View as Webpage

For subscribers interested in reading the full stories that are introduced with each entry, we have created accessible versions of the full newsletter, complete with an interactive Table of Contents, available in both Word and PDF formats.

BVA National Program Director Domonique Lawless will direct the monthly online training on the Meta Ray-Ban AI glasses for BVA members and their families on Monday, October 26, at 3:00pm Eastern Time. The session via Zoom will be particularly useful for veterans who have recently received their glasses or those who have specific questions.

“We’ll explore helpful commands you can use with your glasses and share practical tips for basic troubleshooting,” said Domonique. “Bring your curiosity, your questions, and your enthusiasm for discovering more of what your glasses can do. We look forward to seeing you there!”

The Blinded Veterans Association is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Time: October 26, 2026, at 3:00pm Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Meeting ID: 886 5123 3214

Passcode: 1945

One tap mobile

+13017158592,,88651233214#,,,,*1945# US (Washington, DC)

+13092053325,,88651233214#,,,,*1945# US (Chicago)

By Phone (landline or cellular)

1 301 715 8592 (Washington, DC)

1 312 626 6799 (Chicago)

1 646 558 8656 (New York)

1 720 707 2699 (Denver)

1 253 215 8782 (Tacoma)

1 346 248 7799 (Houston)

Ahoy! Register Now for 2027 Convention Cruise 

Registration is open for members and families who would like to attend the 2027 BVA Convention Cruise to the Bahamas aboard Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas. Visit BVA.org under the Convention tab for cruise details and the registration link or use the registration button below this article.

Important Registration Information 

All attendees must register online to submit the required information securely. BVA staff can answer general questions but cannot register attendees. For registration questions and assistance, email bvacruise@landrykling.com during business hours, Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm Eastern Time. An agent will respond as quickly as possible. Please do not contact Royal Caribbean directly. 

Within two weeks of registering, you will receive a confirmation email with your reservation/booking ID and instructions for completing required forms for special needs and guide dogs. A group rate for guests arriving Sunday, April 11, 2027, the night before departure, is being finalized. Details will appear in next week’s BVA Happenings and on the Convention page at BVA.org. Get ready to make waves with BVA in 2027! 

Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas Cruise



Dates, times, and agenda times may vary slightly and are approximate.



• Monday, April 12, 2027 – Leave Fort Lauderdale, Florida (Port Everglades) at 4:00pm; embarkation expected to begin around noon, and guests are required to be checked in and onboard the ship by 2:30pm (90 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time).
• Tuesday, April 13 – Day at Sea/Cruising.
• Wednesday, April 14 – Nassau, Bahamas, 7:30am-5:30pm.
• Thursday, April 15 – Perfect Day at CocoCay, Bahamas, 7:30am-5:00pm.
• Friday, April 16 – Return to Fort Lauderdale, Florida (Port Everglades) by 6:00am, guests to disembark the ship between 7:00am and 9:00am (flights home should not depart prior to noon).

Photo Caption: Left to right, Arlena Oxendine-McLeod (BVA Auxiliary member since 2018), spouse of Dr. Jay McLeod (Carolina Regional Group), and Jim and Terry Berube, the latter of whom are owners of All Starr Underground and members of Veterans of Foreign Wars Corporal Rodolfo P. Hernandez Post 670 where the regional group holds its monthly meetings. The couple helped bring people to the Fayetteville event and are active community supporters of BVA.

Dr. Jay McLeod, president of the Carolina Regional Group, recounts for BVA Happenings last week’s BVA White Cane Day activities in two separate points within the Tar Heel State. 

BVA’s Carolina Regional Group marked White Cane Day 2026 October 16-17 across two cities, bringing veterans, families, and community partners together across the central portion of North Carolina.

BVA National Treasurer Monique Statham welcomed visitors to BVA’s information booth during the Garner Outpatient Clinic White Cane Day Event on October 16.

Photo Caption: A strong and brave BVA contingent made it past Mother Nature to safely arrive at White Cane Day activities October 17 at the Fayetteville, North Carolina, VA Medical Center.  

BVA’s District 2 held its first biannual summit in Memphis, Tennessee, October 15–19, 2026. The successful gathering brought together members from regional groups in good standing and those working to become active again, creating opportunities to learn, share experiences, and strengthen connections.

Photo 1 Caption: Left to right at District 2 Summit Meta glasses distribution: Summit Planning Committee members Calvin Poole (Tennessee Regional Group), Shawntina Gibson (Louisiana/Mississippi Regional Group and Director of District 2), and Robert “Bobby” Fulks (Arkansas Regional Group).

Photo 2 Caption: National Program Director Domonique Lawless provides training to a Memphis area veteran at the October 16 Meta Ray-Ban AI glasses distribution.

BVA’s Georgia Regional Group President Dennis Darnes was featured last week in two different media reports, one an online news article and the other a television segment aired by CBS News Atlanta where he resides. The reports followed a local Atlanta distribution of Meta glasses on White Cane Day. The substance of the reports documents the life-changing impact of the glasses on veterans such as Dennis who have lost their sight to natural causes and BVA’s role in their distribution. The October 15 glasses distribution occurred through the Center for the Visually Impaired in Atlanta. Read the article and view the television spot.

Since 2012, October 26 has been recognized by all 50 states as the National Day of the Deployed, a day dedicated to honoring those past and present who have been deployed throughout the world in U.S. military service. The day also acknowledges the sacrifices that military spouses and family make during deployment.

VA has provided BVA National Headquarters with a limited quantity of 2026 Veterans Day printed posters, of which there are a small number remaining, both 11” by 17” and 18” by 24”. If you plan on hosting a Veterans Day activity or can display this year’s poster in a public area of an office, school, or business, please send an email message as soon as possible to info@bva.org. BVA will honor reasonable requests whenever possible, and as supplies remain.

The BVA Book Club Interest Group selected Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate to read during the last week of September and most of the month of October. The Braille and Audio Reading Download Number (BARD) for Before We Were Yours is DB 88202, and the total reading time is 14:31 (14 hours, 31 minutes).

BARD is a service of the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) through which BVA members are eligible to read an almost unlimited library of downloadable books and magazines. There are just five days remaining to read Before We Were Yours before the group meets once again this Wednesday, October 28.

Time permitting, the group will preview the book for November, Bodily Harm by New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni. In Bodily Harm, Dugoni offers one of several legal thrillers, a pulse-pounding story of corporate greed, espionage, and the lengths one man is willing to go for justice.

Ambassadog Scoop Series Courtesy of Waymo

VA Insider

VA and the Veterans Day National Committee (VDNC) have selected 48 regional sites in communities and non-profit organizations in 24 states as official partners to hold VA-approved Veterans Day observances this upcoming Veterans Day.

In support of the annual National Veterans Day Observance each November 11 at Arlington National Cemetery and to honor Veterans nationwide, VA and the VDNC encourage communities and nonprofits to hold VA-approved Veterans Day observances.

Our bodies and minds deserve to be cared for by using at least 15 minutes a day to nurture our health and well-being. Without realizing it, we frequently carry stress around in our heads. Our foreheads are furrowed, our eyes are squinted, or our jaw is clenched. Paying attention to signs of stress such as these gives us the opportunity to take action to relieve that stress. 

More than 300,000 new veterans have enrolled in VA healthcare thus far in 2026, pointing to improved outreach to veterans who were previously unaware of the benefits and services they have earned because of their willingness to sacrifice for their country. The increases in VA enrollment will save veterans and their families thousands of dollars each year, the announcement stated.

Next Week's Events

Ray-Ban AI Meta Glasses Training

VetTech and Educational Series

Book Club Interest Group

BVA is a congressionally chartered 501(c)3 Veterans Service Organization accredited by the Better Business Bureau. Our Employer Identification Number is 53-0214281. All contributions are fully tax-deductible.