Meet our VOV Guests - American Council of the Blind of Virginia

RoseAnn Ashby

RoseAnn Ashby is currently the vice-president of ACBVA as well as the coordinator for the ACBVA 2025 state convention. She has been a long-time member of the organization, but she has become particularly active since her retirement. For 35 years, she worked for the Rehabilitation Services Administration in the U.S. Department of Education, holding a variety of management positions there. She is also an active member of her church, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, in Arlington, Virginia. She has long been an advocate for the rights of all individuals with disabilities, including those who are blind or who have low vision.

Jeremy Grandstaff

Jeremy Grandstaff is a senior learning and development and change management executive with 25+ years of experience in stakeholder engagement, instructional design, and organizational transformation. He is driven by a belief in accessible user experiences, inclusive leadership, collaborative processes, and culture-centered strategy. Currently, he serves as the Director of Learning Initiatives for Penny Forward and co-facilitates workshops with the Institute for Culture, Change, and Leadership, including Learning without Limits, The Culture Professionals Mastermind, and the Professional Certificate in cultural Competence.

Jeremy’s professional background includes senior roles at CurbCutOS, IBM Global Services, Cogent Analytics, and the Alliance for Biking & Walking. He spent two decades as CEO of S&G Endeavors, helping clients across public, private, and nonprofit sectors implement collaborative learning and organizational change. He holds a master’s in organization development, a BS in Management Information Systems, and certificates in cultural competence, emotional intelligence, and small group learning methods. As a 2025 TEDxYpsilanti speaker, an author, and a blind, gay advocate, Jeremy brings authenticity, curiosity, and measurability to every engagement.

Robin Hoerber

Blind due to retinopathy of prematurity, Robin Hoerber grew up in the state of New Jersey and was mainstreamed from preschool through high school. She then attended Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA where she majored in psychology and minored in English.

A graduate of East Carolina University in 1978, Robin Hoerber obtained her Master’s Degree in Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling. She has worked with DBVI as a volunteer since 1990 until obtaining a rehabilitation teacher position seventeen years ago. She retired in the beginning of 2023 and has been busier than when she was employed with the Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired as an itinerant rehabilitation teacher seventeen years ago.

She is president of her local Lions Club, volunteering with a food distribution program in Chesterfield County, and serving on the Board for Association of Educators of the Blind and Visually Impaired are among her volunteer contributions. Robin is also involved in community activities including serving on several committees at her church and teaching a course on Coping with Vision Loss at the Lifelong Learning Institute near her home. Singing in her church choir, baking, hiking, and reading (historical novels, Christian fiction, and mysteries) are among her hobbies. Most of all, she thrives on service to others and spending quality time with family and friends

Sam Joehl

Sam Joehl has been a member of the ACB of Virginia since 2008. He currently serves as a digital accessibility consultant and has previously served on the Board of Directors and immediate past president of ACB of Virginia. Currently Sam serves as co-chair of the Program Planning Committee and is involved in several committees and activities with ACBVA. Sam is a big believer in the power of advocacy, technology, and bringing people together. In his spare time Sam enjoys anything to do with the water, reading, live jazz, and stand-up comedy.

Vicki Ratcliffe

I have been totally blind for all my life and was born two months early. Many children were given too much oxygen like myself in the 1950s. I am a native from northern Virginia and after college started to work for various government agencies. My main career involved working as a computer specialist and am now retired.

Interests include travel, cooking, swimming, reading, music and participating in activities in the community. I am fluent in braille and use a white cane for mobility purposes and love to get out and about.

Michaun Harrison

Michaun Harrison is a proud veteran, advocate, and dedicated leader within the blind and low-vision community. She graduated from James Madison University in 1984 with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish, and minors in Military Science and Biology. Although she was originally on track to be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant through ROTC, her records were lost and she was denied her commission. Refusing to let that setback define her, Michaun enlisted in the United States Army in December 1990.

She completed Basic Training at Fort Dix, New Jersey, and began her military career as a 42C Orthotic Specialist before reclassifying as a 91V3H Respiratory Therapist. Over her 13½ years of active-duty service, she worked as an Instructor (Phase II), Pulmonary Function Technician, and Polysomnography Technician, serving at Fitzsimmons Hospital (Aurora, CO), Brook Army Medical Center (Fort Sam Houston, TX), 121st General Hospital (Seoul, Korea), and Moncrief Army Community Hospital (Fort Jackson, SC).

While on active duty, Michaun developed Occult Toxic Optic Nerve and Retina Atrophy after treatment for tuberculosis. Her vision loss progressed, and following September 11, 2001, she was no longer able to qualify with the M-16 rifle, leading to her medical retirement from the Army.

Michaun continued her education, earning a Master’s Degree in Health Service Management with a concentration in Health Promotion and Wellness through Webster University and the California College of Health Science.

Today, Michaun proudly serves as the National Administrative Coordinator for the Blinded Veterans Association (BVA). A self-described “Professional Volunteer,” she dedicates her time to many organizations, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), American Legion, Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Stafford Lions Club, Fredericksburg Area Veterans Council, and the American Council of the Blind (ACB).

Her journey into the blind and low-vision community began after her military discharge, when she joined the Blinded Veterans Association in 2003. In 2024, while attending BVA’s 79th National Convention — held jointly with the American Council of the Blind (ACB) in Jacksonville, Florida — she was introduced to ACB and, as she warmly puts it, “a romance blossomed.”

As a cane user and former guide dog handler, Michaun continues to live life with purpose and compassion. She fondly remembers her first guide dog, Nico, who passed away three years ago, saying, “He was my everything.”

Each year, Michaun honors her fellow veterans by participating in the Arlington National Cemetery Ceremony, assisting in laying the BVA wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, joining the DAV 5K tandem bike ride, and attending her community’s annual Warriors Pond presentation at Leland Station.

When asked what advice she would share with those newly facing vision loss, Michaun offers this heartfelt wisdom:

“Take one day at a time. Blindness affects everyone differently. Be patient with yourself — and ask others for patience too. Advocate for yourself, and surround yourself with people who understand sight loss. Attend blind schools, adaptive sports, conventions, and support groups. Every connection helps you grow stronger.”

Divorced and the proud mother of a 24-year-old son, Michaun is also an identical twin. Her story is one of resilience, faith, and service — a testament to the strength and spirit of those who continue to lead, serve, and inspire others despite life’s challenges.

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