Seminars@hadley - Family Oriented

Join Seminars@Hadley as Lauri Dishman, a licensed clinical professional counselor, shares tips and tricks for for redirecting the negativity often present in toxic relationships. Larry Muffett, a member of Hadley's Seminars team, will moderate this 60-minute seminar. A question and answer session will be included as part of the seminar.

Just in time for National Grandparents Day, join Seminars@Hadley as three Hadley instructors share suggestions and resources for putting the "grand" back in grandparenting after vision loss.

Join Seminars@Hadley as presenters Allison Conway, TVI/O&M at the Tennessee School for the Blind, and Kim Walker, Hadley instructor and adjunct professor at Trevecca Nazarene University, share strategies you can implement before, and at the beginning of the new school year.

How are your family and friends coping with your vision loss? Is it having an impact on your ability to cope? Join Seminars@Hadley as Lauri Dishman, the Manager of Counseling Services at Second Sense Chicago and a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), shares her insights on both positive and negative support and their effects, and how to effectively deal with difficult situations.

Take a "coffee break" and join Seminars@Hadley as we discuss all things parenting blind. Panelists Tom Babinszki, Sharon Howerton, Sue Melrose and Vicky Prahin are all visually impaired Hadley staff or faculty and active parents with sighted children at a variety of ages. They'll have a few stories to tell and questions of their own. Bring yours to this open 90 minute discussion!

Do you have a family member who is blind or new to vision loss? Have you found yourself putting aside your own feelings and needs to focus on helping your family member in the adjustment process? Join Seminars@Hadley as Rev. James W. Warnke, LCSW, talks about supporting yourself and your family members in the adjustment process.

Cortical visual impairment (CVI) is a complex neurological disorder wherein the eyes and optic nerves appear healthy but the part of the brain that interprets visual signals is not working properly. It is a brain condition, not an eye condition. Join Seminars@Hadley as Dr. Kia Eldred talks about CVI, including information on causes, symptoms, diagnosis and current thought about treatment and intervention.

Senior Vice President Dawn Turco will question a panel of experts on several aspects of the condition including; the genetics of albinism, the low vision associated with albinism, prominent psycho-social issues people with albinism and parents of children with albinism face and educating a child with albinism. The panel will also address the myths and misconceptions about albinism and talk about NOAH (National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation). Panelists include Sheila Adamo, Chair of the NOAH Board of Directors (mother of four, 11 year old son Joey has albinism), Murray Brilliant PhD, Director at the Center for Human Genetics at the Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation, Susan Dalton, M.S.Ed., CVRT, Transition Specialist (mother of two grown children with albinism), Kelsey Thompson, immediate past Chair of the NOAH Board of Directors (a person with albinism) and Michael McGowan, NOAH Executive Director (a person with albinism).

Most of us, at some time in our lives, have felt depressed around the holidays. Even though the holiday season is a time of joy and celebration, sometimes it comes with the unwelcome guests: anxiety, stress and depression. The Rev. James W. Warnke, LCSW, talks about how to recognize and deal with holiday depression. You may just end up enjoying the holidays (or helping someone else enjoy them) more than you thought possible.

Seminars@Hadley is pleased to present this “Let’s Talk” discussion on the unique joys and challenges of raising a child with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Join the conversation with Paula Korelitz and Jen O’Neill. Paula, an experienced vision teacher, is the current Outreach Director for The Association for Retinopathy of Prematurity and Related Diseases (ROPARD). Jen is the mother of six year old Camille who was born 25 weeks premature and has severe ROP.

Celebrate Grandparents Day by joining seminars@Hadley as we share advice and stories on grandparenting. We will explore the loving and unique role of grandparents with “Granny” Alice Raftary (a grandmother with vision loss) and “Grandma” Linda Smatla (a grandmother of a child with vision loss).

This seminar will discuss the importance of learning braille for both children and adults, including information on the value of using braille at school, home, and in the workplace. Join Hadley instructors Debbie Siegel and Susan Fisher in this frank and informative discussion.

Your vision may not be what it was but you are not blind. Some days are better than others and you are always confronted with different visual challenges. To make things worse, your friends and family members do not quite understand that visual abilities range widely from perfect 20/20 vision to total blindness. Join us for Seminars@Hadley as we present "Aging and Low Vision" with Bryan Gerritsen, an orientation and mobility specialist and a certified low vision therapist.

Join us as Seminars@Hadley presents "Challenges of a Parent Who is Visually Impaired." Unique obstacles are common among parents who are visually impaired compared to their sighted peers. Join us as Seminars@Hadley discusses common issues and strategies used by others. Discuss ways to monitor your children's safety, help them with homework, manage transportation, and more. Presenters include L. Penny Rosenblum, Ph.D. and Hadley instructor Susan Melrose.

For many families, the kitchen is the most important place in a home. Often a focal point for family social interaction, the kitchen offers many activities that engage every member of a household: from eating to chores to discussion of day-to-day events. It is also a place for learning and offers smells, tastes, sounds and hands-on experiences, especially essential for children. Safety concerns often discourage parents of visually impaired children from allowing them to participate in kitchen activities. In the upcoming Seminar@Hadley, "Kids in the Kitchen", we will discuss techniques and teaching tips to help caregivers feel comfortable allowing their blind child to participate in cooking and cleaning activities. Please join us and share your own concerns, experiences and ideas. Presenters will be Linn Sorge and Sue Melrose, Hadley instructors, with discussion moderated by Karen Woodfork, Director of Student Services.

The Hadley School for the Blind will host “Braille: Every Day, Every Way,” its first Seminars@Hadley to be broadcast over the Internet Wednesday, April 26, beginning at noon, CDT. The seminar will last approximately 90 minutes and is open to Hadley students already enrolled in the Professional Education and Family Education programs or to professionals in the blindness field. Participants will learn how braille can positively impact the lives of family members who are blind, the importance and value of braille and how braille can be used in everyday life.