Blind Man's Legacy Continues to Teach After Almost 90 Years

After losing his vision at 55, former high school teacher William A. Hadley was faced with the challenges that are realized by all of us who lose our vision or are born blind. One of his greatest sources of frustration was the lack of educational opportunities available for the blind. 

After teaching himself braille, Mr. Hadley decided that he could help other vision impaired individuals learn much needed communication skills. With the help of his neighbor and ophthalmologist Dr. E.V.L. Brown the idea of teaching by mail was conceived. In this manner he could teach those who may otherwise be out of reach of a reasonable education. 

In 1920 Mr. Hadley mailed his first braille course to a Kansas women desperate to be able to read again, he would personally teach this first student. Over the next 21 years until his death in 1941 the school grew to 800 enrolled students. Today the Hadley School for the Blind’s annual enrollment is over ten thousand students from every U.S. state and 100 countries around the world. Mr. Hadley’s legacy has grown from one student in 1920 to become the largest international source of education for the blind and vision impaired. 

High school as well as other educational programs are available to students 14 years old and up and are offered free of charge to those who are vision impaired and there families. The high school program allows students to take course in media suitable for the vision impaired. Class materials are available in large print, braille, cassette, and in many cases online. Enrolling in the high school program at Hadley gives the vision impaired student the added benefit of blindness specific classes that may not be available at there local school, braille, independent living for the blind, and mobility just to name a few. 

Hadley’s Adult Continuing Education program offers a variety of courses for the blind including braille and academic studies to independent living, life adjustment , technology and recreation. These classes are designed to help in adjusting to life after vision loss, employability and independent living for those of us who lose our vision as adults, as well as learning for the simple joy of learning. Hadley also offers the Family Education Program for family members of the blind and vision impaired. This program is available to the parents of blind children as well as family members of blind adults. 

The Hadley School for Professional studies is designed to teach volunteers, teachers and paraprofessionals new to the blindness field the skills to interact and educate the vision impaired. Some of the topics covered are early independence for blind children, understanding common causes of blindness, and independent living and mobility. Tuition for professional studies ranges from $99 to $139 (modest by any standards). The number of students enrolled in these classes has grown from around 300 annually in 1997 to 3000 annually as of January 2008. 

The Hadley School is accredited by The North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement, The Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council, and The Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation. 

The Hadley School for the Blind has continued to offer free classes to the blind and vision impaired and there families by relying on gifts and donations from individuals, corporations and community organizations willing to support there efforts. 

I can’t help but wonder if when Mr. Hadley mailed that first lesson to his only student almost 90 years ago if he could have imagined what that would lead to.