Abstract
After a lifetime of service to and leadership in the field of visual impairment, Robert (Bob) Byron Brasher, MEd, died on October 15, 2023, in Little Rock, Arkansas, following a courageous battle with Parkinson's Disease. He leaves a professional and personal legacy that will continue through his many former students, colleagues, collaborators, as well as his family and friends. He is survived by two sons, Jeremy (Sonia) and Justin Brasher, as well as two grandsons, Oliver Pilcher and Brooks Brasher.
In 1970, prior to the conceptualization of the expanded core curriculum (ECC), Mr. Brasher became a recreation specialist at the Arkansas School for the Blind (ASB). Because of these early experiences working with students with visual impairments, he became a strong voice during the development of the areas of the ECC. At ASB, Mr. Brasher learned under the mentorship of Max Wooley, who was later inducted into the Hall of Fame for Leaders and Legends in the Blindness Field (Hall of Fame), which Mr. Brasher helped establish in 2001.
In 1973, Mr. Brasher and his wife, Jean Ann Brasher (nee Sick), were invited to and encouraged by Dr. Wooley to complete graduate degrees funded through an innovative personnel preparation program at Florida State University (FSU), in Tallahassee. Mr. Brasher earned a Master's of Education degree in visual disabilities from FSU and returned to ASB as director of recreation. He later went on to a long tenure as director of outreach for the school. In this position, he developed a pioneering state-wide instructional service-delivery system that included teacher training and high-level professional development for teachers of preschool and school-age students with visual impairments. He became well known as a tireless advocate and creative problem-solver. His roots were firmly planted in direct service relationships with students, and he has been fondly remembered by students with whom he worked many years ago. On social media, one former student said, I am so sorry to hear [of] this [death]. Mr. Brasher was the recreational director when he first came to ASB. I remember we played BINGO and the prizes were 45 rpm records. Then, as we grew older, trips to McDonalds and the mall. He gave our growing-up years normality.
For over two decades, Mr. Brasher played a major leadership role in Arkansas that extended regionally, nationally, and internationally (e.g., he served as a representative of the National Accreditation Council). During this time, he served for 16 years as an ex officio trustee of the US Department of Education for the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) and, in 1998, he accepted the position of director of field services for APH. He later became vice president of advisory services and research at APH. In these roles, Mr. Brasher provided oversight on the development and renewal of products and services, as well as offering leadership for APH's educational research efforts. (It should also be noted that he served as a reviewer for the Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness from 2002 to 2020.)
Among many other important tasks, he held a key role in supporting the writing of the Building on Patterns Curriculum (which he worked on from 2009 to 2018), overseeing the development of the US Department of Education review process for APH, and encouraging projects linked to innovative technology.
Mr. Brasher was an active member of and served in leadership roles for both the Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) and the Council for Exceptional Children–Division on Visual Impairments and Deafblindness (CEC-DVIDB). He was honoured for these efforts when, in 1990 he was awarded the prestigious Alfred Alan Award from AER and in 1999 CEC-DVIDB presented him with its Distinguished Service Award.
Although by no means completing the vast list of contributions and accomplishments attributed to Mr. Brasher, he was, perhaps, most passionate about his leadership in the development of the Hall of Fame, to which his former mentor, Dr. Wooley, was inducted. As always, Mr. Brasher generously shared credit and responsibility with others who were involved in the activities that led to the development of the Hall of Fame. Since the Hall of Fame was announced in 2001, it has grown in importance to the field of visual impairment, and it serves as an everlasting shrine to the excellence of the individuals who helped form the field as we know it today.
Generations of professionals will benefit from the efforts of Mr. Brasher and those who worked closely with him. Engraved on a Stone of Tribute that has been placed in the Hall of Fame is the wording, “Bob Brasher Hall of Fame First Curator, Architect of Our Dream, Guardian of Our History.” He will be greatly missed by many.