In the fall of 2006, Joyce Gilbert (then Thornton) and 19 other people, both sighted and visually impaired, determined that people with vision loss in southwest Florida were not adequately represented by the Florida Council of the Blind (FCB), so they formed the Southwest Florida Council of the Blind (SWFCB), a chapter of FCB.

As SWFCB’s first President, a post she held for the first two years of the chapter’s existence, Joyce presided over luncheon meetings at Perkins restaurant, where they would dine during the business meeting and have a wide variety of speakers. Subsequently, SWFCB met at Lee Memorial Hospital, where they still had speakers, but, alas, no meals.

At one of its first FCB State Conventions, SWFCB had a table in the vendor hall where women with vision loss could get expert advice about how to pick and apply makeup that most flattered their looks. Joyce’s sisters and her niece, a Mary Kay rep, flew at their own expense, from Texas to Jacksonville, the site of that year’s Convention, and proved to be a huge hit with the female conventioneers. Joyce still remembers hearing stories from these women of how people around them, mostly family members, would say things like, “You don’t need makeup, you’re blind,” and “Why do you bother trying to wear makeup, you do it all wrong…” Joyce’s niece coached women with vision loss in how to apply makeup and brought Mary Kay products especially for African-American complexions. There was much laughter and tears as these women, some for the first time, enjoyed expressing part of their femininity through cosmetics. One young lady, fresh from her make-over, turned to her mother and asked, “Mom, am I pretty?” To which, the happy-teared mother responded, “Yes, you are beautiful!

After Joyce’s presidency ended, SWFCB wandered in a wilderness for a couple of years until Mike Ulrich served as President (2009-2013). Mike worked very hard, increasing the membership, holding numerous fundraisers, advocating for safer access and better transportation before city, county, and state entities, becoming involved at the FCB State level, and creating the popular FCB Blind Fishing Tourney.

In January 2014, Mary Ann Grignon became President. Hailing from Pennsylvania, where she held many leadership posts within the Pennsylvania Council of the Blind, Mary Ann strove to bring her democratic collegial style of leadership to SWFCB, encouraging members to expand their horizons and flex their own leadership abilities. Advocacy is Mary Ann’s passion. As such, she has appeared numerous times before deliberative bodies, in print, and on local media, advocating for the rights of people with vision loss, be it the dangers of the so-called “doggie dining” law, the scandal that is the proliferation of fake service animals, the need for greater public awareness about the Florida White Cane Law, or the necessity of adequate public transportation for people with vision loss to live full and productive lives.

Mary Ann also oversaw the professionalization of SWFCB; we established a dedicated phone line and a Council PO Box (instead of having calls and mail go to a succession of personal numbers and addresses), and we set up our www.swfcb.org website.

Under Mary Ann’s presidency, SWFCB worked with Lee County Supervisor of Elections Sharon Harrington to install accessible voting machines in time for the 2016 primaries and elections, making Lee County one of the first counties in Florida to comply with a court order that all counties have accessible voting machines by 2020.

Also, under Mary Ann’s presidency, SWFCB advocated with County authorities to get several Audible Pedestrian Signals (APS) installed at busy intersections.

During this time, SWFCB initiated a successful Peer Support Group, where members would share their stories and insights, and provide one another with compassion, encouragement, and helpful advice as to how to best navigate the challenges of living a good life with vision loss.

SWFCB also conducted a very successful White Cane Safety Month event in downtown Fort Myers in which SWFCB members marched with friends and family to a downtown plaza, where a County Commissioner presented a proclamation recognizing SWFCB and its important work in serving people with vision loss in Lee County.

Moreover, following up on her advocacy work in Pennsylvania to bring audio description to live theater, Mary Ann spearheaded an initiative with the Alliance Theater, working with theater staff Lydia Black, Bill Taylor, and Brandi Couse, who took on the project with enthusiasm, secured community grants, and purchase the needed equipment, Mary Ann and SWFCB members devised and implemented training of volunteer audio describers. About a year later, the Florida Repertory Theater expressed an interest in live theater audio description, so, working with Brandon Philips and Renee Pesci, who found funding and installed the necessary equipment, Mary Ann and SWFCB members once again trained volunteer audio describers. Both the Alliance and the Florida Rep continue to offer audio description of live theatrical performances to their patrons with vision loss.

Mary Ann also hosted many monthly SWFCB Social Nights, as well as several popular specialty events such as a Wine Swap and holiday parties.

In the last year of her presidency, Mary Ann oversaw the first annual Living the Good Life with Vision Loss Expo, where SWFCB gathered together service providers (like Division of Blind Services, Passport paratransit, local Lighthouses, Board of Elections, Talking Book Library, and many others) as well as vendors of adaptive technologies for people with vision loss across the region. Also at this event, SWFCB members manned tables at which they shared tips, tricks, and insights about home skills, crafting, personal technology, and adjustment to blindness. With the exception of the COVID year, this Expo has been held every year since.

Mary Ann even found time to sing the National Anthem before a Fort Myers Miracle (now Mighty Mussels) baseball game, where SWFCB members marched on the field and a now-deceased member, Joe, threw out the first pitch.