Principal who is blind credits “Perkins Wisdom”

“It’s because of Perkins that I became a principal,” said Educator Bill Henderson. “Even though I didn’t go to school here, Perkins helped me.” Individuals from Perkins taught him to read and write braille, told him about the Braille & Talking Book Library and convinced him that being blind can be fun.

Educator Bill Henderson, whose vision loss didn’t stop him from serving for 20 years as principal of an inclusive elementary school, said much of his success came from following what he called “Perkins Wisdom.”

Speaking at the annual Founders Day ceremony at Perkins School for the Blind on Nov. 7, Henderson said Perkins Wisdom consisted of two simple but powerful concepts, “All they see are possibilities, and we’re going to help you get there.”

As an adult, Henderson lost his sight to retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease. He served as principal of the O’Hearn Elementary School in Dorchester, Mass., for 20 years before retiring in 2009.

He wrote a book about his experiences, The Blind Advantage: How Going Blind Made Me a Stronger Principal and How Including Children With Disabilities Made Our School Better for Everyone, published last month by Harvard Education Press.

Before an audience of more than 200 Perkins students, staff and faculty, Henderson credited Perkins for helping him adjust to being blind.

“It’s because of Perkins that I became a principal,” he said. “Even though I didn’t go to school here, Perkins helped me.” Individuals from Perkins taught him to read and write braille, told him about the Braille & Talking Book Library and convinced him that being blind can be fun, he said.

Perkins played another important role in his life, Henderson said – providing the O’Hearn Elementary School with many of its staff members.

“So many of the people we hired at our school – braille teachers, mobility instructors, occupational therapists, special education teachers – were people who had either worked here at Perkins, or had been trained by people here at Perkins,” he said.

Going blind had its challenges, Henderson acknowledged. He was embarrassed to start using a white cane, he said, even as his vision deteriorated. He finally changed his mind one day when he accidently stepped into traffic while carrying his young son, and narrowly missed getting hit.

When he took his cane to work for the first time, he said, “most teachers treated me pretty much the same, which is what I wanted. My students, after some initial surprise, acted as if it were no big deal.”

Students accepted the idea of a blind principal so naturally that when his braille teacher, who also used a white cane, visited his office, students asked the man, “In what school are you the principal?”

“It shows you how quickly perceptions and beliefs can change,” he said. “That’s why it’s important for all of you to get out there and show people what you can do.”

At the O’Hearn Elementary School, about a third of the students have a disability, including blindness, cerebral palsy and attention deficit disorder. Henderson talked about ways his disabled and non-disabled students were able to assist each other, and said, “We all need help sometimes. But we also all have a responsibility to be helpful.”

Inspired by that philosophy of inclusiveness and collaboration, he said, “Our school became one of the best schools academically.” When Henderson retired, the school was renamed the Dr. William W. Henderson Inclusion Elementary School in his honor.

Henderson was introduced by Perkins President Steven Rothstein, who described him as a role model for students. Rothstein summarized Henderson’s message as, “You can do anything you want.”

Rothstein presented Henderson with the first braille copy of The Blind Advantage. Henderson will donate all the proceeds from the book to the Dr. William W. Henderson Inclusion Elementary School.