The Daily Southtown
June 21, 2002

Graduate lost vision, but never sight of goal 
Friday, June 21, 2002
By Paige Fumo Fox
Staff writer 

It was a tiny ceremony by most standards, but the emotion and effort that led to 
it was just the same as any high school commencement. On June 12, six men and 
women from six states marched into the Winnetka Woman's Club wearing green gowns 
and mortarboard caps to celebrate earning their high school diplomas from the 
Hadley School for the Blind. Among them was 48-year-old Chicago Heights resident 
Elsie Guyton. "It was a great experience after all these years returning to 
school to get my diploma," Guyton said. 

The six graduates had all completed their requirements within the last year, 
said Hadley spokeswoman Holly Goldin. It was the first time the school held a 
ceremony, but with the success of the June 12 event, she anticipates it will 
become an annual affair.

For Guyton, there was a long break between his freshman year and graduation day. 
When he was a junior at Bloom High School in the early 1970s, he began to lose 
his sight. "The doctors, after a long time of study, they discovered it was an 
inherited thing," Guyton said. Over the course of about eight months, his  
eyesight faded to the point where he could see large objects and could read very 
large print if he wrote it in marker. Frustrated with his visual impairment and 
not finding the support he needed at school, he dropped out.

"I don't think I had the full knowledge of a school that could be of any help to 
the blind or impaired," he said. "It's been very difficult to deal with, but 
somehow or other, by the grace of God, I was able to get through." 

Over the years, he received vocational training at the Illinois Visually 
Handicapped Institute and its successor, Illinois Center for Rehabilitation and 
Education. He also received training and worked on an assembly line for the 
Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind. 

With the training and the steady employment, thoughts of returning to school 
stayed in the back of his mind. Beginning in the early 1990s, the work at the 
Lighthouse became somewhat sporadic, and Guyton began taking classes through 
Hadley during lay-offs. 

The Winnetka-based school offers distance education to about 10,000 students in 
all 50 states and about 100 countries. Depending on their visual abilities, 
students can receive lessons in large-print format, in Braille or on cassette. 
In addition to academic courses needed to complete a high school education, 
Hadley offers enrichment classes, such as gardening or conversational Spanish, 
and on life skills, like classes on how to adjust to blindness and live 
independently. The school also offers classes for spouses or family members of 
visually impaired people to help them make adjustments in their lives or learn 
Braille. 

On an off, Guyton took courses via cassette, picking up the courses he needed. 
Karen Gearreald taught Guyton in his speech and business law classes. They 
corresponded between his Chicago Heights home and her office in Virginia by 
mailing cassettes and by phone. 

Despite not meeting in person, Gearreald said she got to know Guyton and 
describes him as a very nice man and very thoughtful student. Gearreald herself 
attended Hadley in 1957 and was a full-time employee at the Winnetka location 
for a few years before a 20-year career as a federal government civil service 
attorney. 

A fan of biography, autobiography and history, Guyton is an avid listener to 
"talking books." He's currently listening to the life story of Marvin Gaye, 
which touches on another interest of his: music. He enjoys mostly gospel and 
inspirational music, and he sings in his church, Calvary Missionary Baptist 
Church in Chicago Heights, where he is a deacon. 

With a freshly inked diploma in hand, Guyton is looking for a full-time job. If 
he doesn't find one, he is considering going to college, perhaps at Prairie 
State College, where he took a couple courses for his Hadley requirements. 
Perhaps he'll become a social worker or counselor who works with the visually 
impaired -- though he wouldn't mind studying music, either. "He's a wonderful 
gentleman and will continue to be a great blessing to his community, church and 
everyone he comes in contact with," Gearreald said. 

Whichever route he chooses, Guyton is glad that he'll be backed up by a diploma. 
"I always had it in the back of my mind to go back to school. I was caught up in 
a situation where once my vision went bad, I didn't know how I would be able to 
handle it," Guyton said. He admits he doesn't like to ask for help. Hadley 
turned out to be a good match. "It was the right school at the right time," he 
said.