DAYTON, Ohio — Blind Ohioans from across the state close their 80th annual convention on Sunday in Dayton, wrapping up four days of education, elections, and planning at the Marriott at the University of Dayton. The National Federation of the Blind of Ohio’s 80th Annual State Convention ran November 5–8, Destination Dayton said in welcoming the gathering.
The convention’s theme is “Reflecting Our Journey, Shaping a New Vision: Empowering Members to Inspire the Future,” according to Destination Dayton. The federation describes the gathering as bringing together blind Ohioans, advocates, professionals, and allies for four days of education, empowerment, and community.
Sunday’s closing session is the convention’s working finish: attendees reflect on their collective work throughout the year, hold elections, and begin looking toward 2027, Destination Dayton said. The convention was open to the public, with advance registration running through November 1 through the federation’s site at nfbohio.org.
The exhibit hall was part of the draw through the week. The federation’s convention agenda placed exhibitors in the Tradewinds Room, including See3D, Inc., a Cincinnati-based nonprofit the federation lists as leading a community initiative of about 200 volunteers worldwide who design, print, and distribute 3D-printed models for blind people. The federation’s convention arrangements were coordinated by Suzanne Turner, according to its published agenda.
The Marriott at the University of Dayton, at 1414 South Patterson Blvd., hosted all four days, the federation’s agenda states. For Dayton, the convention is one of the fall’s statewide gatherings — a multi-day meeting that fills hotel rooms and brings a statewide membership to the Miami Valley to do its annual business in person.
Eighty conventions in, the federation’s Ohio affiliate remains built around the same proposition it started with: blind people speaking for themselves, setting their own priorities, and training the next group of members to do the same. The closing session’s elections decide who leads that work into 2027.
What happens next: the convention’s closing session on Sunday, Nov. 8, completes the federation’s elections and its look ahead to 2027, according to Destination Dayton’s convention listing.