Hadley_Centennial_011620

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10 | January 16, 2020 | 22nd century media Hadley at 100 22ndCenturyMedia.com Forsythe Center Helps People with Low Vision Get Back into the Workforce Unemployment among people with disabilities is a serious issue, and this is especially true for people with visual impairments. The National Federation of the Blind reports that over 70% of working age adults with significant vision loss are not employed full time. And the situation is expected to only worsen. The National Eye Institute projects a dramatic increase in the number of Americans with low vision, from 2.9 million in 2010, to 5 million in 2030, and to nearly 9 million in 2050. Although low vision can occur at any age, most people with low vision are over 60 years old. “Because this generation will live longer, many will strive for years to keep their jobs and live independently with low vision,” explains Colleen Wunderlich, director of Hadley’s Forsythe Center for Employment & Entrepreneurship. “I’m concerned Forsythe Center Director Colleen Wunderlich and her guide dog Nora with Sandy Forsythe. because society is not prepared for the increasing numbers of people who will lose their vision 10 to 20 years down the road. It’s been a silent epidemic for a long time.” Through the Forsythe Center, Hadley offers tuition-free courses and online modules that focus on business planning, marketing, basic accounting and financial statement preparation. “Whether someone is seeking a job, wanting a better job, or aspiring to be their own boss, we help develop the business skills needed to be successful,” explains Ms. Wunderlich, who has been with Hadley since 2013 and has been blind since birth. Each year, the Forsythe Center awards $30,000 in grant money to deserving individuals through its ‘New Venture’ competition for entrepreneurship. Wunderlich realized the need for this competition a few years ago when she was teaching a Hadley course on business plans and started seeing a lot of people’s business plans come through. She recalled the “courses to prepare people for business planning and competition” when she earned her MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and set out to create a similar opportunity for Hadley learners. The funding for this award comes from Sandy and Richard Forsythe, who also provided the seed money to start the Forsythe Center at Hadley in 2011. Last year’s winner, Darrel Kirby, is using this award money to build his own multidisciplinary behavioral healthcare practice. (See Kirby’s story on page 11.) “It blows my mind and is simply astounding that there are people out there like Darrel who are able to do what they do,” said Sandy Forsythe, who joined the Hadley’s Woman’s Board shortly after moving to Winnetka in 1983. “Knowing our name is at the forefront of this program is such a great feeling. We recognize that it is working and has helped so many people.” Sandy knows the difficulties that come with living with a loved one with vision loss. Her husband, Rick, who started his own company, Forsythe Technologies in 1971, developed macular degeneration in 2004 at the age of 65. “The one thing that I’ve learned about blindness and people is that they want their dignity, they want to contribute to society, and plain and simple, they want a job,” adds Forsythe. “We are thankful to help open this door to them.” As the only program of its kind, the Forsythe Center for Employment & Entrepreneurship is continually growing and developing new coursework to go along with a new online portal. Wunderlich gleams with pride when asked about the Forsythe Center’s accomplishments. “I’m proud of our entrepreneurs,” she says. “They make this program successful. We are so honored to have touched well over 200 businesses in different phases of the development process.” For more information on the Forsythe Center for Employment & Entrepreneurship, visit https://www.hadley.edu/fce or call (800) 323-4238. Corbin Capital Partners, L.P. is pleased to honor the work of the We are proud to support Hadley. We applaud the organization’s mission to create personalized new skills, and empower people to thrive. Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired by supporting its Centennial Celebration 333 W. Wacker Drive | 6th Floor Chicago, IL 60606 (312) 818-4300 2801 Lakeside Drive | 3rd Floor Bannockburn, IL 60015 (847) 374-0400 © 2019 FGMK, LLC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. VISIT US FGMK.COM An Active Approach to Hedge Fund Investing www.corbincapital.com
22ndCenturyMedia.com Hadley at 100 22nd century media | January 16, 2020 | 11 Iowa City Man Wins 2019 New Venture Competition When Darrel Kirby was a junior at the University of Iowa his life was turned completely upside down. Studying to earn a degree in psychology, Kirby, a diabetic since childhood, began losing his sight and within a few months would be completely blind due to detached retinas that didn’t respond to treatment. “The most difficult part of going blind is losing your independence. I was devastated,” said Kirby. Kirby left school and returned home, hoping for answers but became isolated and depressed. “(Before losing my sight) I was sociable, had a lot of friends, was willing to take risks and try all sorts of new adventures,” he explained. “Suddenly, I was scared to do those things. I was scared to leave my apartment, and friends didn’t know how to interact Darrel Kirby accepts his award at Hadley’s 2019 Student Awards. with me.” Eventually, he found help and inspiration from others in the blindness community, giving him the motivation to return to school and reimagine his life. He also learned that he didn’t necessarily have to give up on all of the dreams he had before he lost his vision. Darrel returned to school, earned his master’s degree in social work and became a licensed independent social worker and certified drug and alcohol counselor. Over the next eleven years he worked as a counselor at agencies in the Iowa City area. These were positive and rewarding experiences, but Darrel aimed to move into private practice because it allows for greater flexibility, improved financial prospects and the opportunity to work with clients long-term. He also recognized that Iowa City needs more therapists with experience working with college students, expertise handling issues such as substance abuse and eating disorders, and with diverse identities and backgrounds. So, Darrel joined forces with a colleague to start Thrive Behavioral Health, LLC. Hadley’s Forsythe Center was key to making this a reality. As he describes it, “My vision and this dream were the outline and it was like someone gave me crayons, and I was coloring it in, and it was coming to life. Now, I am so much better prepared and have a sense of where we are going because of the detail and direction that the courses demanded of me.” In June of 2019, Kirby won the Hadley ‘New Venture Competition’ for his business plan and $30,000 in prize money. Kirby will use this award to grow the business. He shares, “it will help us to hire the qualified therapists we want to attract and will help Thrive be the business that I really want it to be.” However, the experience goes beyond the prize money. Darrel states, “No matter what happened with the competition, discovering Hadley and completing the classes and having the business plan was an enormous gift.” VISION LOSS From Page 9 comfort and convenience of their homes. And, because they also have the opportunity to learn from and interact with others across the Hadley community through our forums and discussion groups, the experience of vision loss becomes less lonely and isolating. Scheduled to launch in spring 2020, Hadley’s updated learning platform will feature offerings tailored to meet the needs of older adults new to vision loss. These dynamic, engaging and interactive experiences will allow learners to go at their own pace, practice their knowledge and learn through scenariobased settings with real-life applications. Help will be immediate to donate please visit and accessible so learning can begin right away. Resources will be available 24/7 from the comfort and convenience of the learner’s home. When assistance is needed, Hadley learning experts will be there. And, as always, this learning will be free of charge to people with vision loss and their families. While Hadley expands its focus to assist the growing population of older adults new to vision loss, we will also enhance the learning experience for all the people we have been serving for the past century. We are always improving and are committed to meeting learners where they live and where they are— with applicable knowledge and practical solutions to help them thrive at work, at home and in their communities. www.Hadley.edu/2020 Hadley, 700 Elm Street, Winnetka, IL 60093
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