generations - HadleyValentine secretly married couples until he was caught and thrown in jail where, rumor has it, he taught and eventually fell in love with the jailer’s blind daughter.

generationst h e h a d l e y s c h o o l f o r t h e b l i n d – e s t. 1 9 2 0

through the generosity of others, building on the past, bringing life-changing services to future generations

s p r i n g 2 0 0 8

leslie Zucker

and susan ballis

share a Vision

2-3 DonorSpotlight

4 ForLeslieHamric,theFutureisWideOpen

5 MeetColleenWunderlich,YoungVisionary

6 Hadley’sNewBrailleCourses

6 Bookshare.orgOffersVirtualLibrarytoHadleyStudents

7 JacobGrossinger’s“Mitzvah”

7 MeetBarbaraZuro

7-8 ReaderSurvey

8 HadleyOffersStudentsAssociateDegreeProgram

9 TVTuneOut2008:It’saHadleyJungleInHere!

Backpage:UpcomingHadleyEvents �

adley started 2008 off with a flourish as staff prepared for the 2nd annual Reds, Whites and Braille, a joint event with the Winnetka/Northfield Rotary Club to raise awareness of Hadley services. Held on Valentine’s

Day, this event commemorated St. Valentine, a priest who defied the emperor’s decree that men who were eligible for the army could not marry. St. Valentine secretly married couples until he was caught and thrown in jail where, rumor has it, he taught and eventually fell in love with the jailer’s blind daughter.

Although we aren’t performing any nuptials for couples in love, we are passionate about teaching the teachers and professionals who work with those who are blind and visually impaired.

Recently, we signed an agreement with Utah State University (USU) to begin creating college-level courses for teachers and para-educators who work with these students and adults. With USU, Hadley wants to combat the growing shortage of teachers across the country by offering courses online to help train those who dedicate their careers to helping those with vision impairment.

Like Hadley, USU is a leader in distance education, and together we will create courses that will make a difference to the teachers who work with people who are blind. As we look to the future, we want to thank you who have so generously contributed to Hadley in the past and hope we can count on your support in the future as we strive to serve the 38 million blind people worldwide.

Charles E. Young, President

In this

issue

A letter from the president

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Reds, Whites and Braille Event Showcases Importance of BrailleThe Hadley School and the Winnetka/Northfield Rotary Club welcomed visitors February 14 for Reds, Whites and Braille, an event to showcase the importance of braille. The school was transformed into a heart-filled wonderland, where guests enjoyed red and white wine donated by Carl and Marilynn Thoma in souvenir wine glasses, delicious hors d’oeuvres and music by The Marty Jacobs Trio.

“We are always excited to open our doors to the Rotary Club, and get a chance to connect with Winnetka’s community.” said Charles Young, president of Hadley.

The event promoted awareness of the school’s mission to educate over 10,000 blind and visually impaired students in 50 states and 100 countries worldwide.

Photo credits: cover, pages 3, 5, Lorraine Hart; page 7 (of Jacob Grossinger), Garbo Productions

“I don’t want my son to

feel like everyone’s

going to do for him. He

can learn to do for himself.”

—Leslie Zucker

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Leslie Zucker and Susan Ballis share a vision

donor spotlight

eslie Zucker remembers taking her newborn son, David, for a walk on a beautiful, sunny fall day, something any mother might

do. “He was hysterical,” she recalls. She didn’t realize at the time that David had albinism, which can cause light sensitiv-ity. Susan Ballis recalls a similar experience with her daughter, Tess, now 5. “We’d take walks and I’d wonder, why is she crying? Is she hot? Is she uncomfortable?”

“You just don’t know,” Leslie adds. “And when you find out, you’re heartbroken, because you had no idea you were hurting your own child.”

Those diagnosed with albinism have little or no melanin, the pigment that colors skin, eyes and hair. The lack of pigment affects vision to varying degrees.

The need to better understand the condition their children shared is what brought these two women together. Susan says she will never forget the day Leslie and David, now 10, walked into her home for the first time. Her daughter, Tess, then only 3 months old, had just been diagnosed with albinism. “That was when I knew Tess was going to be fine,” she says. “I looked at David and thought, oh, that’s it? OK. We can do that.”

The need for available, reliable resources is what eventually led Leslie and Susan to create The Vision for Tomorrow Foundation (www.visionfortomorrow.org) nearly two years ago. Both had received a good deal of misinformation and experienced a general lack of awareness among many of the educators, medical

professionals and organizations they turned to for support.

“Resources were disconnected,” Leslie says. “We share many resources with the blindness population. But when you talk about low vision, it can be harder to understand.”

“You can tell someone, ‘Tess can’t see, her eyes work differently,’ ” Susan adds. “And then Tess walks into the room and puts together a puzzle or picks up a book and starts to read, and that person says, ‘What do you mean she can’t see?’”

Every day, both women agree, is an opportunity for education.

“We’re trying to connect resources, so that people understand what those with albinism go through, and see that they can still be productive people,” Leslie says. “Children just being born now with these conditions will benefit because there’s more known and more available. We want parents to know they don’t need to set their aspirations so low for their child.

“Hadley’s course, ‘Reach Out and Teach,’ addresses the idea of children being doers vs. children having things done for them,” she adds. “That really stuck with me. I don’t want my son to feel like everything has to come to him and that everyone’s going to do for him. He can learn to do for himself.”

Vision for Tomorrow recently gave an education program grant totaling $45,000 to Hadley to develop a college-level course on low vision for professionals who work with visually impaired children.

“I’m lucky; I found Leslie,” Susan says.

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“It’s hard, when your child is first diagnosed, to know what to do. I felt it was very much my responsibility, teaching Tess from the time she was an infant to use her vision. She would just lie there and listen. I was constantly putting things in front of her. I hear from parents now who are lost, who live in an isolated area where there are no resources. They don’t know where to look; they see scary pictures on the Internet. We want parents to be able to find each other, find us, find something or someone they can talk to, meet. Seeing Leslie and David walk into my house when Tess was a baby was the greatest thing. I’ll never forget that day. The sense of relief I felt—that’s a big part of it.”

Vision for Tomorrow

Why Are We Here?The Vision for Tomorrow Foundation was created to:

Help families, educators and medical professionals recognize and learn more about low vision impairments in order to provide better support for the people who have them

Provide a place where doctors can share their knowledge

Raise funds to support research and education

Generate awareness, so that our children and others affected by these disorders are able to lead a rich and fulfilling life

By staying in touch with each other and the issues that affect our world, you can make your home, your school and your community a better place for children with low vision. By funding research, you can make it possible for every person to see the world in a better light.

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“We know our kids are going to be successful,” says Susan, pictured with daughter Tess and David Zucker. “We’ll make sure they have the things in place to be successful. The motivation has to also come from them, but we can encourage them and give them the tools.”

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hen Leslie Kouzes-Hamric was born, her parents realized

her life would be different. Their second child and only

daughter was diagnosed as an infant with retinopathy of prematurity. Leslie would always be blind. While some parents would despair for their child and treat her differently, the Kouzes chose to raise Leslie the same as their son, Dean. In other

words, she was treated as a normal kid.

“My mom spent a lot of time describing the visual world to me so I could relate to sighted people,” Leslie, 32, says. “My dad always encouraged me in whatever I did. My brother taught me all the things big brothers teach little sisters—how to slide down the

slide, undo the swings and be creative.” As Dean and Leslie got older, Dean began to “reinforce” her orientation and mobility training with hints about what her white cane was telling her. “He was always teaching me to do new things,” Leslie says.

Today Leslie is a self-assured young woman and an accomplished musician. She is completing an internship in Web site accessibility at Easter Seals and training her guide dog, Lava, to navigate the city. Andy, Leslie’s husband, is great at noting helpful landmarks that make it easier for her to direct Lava. The black Labrador retriever, her third guide dog, is from Guiding Eyes for the Blind.

Leslie learned about Hadley from her vision teacher, Cindy Starzyk, during

high school, and since then has taken many Hadley courses, including “Abacus,” “Health,” “Personal Psychology” and “Personal Financial Planning.”

“I have enjoyed all my classes,” she says. “The instructors have been so supportive and returned completed lessons to me very quickly.”

Leslie and Andy met at music camp and carried on a long-distance relationship before Andy finally moved to Chicago, knowing it would be easier for Leslie to get around using the city’s public transportation. Andy, who is sighted, is a financial analyst with Bank of America.

A graduate of the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, Leslie started playing the cello when she was 8. “My mom thought I would look good with the cello,” she says. She also studied piano and voice. Today she sings in her church choir and plays the cello at Mass.

Before joining Easter Seals, Leslie worked at the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind as a braille transcriber, with the intention of becoming certified. But she soon discovered the work didn’t suit her. “Braille transcription is a very solitary occupation,” she says. “I enjoy interacting with people.” Working at the Lighthouse, however, did introduce her to another passion—adaptive technology—which led to her internship at Easter Seals. Her internship ending in April, Leslie has begun looking for a job, though at this point, she isn’t sure what form that job will take.

Facing an unknown future isn’t something she fears, but embraces. “I’ve always loved teaching and computers, so maybe something integrating both fields,” she says. “Andy and I want to start a family soon, so who knows what will happen.”

We think no matter what Leslie decides to do, she will continue to live her life as she always has—embracing opportunities and overcoming obstacles.

For Leslie Hamric, the Future is Wide Open

W

Leslie walks the streets of Forest

Park with her new guide dog, Lava. “I’ve

only had him since January,” she says, “so

we are still refining our routes. He is a

quick learner.”

5

tell us about your profession and how you chose it.I am the North Central Regional Manager for Freedom Scientific. Our company develops, manufactures and markets software and hardware products to adapt computers for people with visual impairments. My position involves promoting the hardware, software and service solutions of Freedom Scientific to organizations. I also am responsible for relaying customer feedback from the field to Freedom Scientific on the use of our products. My profession found me. I have used the products for over 10 years, and when a colleague recommended me for the position, I decided to take on the challenge.

Why have you chosen hadley as your focus point? Hadley is placing much emphasis on the education of teachers of visually impaired students. I work closely with this population of teachers, and I find that students benefit the most when their teachers can pass on current knowledge in adaptive technology. I want to support an agency that invests in teachers of the visually impaired, since teachers are often the only means by which parents and students receive information about blindness.

as a young professional, how do you see your role as a volunteer at hadley, especially as it relates to philanthropy—and what do you see is the role of young people in furthering corporate partnership and philanthropy?Freedom Scientific and Hadley have formed a partnership to offer training courses for teachers of the visually impaired in adaptive technology. So far my roll on the board has been to conduct informal sessions about sensitivity toward visual impairment.

What do you think is the biggest misconception about blindness today? Individuals who are sighted cannot imagine living without their vision. They think that if they have difficulty performing tasks without glasses or without lights on, then those of us who are blind or visually impaired definitely have extreme difficulty functioning all day. Sighted individuals do not consider how the proper training in daily living skills, education, proficient adaptive technology skills, hobbies and interests, and a drive to succeed all equip a person to function normally. The support of family, spouses and friends facilitates living a normal and fulfilling life and enables us to contribute to society. The fact is that in the United States, we expect individuals with disabilities

Meet colleen Wunderlich, young Visionary

to be self-sufficient. We place dignity on self-reliance, not on self-entitlement.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? I enjoy taking walks and bicycle rides along the lakefront, working and playing with my Seeing Eye dog Hallie, cooking and trying new recipes and spending time with family and friends. My husband and I also enjoy the opera and symphony.

did you learn anything that surprised you during the blindness basics training that took place at a recent meeting?I played a part in offering instruction about blindness during the meeting. I am very surprised at the unfamiliarity with blindness still present in my generation. I felt happy to address the thought-provoking questions of Young Visionaries members relating to work, family and hobbies. I commend them for their willingness to learn about our world, and to contribute their time and energy to supporting educational opportunities for individuals and families affected by visual impairment.

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Bookshare.org Offers Virtual Library to Hadley Students

If you or someone you know has a print disability, which can include visual impairments and blindness, reading disabilities and physical impairments that make it difficult or impossible to read printed books, does Hadley have the

library for you! Bookshare.org is an online community that offers almost 36,000 books and 150 periodicals in downloadable digital and braille formats for those who have a print disability.

In 2007 The Hadley School for the Blind and Bookshare.org initiated a partnership that provides free membership to all Hadley students. This strategic collaboration will extend the reach of both organizations and provide a broad range of learning and

reading materials to people who are blind and visually impaired. Currently the school is working to have all Hadley supplemental reading material scanned and available on Bookshare.

Recently Bookshare.org was awarded a $32 million five-year grant from the Office of Special Education Programs of the U.S. Department of Education. A portion of this grant will go to Hadley for its assistance in scanning and validating (proofreading) books to be uploaded to the Bookshare.org Web site.

Bookshare.org has consistently relied on volunteers to scan and proof copies of print books that are unavailable as digital files. Hadley will actively recruit and train volunteers at its school in Winnetka to help increase Bookshare’s inventory of books. Proofreading a scanned project can be done off-site with an Internet connection and access to Microsoft Word.

If you are interested in becoming a Bookshare.org volunteer, contact Dianna Messina at [email protected]. Please contact Bookshare directly at www.bookshare.org with questions about membership.

Hadley’s New Braille Courses

adley has activated two new braille courses intended to improve the braille skills of stu-dents in the Adult Continuing

Education and High School Programs.Braille Literacy 4: Contracted Braille This 30-lesson course teaches tactile readers of braille the 189 contractions, in which some words and letter combinations are represented by one or a few braille characters. Formerly referred to as Grade 2 braille, contracted braille allows for faster braille reading and writing because less space is required for each word. It is important for increasing one’s braille literacy because most braille books and magazines are produced in contracted braille.

The course instruction is recorded for audio playback while the student learns to identify and practice with the braille symbols in the braille workbooks. Each assignment is designed to help the teacher assess the student’s ability to read contracted braille and write it correctly, following unique rules.Experience Braille ReadingThis 15-lesson course was designed to help braille readers become familiar with reading a wide variety of material by providing exposure to the specialized formats used for brailling calendars, menus, recipes, poetry, song lyrics and more. The course explains how to follow the text and interpret the varied formats.

The first eight lessons are required. To help tailor the course to students’ needs and desires, four of the remaining seven lessons are selected by the student to sub-mit to the instructor. The student dem-onstrates proficiency by reading the text aloud and recording it for evaluation by the instructor.

Please remember the Hadley School

in your will.

For information on how to leave a bequest and become a Clarence

Boyd Jones Society Member, please contact the development office at

847-446-8111 or 800-323-4238.

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1. Overall, how would you rate the writing in Generations?

Excellent Good Average Poor

2. Overall, how would you rate the photographs in Generations?

Excellent Good Average Poor

3. Overall, how would you rate the design and general appearance?

Excellent Good Average Poor

4. In your opinion, what is the purpose of Generations?

5. Is the overall length of Generations Too long? Too short? About right?

6. Are the articles Too long? Too short? About right?

7. Is the frequency of Generations (currently twice a year)

Too often? Too little? About right?

Reader SurveyHelp us improve Generations! Please complete this brief reader survey and return it in the envelope provided. You may also complete the survey online at www.hadley.edu/generationssurvey.

Jacob Grossinger’s “Mitzvah”

t 13, Jacob Grossinger is an engaging young man. He attends Central School in Glencoe, Illinois, and loves bas-

ketball and the Chicago Bulls. Last year, as he prepared for his bar mitzvah, Jake, in the tradition of the Jewish

faith, wanted to perform a “mitzvah” or act of kindness. An avid dog lover, Jake wanted to do something related to

service dogs, animals that help people with disabilities. Through a visit to Noah’s Ark Pet Supply in Winnetka, his mother, Laurie, learned about the Hounds for Hadley dog walk, an event that supports The Hadley School for the Blind. For Jake, it was the perfect chance to do a good deed and be around dogs.

On a crisp September morning Jake, Laurie and their Jack Russell terrier, Riley, joined over 100 walkers and their dogs

as they took to the streets of Winnetka to raise awareness and support for Hadley’s guide dog course. The dog walk sparked Jake’s interest in the Hadley School and two months later he decided to donate money he received in celebration of his bar mitzvah to Hadley.

The unexpected gift impressed Hadley staff, who called the Grossingers. Laurie

and Gary remarked they were grateful to Hadley for allowing Jake to participate in the charity. As for Jake, his advice to other kids who want to “give back” is to find something interesting and meaningful to them. Words of wisdom for any age.

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Hadley is pleased to welcome Barbara Zuro to the Development and Communications Department. After a 20-year sales career, Barb embarked on a career change and landed at Hadley, where she will be meeting with many of the school’s supporters. “I enjoy talking with people and learning firsthand how Hadley’s work enhances the lives of blind and visually impaired people,”

says Barb. “It wouldn’t be possible for us to serve the many students who need us without the generosity of our donors.” Barb is a Chicago native and holds a degree from Loyola University. In her spare time, she enjoys singing and gardening.

Meet Barbara Zuro

(continued on page 8)

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8. Which of the following do you read?

President’s Letter Donor Spotlight Student Spotlight or stories Recap of past events Tax or donation information Don’t read

9. How much time do you spend reading Generations?

30-60 minutes Less than 30 minutes Don’t read

10. Is the information in Generations relevant to you?

Yes No

11. How would you prefer to receive Generations?

Print Braille Audio Electronically (either read

online or receive as an email)Print email below:

12. Please tell us about yourself (check all that apply):

I made a donation to Hadley within the last year.

I made a donation to Hadley because of Generations.

I have participated in one or more events at Hadley.

I have a visual impairment. Someone in my family has a

visual impairment.

Please add any additional comments you wish to make about Generations.

Thank you!

Hadley Offers Students Associate Degree Program

Hadley is collaborating with Utah State University (USU) to develop a two-year associate degree program for para-educators (teacher aides) who work with blind and visually impaired students in

the classroom.The program is being created to address the lack of qualified

para-educators in the United States. Currently, the federal No Child Left Behind law requires that para-educators have an associate degree or two years of study at an institution of higher education, or pass an academic assessment. This requirement has not been strongly enforced to date since many para-educators were employed before the law went into effect in 2004 and are now working to meet the requirements. Hadley is working with USU to create an affordable, online associate degree program for para-educators with a focus in blindness.

The program will address issues specific to teaching blind and visually impaired students and help para-educators become more competent and confident in their work. The ultimate beneficiaries will be their blind and visually impaired students.

Why Distance Education?A distance education degree is considered to be the best solution for para-educators across the country because anyone can take advantage of the program, even those in rural areas or those who do not live near a college or university. In addition, a distance education degree will be far more affordable than earning a degree in the traditional format. Staff from Hadley and USU, along with other experts, are creating six blindness-specific courses, which will be coupled with general academic courses offered by USU to make up the two-year degree program, scheduled to be launched in fall 2009.

Hadley is strongly committed to meeting the needs of teachers of blind and visually impaired people. Nearly one-third of our 10,000 students are blindness professionals, and this is the fastest growing segment of our student body. With this associate degree program, we will be well-positioned to offer other courses for college credit in the future, a goal articulated in Hadley’s strategic plan.

This program is supported by grants from the Lavelle Fund for the Blind, The Vision for Tomorrow Foundation, the Reader’s Digest Partners for Sight Foundation, the Shapiro Foundation, HSBC—North America and the Siragusa Foundation.

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Children and their families �) enjoyed snacks as Instructor Sharon Howerton spoke about her guide dog; �) entered to win a jungle gift basket; 3) listened to jungle sounds; and �) tried to identify by touch objects hidden in boxes.

ore than 80 children and their parents “Explored Hadley’s Jungle,” at a community-wide TV Tune Out event on March 4. Participants had their names

brailled, guessed jungle sounds, learned about talking computers and refreshable braille displays, tried vision impairment goggles, explored the sense of touch and saw how braille is produced.

“It was wonderful to see children and parents learning about blindness and Hadley’s mission,” says Susan Dennison, director of development and communications. “We even had families from Deerfield and Glenview join us this year.”

Children took home goodie bags with braille puzzles and riddles, and information about Hadley.

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TV Tune Out 2008: It’s a Hadley Jungle In Here!

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upcoming hadley events

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“Hats Off to Our Volunteers” Hadley Luncheon May �

Woman’s Board Benefit May �

Woman’s Board Spring Luncheon June �

Hadley High School Graduation June ��

Hadley Open House September ��

Hounds for Hadley Dog Walk October �

Annual Meeting, Student Awards and Woman’s Board Tribute Luncheon October ��

www.hadley.edu