Roberta Griffith, Visionary

by Gordon Olson

Despite having lost her sight as an infant, Roberta Griffith led an extraordinary life on national, state, and local levels. Griffith, born in 1870, was ten years older than Helen Keller. Working together on more than one occasion, they travelled the nation with others, seeking to improve services for the blind. Griffith had graduated from Case Western Reserve University and embarked on a career in journalism before moving to Grand Rapids, where she then began a new career as a real estate agent at the same time she developed her own version of a braille system and produced a dictionary for the blind. Never losing her determination to learn, create, and help others, Griffith founded the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Grand Rapids in 1913. She served as its executive secretary until her death in 1941, for almost thirty years.

Griffith founded the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Grand Rapids in 1913

Former city historian Gordon Olson will review the life and work of this extraordinary local woman, including her many innovative programs for the blind and visually impaired. He will be joined by Rick Stevens, current executive director of ABVI, which celebrated its centennial anniversary in 2013. Stevens will update us on Griffith’s legacy to Grand Rapids, today’s programs and services of the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Roberta Griffith

“Roberta Griffith, Visionary” by Gordon Olson, co-sponsored by Greater Grand Rapids Women’s History Council, Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum and Grand Rapids Historical Society. Thursday, February 12, 2015, 7:00 p.m. at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum.