Champions of Braille Literacy

Student Award Winners

New Paths forLow Vision

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generationsHADLEY INSTITUTE FOR THE BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED • SPRING 2016

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Ways You Can Make a Difference Now1. Use your IRA withdrawal to make a direct, tax deductible gift 2. Consider a Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA) It is a life income stream that includes tax benefits.3. Designate Hadley as a beneficiary You can use an IRA, life insurance policy, annuity or any other instrument that allows you to designate a beneficiary. 4. Include Hadley in your will or trust • Suggested wording to share with your attorney: I give ___% or $ ___ to Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired, an Illinois non-profit corporation located at 700 Elm Street, Winnetka, IL 60093, EIN #36-2183809. • If you have previously included Hadley in your will or trust using our former name, “The Hadley School for the Blind,” you do not need to change your documents regarding this issue.5. For more information on estate planning, contact Shari Burton, Chief Philanthropy Officer, at 847.784.2765 or Shari@hadley.edu.

Six Dots, Eight Notes to Independence 8

Three Decades of Braille Transcription11

BEPLT: Food for Thought9

Annual Student Award Winners6

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Connect with Hadley on Social Media

Did you know that Hadley has more than 4,000 followers on Facebook; 2,000 followers on Twitter; and 600 connections on LinkedIn? Last year, we had more than 20,000 views on YouTube. Stay up-to-date on our latest courses, seminars, trends in the field and more! Search Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired on any of these platforms and connect today!

New Paths for Low Vision5

A Legacy in Braille10

Champions of Braille Literacy4

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varying degrees of vision loss — not just those who are blind. Our new name recognizes all of our students, those who are blind and the growing population of older adults experiencing age-related vision loss. Hadley has expanded its services to reach more people, and our new name reflects just that.

“Institute,” unlike school, provides an umbrella for Hadley’s many distance education programs and services for adults across our global community. Often, the word “school” is associated with children, which could not be further from who we are — Hadley is the largest provider of distance education for people with vision loss, age 14 and up.

BRINGING OUR TRADITIONS INTO THE FUTUREAlong with our new name comes a new look — a fresh and contemporary brand that is easily customizable to fit Hadley’s many services.

The logo not only represents how Hadley has changed over the past century, but also how we continue to remain true to our roots. The plum square graphic signifies the braille letter “h,” honoring our long-standing commitment to braille excellence. The square itself provides a nod to the stained glass of Prairie Style architecture, a throwback

I n this issue of Generations, I am excited to share with you that The Hadley School for the Blind has changed its

name to Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

to the North Shore of Chicago, Hadley’s home.

A NEW TAGLINE WITH TWO MEANINGSLastly, we have a new tagline “Educating — for Life.” This language encompasses our dedication to educating our students over a lifetime, while also providing them with the life skills needed to live their lives to the fullest.

We hope you are as excited as we are about Hadley’s new brand. You can learn more by visiting our rebrand microsite at www.hadley.edu/rebrand.

From our beginnings as The Hadley Correspondence School for the Blind in 1920, to Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired today, one factor remains unchanging: we always will be Hadley. Thank you for your continued support and investment, which helped make an endeavor like our rebrand become a reality.

Welcome to Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired!

Warm Regards,

Charles E. Young, PresidentHadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired

A Letter from the President...

HADLEYI N S T I T U T E F O R T H E B L I N DA N D V I S U A L L Y I M P A I R E D

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E D U C A T I N G — F O R L I F E

For more than a year, we have been preparing for our new brand, which includes a new name, logo, tagline and visual identity. We have conducted research; talked to stakeholders; tested designs and concepts; and prepared creative materials — now we are ready to share our new look with you.

SO, WHY A NEW NAME?Since Hadley’s founding in 1920, we have continually evolved to serve a broad spectrum of individuals with

Annual Student Award Winners

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Champions of Braille LiteracyHadley and American Printing House for the Blind (APH) have a

strong partnership, bringing braille instruction and materials to people nationwide and working together to promote braille literacy.

T he American Printing House for the Blind (APH) was created by the federal government

to ensure that blind and visually impaired students would be guaranteed to receive educational materials in braille. APH produced its first tactile book in 1866.

Hadley has a long history of teaching braille at a distance since our first braille correspondence course mailed in 1920. Today, Hadley teaches braille to more people than any other organization, thanks to materials produced by APH.

As we mark the transition of leadership at these two organizations, we are proud to bring attention to our longstanding partnership.

Hadley President Chuck Young, who will retire in May 2016, and APH President, Dr. Tuck Tinsley III, who retired in January 2016, are not only colleagues — but also share a personal dedication to the advancement of braille and believe it is essential to success in life. Braille is no less relevant than it ever was, even with advancements in technology. Research shows that blind people who read braille are more

employable than those who do not.

TRANSITIONING TO UEBIn 2015, spurred by the support and encouragement of APH, Hadley launched the course, “Transitioning to Unified English Braille.” Dr. Tinsley conveyed the importance and timeliness of teaching the updated code to our nation’s braille teachers. APH provided financial support so this course could be offered tuition-free. More than 2,800 students from across the country enrolled making “Transitioning to UEB” the most popular and in-demand course in Hadley’s history. APH also encouraged and supported the development of Hadley’s braille music courses.

Dr. Tinsley commented, “As the blind people in our country tackle the move from English Braille American Edition to Unified English Braille (being fully implemented in 2016), Hadley is again leading the way. Their UEB curriculum is a critical service to all braille readers and teachers. I am proud that we were a catalyst for this essential education.”

Hadley and its students remain forever grateful for our alliance with APH, and we look forward to working with their new President, Craig Meador, and the continuing impact of the APH/Hadley collaboration.

Chuck Young and Tuck Tinsley

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New Paths for Low Vision

L aunched in June 2014, Low Vision Focus @ Hadley strives to meet the needs of the growing

population of older adults with age-related vision loss. A lot has happened with the program since its inception less than two years ago. What follows is a recap of our achievements to date and a roadmap of what we have in store for 2016.

Here’s a look back at the program’s accomplishments:

• A series of 10 free audio recordings were made available on CD in May 2015, sharing practical ways to address daily living skills made difficult by vision loss. • The new Low Vision Focus website was launched in August 2015. The audio recordings became downloadable, and the site began to offer links to free low vision webinars, relevant

Hadley courses and resource lists. • All 10 audio recordings were made available on one digital talking book cartridge for people who use the playback device available through the National Library Service.

BRANCHING OUT IN 2016Low Vision Focus @ Hadley continues to grow. Here’s an overview of exciting plans underway throughout 2016:

• Monthly low vision themed webinars will be introduced, with topics of interest to people living with low vision, their family members and caregivers. • Plans to collaborate with senior organizations across the country are in progress — presenting at virtual low vision support groups for those with low vision who might be limited by location, transportation and other barriers to participation in a community-based group.• Five companion videos to the audio recordings were posted to the website in February 2016, and additional companion videos will post in coming months.

A large part of the reason The Hadley School for the Blind changed its name to Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired was to better reflect our commitment to educating people with varying degrees of vision loss. Are you or someone you know experiencing low vision? Visit lowvisionfocus.org for tips to live well with low vision!

Low Vision Focus @ Hadley continues

to evolve to reach the growing population of older adults with

low vision. The accomplishments of

the program since its inception in 2014 have paved the way for new

paths in the future.

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Annual Student Award WinnersIn 1959, Hadley began an annual tradition of honoring our highest

achievers. The Student Awards recognize individuals whose hard work, determination and spirit serve as an inspiration to others.

PAM SCHNURR, STUDENT OF THE YEAR AWARDFor 25 years, Pam Schnurr was a blind vendor running a cafeteria in a downtown Indianapolis Post Office. Three years ago, she partnered with Southern Foods and is now running a cafeteria, convenience store, coffee shop and vending operations in a federal building. Since this role is different than her previous one, she turned to Hadley to increase her business acumen.

Pam has used her new Excel skills to work with her payroll system, and a “Business Communications” class at Hadley has helped with correspondence tasks. Pam also expects that her “Business Law” class will help her negotiate an upcoming contract with union

employees. “I feel better prepared to understand the contract language, and I think I can now have greater input when talks begin,” she said.

MYRA BRODSKY, BRAILLE STUDENT OF THE YEAR AWARDMyra Brodsky was not born blind. She developed Retinitis Pigmentosa later in life and did not learn braille until after she retired. Prior to her retirement, Myra worked as a court reporter in the New York State Court System for 35 years.

During the last 10 years of her career, the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired voted her one of their most successful cases and asked her to become a motivational speaker.

Since her retirement, Myra has taken six Hadley braille courses, and also has done some freelance braille work for several renowned museums and galleries in New York, including MoMA.

CHARLES SCRIVENER, DONALD WING HATHAWAY LIFELONG LEARNING AWARDCharles Scrivener was diagnosed as legally blind in 1984, due to a brain tumor. As the tumor grew, Charles’ visual acuity decreased. After treatment, Charles adjusted to his newly narrowed vision field. When further operations did not help his vision, he sought other methods to compensate for his sight loss.

For the past 18 years, Charles has been learning from Hadley. “Hadley’s high school courses

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furthered my academic knowledge and preparation for college. Later, the Adult Continuing Education program increased my knowledge about cooking, business principles and seeking employment.”

Since 2012, Charles has served as a braille and communications instructor for the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services.

LISA FERRIS, RICHARD KINNEY CHALLENGE OF LIVING AWARDLisa Ferris is deaf-blind due to Alport’s Syndrome, a congenital progressive disease that leads to hearing and vision loss. Lisa has a M.Ed. in special education of students with severe disabilities and deaf-blindness from the University of Kansas.

Lisa and her husband, who is also blind, own and run a vocational rehabilitation training business called Miles Access Skills Training (MAST). The entrepreneurial couple works with employers to make the workplace more accessible and with people with disabilities to gain the technology skills they need.

Hadley’s business classes have allowed Lisa to concentrate on the content of the classes, rather than worrying about how to gain access to the material.

DONNA MCNEW, ROBERT J. WINN FAMILY EDUCATION AWARDDonna homeschools her three special needs children, whom she and her husband adopted

from China. “One of my closest friends, Joanie, is blind. Knowing that blindness isn’t something to be feared or avoided led us to bring home our daughter Adelyn Rose, who is blind, without hesitation,” Donna said.

Before Adelyn even arrived, Donna had completed her first Hadley braille course. “I couldn’t get enough of it fast enough — I completed and submitted three of four lessons in one week.”

In her most recent course, “Transitioning to Unified English Braille,” Donna had Adelyn shadow her and they learned together—correcting and reminding each other of the changes in the braille code. Adelyn knew UEB even before her Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI) — all thanks to Hadley.

MARGOT A. HAYDEN, DEAN W. TUTTLE PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION AWARDMargot A. Hayden’s journey as a certified braille transcriber began when she volunteered at her children’s school. Staff and faculty were impressed by the way she interacted with children, so they offered her a position as a paraprofessional assisting a girl who had lost her vision.

While the girl was skilled at braille, Margot was forced to learn braille quickly to transcribe the student’s assignments and turned to Hadley.

“My Hadley instructors are wonderful. I am a student who loves feedback and they were

very good about supplying me with new information,” she said.

Margot is now a certified braille transcriber, earning the title from the Library of Congress.

CHARLES BYEKWASO, INTERNATIONAL STUDENT OF THE YEAR AWARDCharles Byekwaso was born in 1955 in Uganda. In college, Charles studied bookkeeping and accounting and also earned an advanced certificate in typing. Soon after college, he earned the title of Appointed Clerical Officer/Accounts and served in the Ministry of Labor. Then, a civil war changed the path of his life.

“I will never forget December 4, 1978 — it was the day I lost my sight due to torture by Idi Amin’s soldiers,” he said. He received medical attention in a rehab hospital for the blind, later transferring to a training facility where he learned braille in just three months. Since becoming blind, Charles has undertaken leadership roles in several associations for the blind and other disability organizations.

Charles took his first Hadley course in 2005. He has taken 12 Hadley courses and is currently enrolled in two more. Charles is grateful for the free courses he has been able to complete at Hadley and the life skills he has gained in the process.

Pictured, Group Photo: Student Award Winners and their guests visit Hadley in early October 2015

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Six Dots, Eight Notes to IndependenceHadley is one of the few schools worldwide to offer braille music instruction. Braille music student Everett Elam discusses his musical journey and how Hadley has helped make it all possible.

I was fortunate to have learned the literary braille code in grade school, but the process of re-training my brain to interpret it in a completely new way was not easy. I kept at it, and completed the course with an “A.”

I wanted to pass on the knowledge and motivation braille and music had given me, so I created a representation of the musical staff using magnets and a white board. I tutored fellow students in music theory using the board.

Recently, I’ve been involved with Dining in the Dark, an event which supports employment of individuals who are blind or visually impaired. I also placed second in the open division of this year’s Arkansas State Old Time Fiddle competition.

The hours I spent teaching myself braille music were hard, but well worth it. Each time I sent an assignment to my Hadley instructor, I felt a sense of moving forward on my journey as a musician. Through all these experiences, I have my faith, my independence, my health and a life-long love for challenge and learning which pushes me to greater heights.

Note: A version of this article was entered in the Onkyo Braille Essay Contest, administered by the National Federation of the Blind to promote braille literacy and awareness.

A s his hearing faded, Beethoven sawed the legs off his piano, so that he could lie on the

floor with his ear directly against the instrument. When Louis Braille lost his sight at 15, the same determination led him to write his music using dots instead of ink. Due to inspiration from these, and from other individuals like them, I am literate and independent.

When I began studying music at the college level, the sight-reading skills of fellow students shocked me. Advanced students were able to sight-read a piece and perform it as though they had spent hours rehearsing. I realized relying solely on my ear had held me back, and decided to learn to read braille music.

By Everett Elam This process would be akin to teaching myself a new language. I ordered a book by Bettye Krolick entitled How to Read Braille Music, but quickly discovered that I needed someone familiar with braille music to guide me. A friend who was a blind piano performance major in college wrote an excellent guide to the code for me. However, his work schedule did not permit him time to teach me in depth. The first year of school was difficult, but I managed to pass with the support of friends and teachers.

Salvation arrived that summer in the form of a phone call from a friend in New York. She knew I’d been searching for a program of study in braille music, and shared that Hadley offered such a program. Immediately, I enrolled and blocked off an hour each day to study.

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BEPLT: Food for Thought

F or those not in the know, the acronym sounds like a popular sandwich, but for Louisville, KY resident,

George Bouquet, Hadley and the National Association of Blind Merchants (NABM) joint BEPLT program (Business Enterprise Program Licensee Training) is a dream come true.

BEPLT is part of the Forsythe Center for Employment and Entrepreneurship (FCE) program. Under the Randolph-Sheppard Act, legally blind adults are given first right of refusal on operating state and federal government vending facilities including cafeterias, convenience stores, vending machines and rest stop vending areas nationwide.

A NEW PARTNERSHIPIn February 2014, Hadley’s FCE partnered with the NABM and the National Federation of the Blind Entrepreneurs’ Initiative (NFBEI), to bring the academic portion of training to would-be blind vendors. State Business Enterprise Programs provide the hands-on component of the blind vendor training. Bouquet is Hadley’s first graduate from the school’s new BEPLT program.

Born with both Pierre Robin sequence and Stickler syndrome, Bouquet has struggled with health issues over the years, and his vision worsened over time.

Bouquet worked in several food service positions since

high school and wanted to become a Randolph-Sheppard vendor even before he would have qualified as legally blind.

TOUGH COMPETITIONThere are only so many blind vendor licensee training slots available, and more people compete for them than such programs can accommodate. Bouquet first applied in February 2014. Unfortunately, he was not accepted at that time; however, he did gain experience working with friends who held the license.

In 2015, Bouquet’s counselor shared another opportunity to apply for vendor training. This time he was accepted, and began Hadley’s BEPLT program in April. He was so motivated to graduate that he completed approximately two modules (one-lesson online courses) per week.

Hadley’s BEPLT students complete a 10-module program and then take their state’s physical training component. After passing both elements, graduates are eligible to bid for the opportunity to become a blind vendor in their community.

“The [Hadley BEPLT] program offers a lot of useful information. It will really help anyone wanting to undertake vending,” he said. Bouquet then acknowledged that the material about foodborne illnesses helped him to realize

the tremendous responsibility he would be accepting by running a government food service area.

Scott Fricano, assistant director at Kentucky Business Enterprises, trains vendors for their licensee instruction and referred Bouquet to Hadley. “George is working diligently assisting other vendors and is on his way to completing his training program to lead him to licensure. He is smart, eager, motivated and ready to run his own vending facility,” says Scott.

For Bouquet, becoming a blind vendor allows him to hire and train his 25-year-old unemployed son, who inherited most of his visual and hearing problems. This training is Bouquet’s first step toward creating a legacy of financial independence.

The acronym sounds like the popular sandwich. However, for Louisville, KY resident, George Bouquet, it’s a dream come true.

George Bouquet

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Peggy Butow: A Legacy in Braille

powerful piece of machinery took six men to transport to its downstairs location, next to “Bonnie” and “Clyde,” Hadley’s 20-year-old braillers which emboss at only 200 dots per second. The new addition is expected to keep humming into the next century.

Rob Gottschalk, Peggy’s second cousin and his wife, Joy, also attended the dedication. Rob said, “Teaching braille and music was so important to Peggy. Knowing that her bequest has been used in this way would no doubt have made Peggy feel very honored and humbled. We couldn’t be more delighted to know that her gift will have such a profound and lasting impact.”

Pictured clockwise from top: Braillo plaque dedication; Rob and Joy Gottschalk; Hadley staff unpack the Braillo 600S; Peggy Butow, circa 1960

I n December 2015, Hadley faculty and staff gathered to honor a former instructor with fond memories, lunch and the

dedication of a new Braillo 600S in her honor. The retired braille instructor had left Hadley a bequest of nearly $90,000, which allowed Hadley to purchase this critical piece of equipment.

Margaret Lee (Peggy) Butow began teaching at Hadley full-time in July 1959. Peggy taught braille, music, history and how to use an assistive device called the Optacon. Retiring in January 2001, Peggy passed away in 2014, at age 78.

HADLEY’S MISSION OF BRAILLE LITERACY“It seemed fitting that Peggy, who spent more than half of her life (42 years) teaching braille, would continue to contribute to Hadley’s mission of braille literacy for generations to come in this way,” said Dawn Turco, Hadley senior vice president.

Although Peggy spent the latter portion of her life in Janesville, WI, she lived in Winnetka, IL for many years working onsite at Hadley. Described as a no- nonsense instructor, Peggy had little patience for late or sloppy assignments. As she herself was blind, she did not allow her students to use that as an excuse not to excel in their endeavors.

THE “PEGGY”The new Braillo 600S (aptly named “Peggy”) embosses at a rate of 600 dots per second. The

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Three Decades of Braille Transcriptionto retire, and has recruited Vivian back to Hadley as his replacement!

Both Tom and Vivian agree that braille will not be going away. “You have a better learning experience through reading and writing than just listening. Audio can’t teach you literacy,” Vivian says. She is eager to bring about some improvements, which she feels will make her department more efficient, providing even better service.

In March, we will wish Tom happiness in a well-earned retirement and welcome back Vivian who helped launch his transcription career. Tom says he felt his greatest satisfaction was helping Hadley enter the digital age in 2002, when courses were brought online, as well as assisting in daily tasks that help Hadley accomplish its mission.

Pictured above: Braillo 600S at Hadley; Vivian Seki, new materials production director

T om Poulk has had a job every day since he was 12, so it’s no wonder that after 25 years in the

Marines — ending with a rank of Master Sergeant — he was looking for a new career. In 1989, he found that career as a braille transcriber in San Antonio, TX at the Education Service Center working for a woman named Vivian Seki. That job ultimately

explains. She taught many people over the years and says that of 40 who begin a class, only 20 will learn it, and, of those, only five will receive certification from the Library of Congress. Working for Vivian, Tom not only learned transcription, but also became certified. Vivian entered the field after college where she studied language, and braille felt like just another language to learn.

“A braille transcriber determines how to most accurately present information from a print textbook into a braille version and then transcribes it into braille so that a student who is blind or has low vision gets the same benefits from the information as his or her sighted peers.” — American Federation of the Blind

led him to Hadley in 1995, where he did braille transcription and also ran the Materials Production Department for 21 years.

“Becoming a braille transcriber is extremely difficult and not everyone can do it,” Vivian

In 1990, Vivian moved to Chicago to become Hadley’s Materials Production Director. Five years later, she recruited Tom to join her. Then, in 2002, Vivian moved back to San Antonio and Tom became the department head. Now, 21 years later, Tom is ready

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FORMERLY THE HADLEY SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND

HADLEYI N S T I T U T E F O R T H E B L I N DA N D V I S U A L L Y I M P A I R E D

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The perception of blindness and visual impairment is changing. So, too, is Hadley.

We are excited to announce our new name and identity — The Hadley School for

the Blind is now Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Our new name

reflects the broad spectrum of students we serve, and how we have evolved to meet

the needs of individuals with varying degrees of visual impairment.

H FIND OUT MORE AT HADLEY.EDU/REBRAND