Past Hadley President Honored With Award

Winnetka, IL? Dr. Robert J. Winn, past President of The Hadley School for the Blind, received 
the prestigious Douglas C. MacFarland Award from the Association for Education and 
Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired. 

“Receiving the award was a very humbling experience because so many professionals in the field 
of blindness have given so much of themselves to the program,” Dr. Winn said.

Dr. Winn pioneered parent curriculum internationally through The Hadley School for the Blind 
where he retired after serving 19 years as President in 2001. He has also served in several 
significant federal appointments in Washington, D.C. including Director of RSA’s Bureau for the 
Blind and Associate Commissioner over RSA’s funding for blind and other disabilities. His 45 
years of leadership not only impacted the blindness field but the lives of blind people forever. 

“I’ve had the privilege of working in a field in which there are answers to helping blind people 
overcome the resultants of blindness,” he said. “Hadley provided such opportunity to help visually 
impaired persons be successful.”
“Dr. Robert Winn is extremely deserving of this award as he has always had more "vision" then 
his sighted colleagues,” said President of the Hadley School Charles Young. “He envisioned not 
what life is but what life could be for persons with vision loss and has had a career of making this 
vision a reality.” 

The Douglas C. MacFarland Award was established to honor an individual who has provided 
leadership in the field of blindness and visual impairment and who made innovative, significant or 
outstanding contributions to the education or rehabilitation of people who are visually impaired 
through either direct service, professional organizations, research, literature and/or preparation of 
professionals and is retired from the field. These contributions should have had an impact on a 
national or international level.

A reception is planned for Dr. Winn and his wife Linda in September. Persons interested in 
attending should contact The Hadley School for the Blind at 847-784-2751.