only helps to make life worth living, but through the information we provide about self-medication and living independently, we often make the difference between life and death. It is with pleasure that I ask Mr. Ed Bryant to come forward to accept this token of our affection, admiration and love for the man he is and for the lives he touches.
Distinguished Service Award
To Ed Bryant
For your selfless devotion and unstinting effort to create a climate that brings greater independence to the blind, the National Federation of the Blind grants you the Distinguished Service Award. Your effort is unflagging; your spirit is unquenchable.