ABC7 Eyewitness News reporter Karen Meyer to sign-off

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Karen Meyer, ABC 7 Eyewitness News Reporter on Disability Issues, is signing off after 23 years at ABC 7 Chicago. Meyer, whose reports air weekend mornings at 8 am on ABC 7 Eyewitness News, plans to retire. Her last day on the air is Sunday, September 28th. She joined the Eyewitness News team in 1991.

According to Jennifer Graves, Vice President &News Director, "Karen Meyer has never met a challenge she couldn't handle. As a person who is deaf in a hearing world, she overcame obstacles to achieve immeasurable success. She has worked tirelessly at ABC 7 to shed light on issues pertaining to people with disabilities - reporting stories often ignored by other media outlets. During her career she's been honored with countless awards not only for her reports, but for her leadership and service. I cannot thank Karen enough for that commitment. She will be missed."

In addition to her role at ABC 7 Chicago, Meyer helped train people on disability issues and was a professor at De Paul University from 2003-2014.

Meyer received a 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Chicago Headline Club, the largest Society of Professional Journalists chapter in the country.

She also won an Emmy Award, and awards from the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, the National Rehabilitation Association and Easter Seals, among others. Meyer was selected as one of the Chicago Tribune's "Remarkable Women" in 2012. She was recognized as "One of the 100 Women Who Are Making a Difference in Chicago" by Today's Chicago Woman magazine.

A long-time advocate for the disabled, Meyer was appointed by President Clinton to be the Vice Chairperson of the President's Committee on Employment for People with Disabilities in 1994.

Meyer is a native Chicagoan. She plans to retire to southern California to be with her husband and three dogs.

After Meyer retires, ABC 7 Eyewitness News will continue to air weekly reports focusing on issues important to the disabled community.