Eric Duffy
NFBO First Vice President

    Eric Duffy is the proud father of two boys, John, born in 1995, and Lucas, born in 1998. He says, "My boys are my greatest source of pride and my greatest challenge. I can't wait until the day I get to be as smart as they are."

    Eric was born prematurely in Newark, Ohio, in 1963. As a result he was blind and had mild cerebral palsy. He has four brothers and three sisters. He is only the second member of his family to complete a college degree. “If I accomplish nothing more in life, I have already far exceeded the expectations my parents had for me while growing up,” Duffy said.

    Eric earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and political science from Otterbein College. While there he was involved in marching band, student government, and other extracurricular activities. He completed an internship with the Bureau of Services for the Visually Impaired before graduation. He also discovered the National Federation of the Blind when he applied for an NFB scholarship. He did not get the scholarship, but he did begin attending local chapter meetings in Columbus. He was invited to attend the organization’s annual Washington Seminar, in which members travel to Capitol Hill to discuss issues of importance to blind people with their Senators and members of Congress. With his interest in government, Eric recognized that in the NFB he had found an important outlet for his abilities and interests. The organization’s philosophy of high expectations and insistence on the innate capacity and equality of blind people exactly matched his attitudes and dreams for his own life.

    Shortly after leaving Otterbein, Eric was hired by the Governor's Office of Advocacy for People with Disabilities during the Celeste Administration and maintained it through part of the Voinovich Administration. In 1993 he resigned as NFB of Ohio first vice president and began working as director of field services for the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio. The job involved advocacy, editing the organization newsletter, legislative work, and much more. He worked in this position until November of 2008.

    In 2008 he became the first ever sales manager for Universal Low Vision Aids. In this position he used many of his technical skills and also worked closely with customers and vendors. Eric always said that, if he did his job well, he would never have to look for a job. Two years before leaving his position with the NFB of Ohio, he announced to the convention that he would resign at the conclusion of the Pierce presidency in 2008. "At the time I had no idea what I was going to do, but I believed strongly that the new president should be able to decide whether or not the position was still needed and, if so, who should hold it," Duffy said.

    Eric’s newest position, as a research scientist for the Research Institute at Wright State University, also came about as a result of the skills, integrity, and compassion he demonstrated while working for the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio.

    As soon as Eric was no longer working for the Federation, the organization elected him first vice president once again. His political savvy, grasp of access technology, and skill at mediation and advocacy make Eric Duffy one of the most effective leaders the NFB of Ohio has ever had.