Hadley Evolves into E-Learning Leader

School Using Technology to Offer Accessible Courses to Blind Adults

Jun 12, 2009

The Internet has leveled many playing fields for the visually impaired, especially in the availability of online courses, for which Hadley is setting the standard.

The Hadley School for the Blind began offering correspondence (later known as “home study”) courses in 1920 and is now a premier distance-learning provider for the blind and visually impaired, with a growing number of online courses offered through its e-Hadley program.

Hadley specializes in adult education: the minimum age for enrollment is 14. The school recently helped a 68-year old earn her high school diploma, and has hundreds of students over the age of 80.

In this interview, which took place by telephone on June 11, 2009,, Dawn Turco, Hadley’s Senior VP of Educational Operations, and Senior Instructional Technologist Michael Harvey talk about Hadley’s educational mission and evolution into an e-learning leader.

Hadley Meeting Demand for Accessible Online Courses

M.H. Several years ago, research indicated that online learning was the wave of the future, since students are becoming more computer literate and adaptive technology is enabling them to do more work from home. We looked at tools and laid out a strategy to make online courses accessible to the blind, an initiative we called e-Hadley.

D.T. Hadley typically creates courses first in print but we always offer students a choice of media (braille, large print, or audio), which is especially important for our large adult population, many of whom have lost sight later in life. Computers make it easy to create large-print documents. More and more blind students are requesting online courses and are getting used to submitting assignments via email.

D.T. Since launching our first course in 2002, nearly 5,000 students have taken courses. As of June 1, 2009, 1,150 were enrolled in classes.

Blind Students Can Take e-Hadley Courses Anytime, Anywhere

M.H. The technical requirements are minimal. Most computers have sound and built-in microphones. The only special equipment low-vision students may need is a screen reader such JAWS or WindowEyes. Also, e-Hadley courses incorporate a Preferences button on the main navigation bar that allows them to increase font size and/or select reverse-contrast to make text more readable.

M.H. Students can take courses from the privacy of home or on the job – it’s anytime, anywhere access and fits a busy person’s lifestyle. Not having to be on a college campus at 8:00 works for many people. And these are not typical independent study courses because there’s an assigned instructor for each course. There’s lots of interaction.

D.T. Seminars offer a different type of interaction: students can chat back and forth with one another – more and more students are picking up the mic. Hadley offers seminars on a variety of topics, from finding employment, to technology, to crock pot cooking and yoga.

D.T. The problem isn’t coming up with ideas, but sorting through the many good ideas we get from students and professionals in the field and prioritizing them based on available resources. Recently, we’ve created some business courses (e.g. Business Communications) as we saw an obvious need, given this economy.

M.H. We put out 6-8 new courses per year and hope to expand that based on funding. Once a course is written, we can get it online in a matter of weeks. We want to do more audio interviews, add video, and do more interfacing with students using discussion forums. We are also expanding e-Hadley into other media, including digital Talking Books.

As technology improves and Hadley’s offerings expand, blind adults will enjoy a convenient means to facilitate lifelong learning.

The copyright of the article Hadley Evolves into E-Learning Leader in Blind Students is owned by Andrew Leibs. Permission to republish Hadley Evolves into E-Learning Leader in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.