James H. Omvig Vice Chairperson
James
H. Omvig was appointed to the Committee in March of 2003 as a Private
Citizen representing the interests of nonprofit agency employees
who are blind.
Mr. Omvig began his career in 1966 as the first blind attorney
employed by the National Labor Relations Board, where he served
until 1969. He then served as the Director of the Iowa Commission
for the Blind's Adult Orientation and Adjustment Center from 1969
to 1978, and as the Director of the Handicapped Employment Program
in the Social Security Administration's Office of Civil Rights and
Equal Opportunity from 1978 to 1984. In 1984, Mr. Omvig became the
Director of the Alaska Center for Blind and Deaf Adults, where he
served until his retirement in 1987.
Mr. Omvig currently serves as President of the National Blindness
Professional Certification Board. He also serves on the Louisiana
Tech University's Professional Development and Research Institute
on Blindness Advisory Board and the National Board of the American
Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults. Past board memberships
include the University of Arizona Advisory Board on Programs in
Visual Impairment; National Federation of the Blind of Arizona;
Arizona Governor's Council on Blindness and Visual Impairment; and
officer positions at various Lions Clubs.
Mr. Omvig holds both a B.A. in Political Science and a J.D. from
Loyola University, Chicago, IL. He was admitted to the Illinois
Bar in 1966. Mr. Omvig is the recipient of numerous awards, including
the National Federation of the Blind's Kenneth Jernigan and Jacobus
tenBroek Awards; the Governor's Award, Governor's Committee on Employment
of the Handicapped, Alaska; the Associate Commissioner's Award,
Social Security Administration; and, the Governor of Maryland's
Award of Merit. Mr. Omvig is also the author of "Freedom for the
Blind: The Secret is Empowerment," a book for the U. S. Department
of Education on how best to train and rehabilitate people who are
blind, which was published in 2002.
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