The Blind Advantage How Going Blind Made Me a Stronger Principal and How Including Children with Disabilities Made Our School Better for Everyone

Bill Henderson
paper, 198 Pages
Pub. Date: Oct 2011
ISBN-13: 978-1-61250-109-3
Price: $24.95

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cloth, 198 Pages
Pub. Date: Oct 2011
ISBN-13: 978-1-61250-110-9
Price: $44.95

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audio book, MP3 download
Pub. Date: Oct 2011
ISBN-13: 978-1-61250-246-5
Price: $24.95

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The Blind Advantage provides insight into the challenges, possibilities, and practicalities of including students with disabilities—and into the mind and heart of an inspired and determined leader.


Praise

In an age when the word ‘hero’ is overused, Bill Henderson clearly deserves the title. Long before most educators embraced the concept of inclusion, Bill built a school that became a model of equity and excellence. This book offers a rare glimpse of a highly effective school leader.       — Thomas Hehir, professor of practice, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Bill Henderson, a pioneer in inclusive urban school leadership, provides an honest, practical, and joyful guide to what it takes to make inclusion work organizationally and instructionally. A must-read for educators and parents!       — David P. Riley, executive director, Urban Special Education Leadership Collaborative

Henderson provides an honest, heartfelt account of his experiences coping with vision loss and his leadership in the inclusive education movement. He offers practical advice and guidance for parents and educators. The Blind Advantage should be a required acquisition for public, academic, and special library collections.       — Kim Charlson, library director, Braille & Talking Book Library, Perkins School for the Blind

Bill Henderson’s book artfully blends his personal narrative about gradually becoming blind, the counterintuitive effect this had on his work as a principal, and his school’s success in including children with severe special needs in regular classrooms. The heart of Bill’s book is a series of case studies that show how inclusion can be transformational for students—and for the adults who serve them.       — Kim Marshall, former Boston Public School principal and editor of the Marshall Memo

Bill uses humor, honesty and sensitivity to narrate the story of the incredible journey of starting an inclusive elementary school. This book is a must read for educators seeking to provide inclusive educational opportunities for students of ALL abilities.       — Tricia Lampron, principal, Dr. William W. Henderson Inclusion Elementary School

About the Author

Bill Henderson was an educator in the Boston Public Schools for 36 years. He was appointed principal of the Patrick O’Hearn Elementary School in 1989 with a mandate to develop an inclusive program, and he remained its leader for 20 years.


Comments

CONGRATULATIONS, Bil​l!!! Thanks for to g​ive to us your big e​xperience!!!

Norm​a Pastorino, ASAERCA​ - Argentina​

— Norma Pastorino

Congratulations on t​he publication of yo​ur new book, Bill! ​I've visited your sc​hool and came away i​ncredibly impressed.​ You show the world​ that real inclusion​ is not only possibl​e but really the onl​y authentic way to g​o!

— Thomas Armstrong

Congratulations, Bil​l. We were so fortun​ate to overlap with ​you at the Hernandez​ for several years. ​Great interview on t​he radio.​

— Jenny Silverman

Bill Henderson is an​ amazing person. I ​was lucky enough to ​meet him at the Harv​ard Graduate school ​of Education's Unive​rsal Design for Lear​ning summer institut​e. I'm really looki​ng forward to readin​g his book. ​

— Don McMahon

Our years worling tp​gether have been unf​orgettable! I learn​ more from you in a ​ten minute conversat​ion than Keep uson o​ur toes 'hijo de gal​lina'.​

— Margarita Muñiz

Among his many other​ commitments, Bill H​enderson is a valued​ Trustee at National​ Braille Press, wher​e he reminds us time​ and again that ever​yone has gifts - if ​only we have eyes to​ see.​

— Diane Croft

I had the opportunit​y to work with Bill ​in the 90's doing S​killful Leader train​ing. Bill was going ​blind but he was sim​ultaneously developi​ng his vision. Thi​s book should be rea​d by sighted adminis​trators to learn abo​ut school leadership​. ​

— Andy Platt

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