The Hadley School for the Blind's Student Handbook provides prospective and current students with essential information on a variety of topics. Those topics include contact information, an overview of the school, and policies and procedures. Reading the Student Handbook in its entirety will help you be a more successful student.
If you prefer a hard copy of the Student Handbook, download the Student Handbook in RTF Summer 2007 file and print it at your convenience.
Contact Information
Overview of the Hadley School
Policies and Procedures
Study Suggestions
Note: Contact information for the instructor of a course is enclosed with the course materials.
Use the following phone numbers to contact your instructor or the receptionist:
Use the following phone numbers to contact a Student Services representative:
Use the following number to send a fax: 847-446-0855. Always include your full name, the date, and the name of the person receiving the fax.
Use the following mailing address to send something to the school. Always include your full name and return address on the envelope.
The Hadley School for the Blind
700 Elm Street
Winnetka, IL 60093-2554
U.S.A.
Use the following email addresses according to the nature of your inquiry:
Most faculty and staff have individual email addresses. Ask the person you want to contact for his or her email address. You also may find this information on our Web site at www.hadley.edu.
The mission of The Hadley School for the Blind is to promote independent living through lifelong, distance education programs for blind people, their families and blindness service providers.
The Hadley School for the Blind is dedicated to helping you on your way toward education and fulfillment. The logo of the Hadley School symbolizes this mission. It shows three people who represent three generations: a child, a middle-aged person, and an older adult reading a braille book together. The braille letters H and S appear on the book. Wrapped around this logo is the phrase "Lifelong Learning Since 1920."
Distance education is teaching that is designed for learners who live at a distance from the education provider. The Hadley School offers instruction through a variety of media, including large print, braille, audio, and the Internet. After a student completes a lesson, he or she submits the assignment via postal mail, fax, or email to an instructor for grading and comments. Strong independent-study skills and discipline are required for success with distance learning.
We at the Hadley School would like our students to focus on the opportunity to gain knowledge, rather than on grades. People take our courses because they want to learn.
The instructors work as teachers, coaches, mentors, guides, and resources. You, as the student, are required to
The Hadley School believes in students being responsible for their own education. If you carefully read the course materials, take notes, and follow directions on the assignments, you should successfully complete your course.
The Hadley School for the Blind offers nearly 100 courses across four program areas:
We are continually developing and updating courses relevant to the needs of individuals who are visually impaired, their families, and professionals and volunteers who work in the blindness field or directly with those who are visually impaired. To obtain a course catalog, contact Student Services at 800-526-9909. Or access the information online at www.hadley.edu.
Accreditation gives public recognition to institutions that meet certain educational standards. This process assures students that an institution operates on a sound financial basis, and advertises its courses truthfully. Furthermore, accredited institutions have approved programs of study, qualified instructors, adequate facilities and equipment, and effective admission policies. Hadley's distance education accreditation means that we have voluntarily undergone a comprehensive evaluation and peer examination. Our successful completion of that process demonstrates that we meet the established standards required by our accreditors.
The Hadley School for the Blind has been accredited by
If you need help or information, you can call us, email us, or visit our Web site. Hadley students can also use the Online Automated Student Information System (OASIS). For phone numbers and email addresses, refer to "Contact Information" at the beginning of this handbook.
Prior to calling the Hadley School, it is helpful to know the purpose of your call and which department or individual you need.
Ask for Student Services (or use OASIS as described later) if
Ask for your course instructor if
Ask for the receptionist if
The school's Web site, www.hadley.edu, is designed for easy access and navigation by people who use access technology. You can use the Web site to
For efficient communication with the Hadley School, you are encouraged to use OASIS. By simply logging on, you can have easy and secure access to your personal information and records 24 hours a day, seven days a week. OASIS allows you to do many things, including the following:
To use the system, you need access to the Internet and an email account, and you need to register at our Web site at www.hadley.edu.
The school's hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM through 4:30 PM Central Time.
We observe the following U.S. holidays:
The school is closed for a two-week winter break from the end of December through the beginning of January. For specific details, contact the school.
This section discusses the various policies and procedures of The Hadley School for the Blind, including general guidelines, course design, assignment guidelines, grades, credits, and equipment.
Hadley Adult Continuing Education and High School students enjoy the privilege of taking courses at no cost. In return, the school asks students to abide by the following guidelines:
Courses may differ in style, but most have common features that aid the learning process. If at any time you feel uncertain about the lesson material or assignment directions, you may contact your instructor to ask for help.
Most course materials consist of an overview, lessons, and assignments. The overview explains the course and any unique features, as well as presents a brief list of what you will learn in each lesson.
The lesson is divided into manageable reading sections. Most courses include section reviews, self-tests, or practice activities to help you assess your knowledge. These occur either after each reading section or after all the readings, and they are for your own benefit. The lessons provide the answers for these types of activities. These activities help indicate whether you have mastered the material and may move to the next section or if you need to review the material before continuing. You do not need to send your answers to these activities to your instructor. In addition, each lesson includes a lesson summary.
Finally, almost every lesson concludes with an assignment for you to work on independently. Assignments typically have multiple parts, such as the following:
Once you have finished the assignment, you submit it to the instructor for review and grading. The instructor provides you feedback on your assignment, explaining any items you missed and giving more clarification if needed. This feedback may contain additional resource information and answers to any questions you asked.
Some courses use study guides. Such courses include a stand-alone textbook or other reading material as well as the study guide. An accompanying letter provides directions for proceeding through the material. The study guide leads you through the textbook or other material. It explains which pages in the textbook or other material you should read and in what order. The study guide also contains section reviews, self-tests, or practice activities, as well as assignments.
The Hadley School's online courses, called eHadley, contain all of the same course elements and features as the braille, cassette, and large print course materials. Some eHadley courses may have additional features, such as audio clips, short videos, Web site links, and other tools. In general, you submit eHadley assignments online.
Students need a basic knowledge of computers and to be comfortable using their computer prior to enrolling in an eHadley course. To access a course, students must also provide the Hadley School with a current email address. We ask that students contact Student Services to update their information if their email address changes.
Students enrolled in eHadley courses take their own responsibility for printing or saving any course content for future reference. Once a student completes an eHadley course, he or she no longer can access nor be re-enrolled in that course. Also, paper course materials are not provided.
Read the following guidelines carefully for successful completion of Hadley course assignments.
You are expected to send your first assignment or course-related communication within sixty days of enrollment in the course. If you do not, you will be sent a follow-up letter. Automatic cancellation occurs if the school receives no communication from you within four months of enrollment. Students outside the United States are allowed extra time.
You are expected to submit the second assignment one month after receiving your instructor's feedback. While you are encouraged to continue your studies in the meantime, do not send the second assignment until you receive and review the feedback on the first.
Refer to the course's Welcome Letter or ask the instructor to find out if you can submit multiple assignments after you have received feedback on the first assignment. Requirements vary by course. If your instructor does not allow the submission of multiple assignments, any additional ones sent at the same time may be returned with no grade.
Sending in multiple assignments before receiving feedback may increase repeated errors, resulting in ineffective learning and lower grades. You can avoid such errors by reviewing the instructor's feedback on an assignment before doing the next assignment. In addition, some courses build upon concepts from one lesson to the next. Also, the instructor may need to alert you to any particularly difficult, challenging, or changed material in a subsequent lesson or assignment.
Use the following guidelines if you are submitting assignment answers on audiocassette:
Further guidelines on using audio recorders are available from Student Services upon request.
Keep copies of your submitted assignments. Use the following guidelines for making copies.
Braille
Insert two pieces of paper together into the braillewriter or slate, preferably a regular sheet of braille paper and a thinner sheet of paper. Keep the thinner sheet as a copy for your records. Or you can read and record your answers on cassette.
Audiocassette
After you have recorded your lessons, use another cassette player to record what was said. Be sure to send the better-sounding cassette to the instructor for grading. Or you can make a duplicate cassette by connecting a patch cord from the output jack on the player with the master cassette to the input jack of the second recorder with the blank cassette. Press Play on the first machine and Record on the second. Be sure the cassettes used in each machine are of the same length.
Photocopy the assignments on a copy machine before submitting the original to your instructor.
Computer
Do not delete the word-processed assignment documents or emails from your Sent Email box until your course is complete and you have received a final grade.
Always follow specific instructions in the course for sending assignments. A course's welcome letter indicates the acceptable means of assignment submission.
General Mail Guidelines
Use the following procedures to mail your assignments:
Sending Braille
If you are mailing a brailled assignment, note the following:
Emailing Assignments
To speed up the assignment submission process, the Hadley School encourages students to submit their assignments via email. All Hadley instructors have a direct email address. The instructor's email address is listed on the contact card enclosed in the course material. Email information can also be found at our Web site at www.hadley.edu or by contacting Student Services.
Emailed assignment submissions must include the course name and lesson number directly in the subject line. In an effort to avoid computer viruses and junk email, instructors are encouraged to discard emails that do not include the course name and lesson number in the subject line.
Faxing Assignments
If you send your assignments via fax, make sure the first page clearly indicates your name, the course title, the instructor's name, the lesson number, and the date. The other pages should at minimum include your name. Also, numbering each page is helpful.
This section outlines the Hadley School's general grading policies.
Hadley courses and assignments that do not use the letter system are graded
S for satisfactory or U for unsatisfactory.
Hadley courses that are graded by letter use the following system:
A = excellent 90–100
B = above average 80–89
C = average 70–79
D = below average 60–69
F = fail below 60
When you complete any course with a grade of A, B, C or S, you receive a certificate. No certificate is awarded for diagnostic or placement tests.
Read assignment directions carefully. The instructor may require a student to redo an assignment if he or she believes the student misunderstood the directions. This results in the assignment being considered NG, for "no grade." Only two NGs can be given for any assignment. The third time the same assignment is submitted without improvement, that assignment must be given a grade other than NG.
Also, an instructor will ask a student to redo an assignment that received a D or F grade (and in some cases a U). The resubmitted assignment is graded and then reduced one full grade to account for the privilege of redoing that assignment.
Persistent poor performance in a course may result in an enrollment being terminated.
If a student does not start or withdraws from a course, one of the codes discussed in this section is recorded in the student's permanent transcript. Note: If a combination of any two non-starts or cancellations in succession occurs, the student is prohibited from enrolling in another course for three months. A history of non-starts, cancellations, and withdrawals may result in the revoking of the student's enrollment in the school.
Non-Start (NS)
A student is a non-start if he or she fails to send a lesson or any communication within 60 days of enrollment. A grade of NS will appear on the transcript.
Cancellation (X)
A cancellation is recorded on a student's transcript if he or she fails to submit assignments in a timely manner, seriously neglects course work, or consistently performs poorly. A cancellation can be initiated by either the student or the instructor.
Withdrawal/Satisfactory (WS)
A final grade of withdrawal/satisfactory (WS) is given under special circumstances and only if the student meets specific criteria. The instructor, at his or her discretion, can grant a WS if
Consult your instructor for more details. WS is reflected on the permanent transcript. No certificate is issued for a course that receives this final grade.
Withdrawal/Transfer (WT)
A final grade of withdrawal/transfer (WT) is given in special circumstances. To receive a WT, the student must meet both of the following criteria:
A cancellation (X) is recorded instead if the student does not transfer to the needed course immediately, wants to drop the course for lack of interest or commitment, or no such course is offered.
We take plagiarism very seriously. Copying entire paragraphs from the course or other sources when asked to provide essay answers is considered plagiarism. If you provide assignment answers that are taken directly from the course or other documents without citing the source or using quotation marks, the assignment is returned with no grade. Also, you are asked to redo the assignment using your own words. If you plagiarize a second time, the assignment receives an F. A third occurrence of plagiarism leads to disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion from the school.
If you have a dispute with your instructor regarding an assignment or final course grade, you may appeal it after first attempting to resolve it with your instructor. If you are still not satisfied, you may appeal to the dean of educational programs and instruction, who will review the issue and talk with both you and the instructor. The dean will make a decision within five business days. If you are still unsatisfied, the dean will bring the situation to the attention of the senior vice president of educational operations. A decision made at this level is final.
Students in good standing can enroll in additional courses. Students who have at least three assignments graded by the instructor for their current course and whose grades are in the Hadley database are in good standing. Each of these grades must be a B or higher, or an S. The three most recent assignment grades are considered first. In addition, students must have a record of turning in assignments on time, as well as a history of completing their Hadley courses.
Students in the Adult Continuing Education and High School programs must be in good standing before enrolling in an additional course. A student may be enrolled in no more than three courses at one time. In rare cases, High School Program students may receive special permission from the high school coordinator to enroll in more than three courses. Contact Student Services for details.
High School Program students get credit through Carnegie Units. If you do not have a high school diploma and you are a U.S. resident, you can earn a nationally recognized, general high school diploma from the Hadley School. To graduate from the High School Program, you are required to complete 16 Carnegie Units:
English 3 units
Science 2 ½ units
Math 1 ½ units
Social Studies 2 units
Electives 7 units
Students who are preparing for college may be required to complete additional Hadley courses or course work through other institutions.
The Hadley School accepts most high school credits previously gained. If you earned high school credits from another U.S. school, send a copy of your transcript(s) with your application so that your credits may be validated. Adjustments to the preceding requirements will be made based on accepted prior credit. If you are interested in the High School Program and would like more information, call, write, or email Student Services.
If you are currently enrolled in a local high school program and wish to supplement your course work with Hadley studies, complete the enrollment process for the High School Program. Confer with your local school officials, and inform them that you wish to transfer credit upon completion of your Hadley course. We ask that you obtain their approval of your course selection prior to submitting the enrollment application to Hadley.
Read the following to familiarize yourself with the expectations concerning equipment and course materials.
The Hadley School does not provide basic equipment or supplies. You are responsible for items such as an audio player or recorder, blank audiocassettes, a braillewriter, a typewriter, paper, and envelopes. Students not eligible for Free Matter for the Blind mailing provide their own postage on all mailings to the school. In some cases, extra postage may be necessary and is the full responsibility of the student.
Most Hadley course materials are shipped within two business days. Students who reside within North America should receive their course materials within two weeks from when the school mails them. Materials sent outside of North America may take more time for delivery.
Hadley course materials are for the sole use of its students. They are not to be duplicated, sold, or otherwise transferred. Respecting the copyright notices in all Hadley material is required for continued enrollment in the school.
Students should return course materials only when instructed to do so. Do not return course materials before receiving the instructor's feedback for your final assignment. Clear instructions for returning materials will be provided, as necessary.
Should you choose not to take a course after receiving it or if your enrollment in a course is canceled, return the unused materials to the Mailroom at The Hadley School for the Blind.
The study setting, tools, and techniques you use will make a difference in your success as you learn through distance education. The following suggestions will help you organize your work, absorb the information more efficiently, and discipline yourself:
Copyright © 2008 The Hadley School for the Blind. All rights reserved.