Photo Caption: The picture shows a woman standing outside on a concrete path. She has long dark hair and is wearing sunglasses on top of her head. She is wearing a dark grey t-shirt with a graphic of buildings on it and the letters “ACB”. She is also wearing blue jeans and sandals. The woman is holding a red leash attached to a medium-sized brown dog sitting next to her. In the background, there are trees, a couple of vehicles, and a garage.
Many members of ACB Next Generation first met Lindsey LaVere when they heard her friendly greeting as they entered an ACB NextGen event or Clubhouse room. She has been serving on the ACB NextGen board of directors since January 2023 and was recently elected for a second term. She is a frequent Clubhouse moderator, allowing our members to have a place to chat and spend time together in a casual, relaxed virtual setting. She is also a committed member of several committees in ACB NextGen, including Membership, Programs, and she is the co-chair of the Fundraising Committee. She joined her local chapter, the Bluewater League of the Blind, in 2009. Lindsey continues to be an active member of her local chapter, as well as her local affiliate, the Michigan Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired. She has a passion for helping members get connected to resources, and her accepting and caring nature helps members new and old feel at ease and comfortable.
When Lindsey is not contributing her many talents to ACB, she is involved in a number of other community activities. She co-teaches an adaptive dance class for people with all disability types. Lindsey has danced all her life from the time when she took a tap dance class at age three. In high school, she danced competitively with her high school dance team called the Thunderbirds. They competed in a variety of different types of dance, including jazz, lyrical, and hip-hop.
When she suddenly lost her sight at age twenty, she took a break from dancing for a while. Dancing was so visual to her prior to her vision loss, and she was not sure how to continue to enjoy the hobby. In 2018, the adaptive dance class was created, and Lindsey became an instant participant in the classes, working her way up to co-instructor. She learned how to understand dance in a less visual way. When she could see, she would observe the instructor’s movements in a mirror and copy them. Now, she learns dance through hand-over-hand instruction. When performing, she works with instructors and other performers to ensure that after each spin, she can face the proper direction on stage, adding in a few extra steps if needed to correct her placement. She blends her disability into the art, and although dancing is different without vision, she has made the adjustment and gets enjoyment out of this new perspective on dancing. She can share this new point of view with the participants in her dance classes, making art accessible for everyone.
Her musical abilities also extend to singing. She is a first soprano in her church choir. She may be the biggest fan of Mountain Dew anyone will ever meet. She enjoys playing the Amazon Echo auditory game called Knight Manager, and can advise players on the best ways to level up in the Dark Tower or any other daring feats they want to accomplish in the game. She spends a lot of time with her family, including her four nieces and one nephew. Her community involvement and her commitment to creating spaces for others is exemplary, and it enriches the NextGen environment and beyond.