Huntley 158’s Kateri Gullifor is featured in a recent story by ABC News on the country’s ongoing shortage of teachers for the visually impaired. Gullifor, who is a vision itinerant and certified orientation and mobility specialist working with students throughout the District, was named the 2019 National Teacher of the Year by the Braille Institute.
The story, which can be found on the Good Morning America website, includes some disheartening statistics. According to the story, less than 10% of legally blind people in the U.S. read Braille, and over 70% of working-age adults with significant vision loss are not employed full time. About 90% of blind or severely visually impaired people who are employed use Braille, but students who could benefit from learning Braille often are unable to learn it in school because of a severe shortage of qualified teachers.
Huntley 158 is fully staffed with three teachers for the visually impaired serving the needs of students throughout the District.
“I feel like if people knew how awesome our job was, [the shortage of Braille educators] would not be the case,” Gullifor told GMA.
Read the full story at goodmorningamerica.com.
