Tower-Fall-2018

FALL 2018 | TOWER 19 Many in the program are recruited by faculty and staff members believing the visual impairment program would be a fit. Such was the case for Lauren Maloney, a junior from Falls, Pa. “I came in as a special education major and saw a presentation on the vision program and started to research it from there. Until then, I had never heard of it,” Maloney said. For senior ChristianWhitehead of Leroy, Pa., entering the visual impairment program was a complete change of course from his original enrollment as a biology major. The seed was planted by his mother who urged him to check it out. She is a graduate of the program who is familiar with Dr. Johnson. “I took a special education class and it felt like it fit, like I was no longer doing work,” Whitehead said. Whitehead is attending graduate school at the University of Pittsburgh, looking to continue learning, and potentially earning his doctorate one day. “I want to learn more to help more people do more things,” he said. “I’d like to be a major part of something.” Sophomore Kendall Graff of Germansville, Pa., is a bit of the exception to the rule when it comes to joining the program. She sought it out. Since she was in 8th grade, Graff has worked with The Seeing Eye, Inc. to train guide dogs for the visually impaired. It all began when she started pestering her parents for a pup of her own, and they instead introduced her to a lady at church who raised the dogs. But it was when a fellow puppy-raiser brought vision goggles to a program one day, simulating what it’s like to be visually impaired, that left a lasting impact on Graff. “After that, my goal was to always be a part of the vision program at KU,” Graff said. A FAMILY AFFAIR The three students, along with sophomore Julia Stitch of Langhorne, Pa., agree that one of the best parts of the program is that because it is so small and concentrated, students never feel like they are going through it alone. “You really build a close connection with the other students,” Stitch said. “Everyone really supports each other.” That includes times when students delve into research projects they are able to later present at conferences in major cities including Boston, Tampa, St. Louis, San Diego and more. Typically attending those conferences is an out-of-pocket expense students bear, but with a recent $35,000 per year, three-year donation from alumna Sharon Maida ’84 and her husband, James, that will no longer always be the case, Johnson said. The funding will also help support recruitment into the program. DR. SHARON MAIDA ’84 never planned on becoming a pioneer in the orientation and mobility of blind and visually impaired children. It was quite by accident when in high school she missed community service registration and wound up reading mail to a blind engineer. That connection has given way to a life of service and philanthropy supporting the education of the visually impaired. Maida earned her undergraduate degree in visual impairment fromKU in December 1983, a semester early, but still maintains her identity as a member of the class of 1984. She went on to earn a master’s degree in orientation and mobility from Boston College, and her doctoral degree from Rutgers University. After great success in the field, Maida never forgot her roots. She has been a staunch supporter of the program, making major contributions over the past 17 years and establishing scholarships more than 30 years ago. Maida’s philanthropy extends well beyond Kutztown and even the United States. She and her husband, James, have established a family foundation to make resources available for the visually impaired. Almost a decade ago, because of her children’s involvement with a high school program, Model Who, Maida and her family became involved with two schools in Kenya: the Thika School for the Blind and St. Joseph’s Kiomiti School for the Blind. Maida sent canes to the schools for visually impaired children, including an instructional video on how to use the canes created by her son and eldest daughter. Maida recently built a women’s dormitory for visually impaired girls, has visited several times and presented multiple workshops. Before visiting, Maida decided to write a storybook that she could leave with the children. One storybook turned into multiple and Maida named the series, “Through Kenyan Eyes.” These books touch on di erent concepts and issues that apply to life as a visually impaired child, and have pushed the limits of societal norms in Kenya, including women’s rights.