Larchmonter is "Teacher of the Year" for the Blind

by Judy Silberstein

(November 29, 2006) “Teacher of the Year” is a new title for Shelley Homsy, a long-term Larchmont resident and social studies teacher at the New York Institute for Special Education (formerly the NY School for the Blind) in the Bronx. She earned the distinction for teachers of the blind and visually impaired at an award ceremony held last month by the Council of Schools for the Blind in Louisville, Kentucky.

Shelley Homsy displays the plaque naming her "Teacher of the Year" by the Council of Schools for the Blind.

“I’m really proud to have won this year because it is also the school’s 175th anniversary,” said Ms. Homsy.“This is very special.”

She was nominated for the honor by her principal, Joseph Catavero. But nomination was only the first step in a multi-part application that required numerous supporting documents.

“She’s a model for what is envisioned in No Child Left Behind Legislation,” wrote Eugene McMahon, Ed.D, the director of her school, in a letter to the council supporting her selection. “She knows what to teach, and how to teach children with blindness or visual impairment,” he wrote, adding, “She is an expert in social studies and possesses a broad and deep understanding of content.“

Dr. McMahon’s comments referred to the way Ms. Homsy regularly adapts her teaching style and techniques to accommodate the abilities of her students. Typically, her class has six students, but each has a different level and type of impairment. “I teach the same subject, but differently with each student.,” she explained.

It is often more challenging for her to help students with visual impairments than to assist those who are totally blind. For example, she worked with one girl who had lost her vision as a teenager following a medical procedure and treatment with medication that left her blind.

“She came to us as a high school student and now has to take the high school curriculum. She’s now learning Braille – and she is learning it, but is nowhere near the level needed to meet the rigorous demands of a Regents Global Studies curriculum. I’ve taught her to use a tape recorder to play back the material,” said Ms. Homsy. The girl is also learning with tactile graphics – special maps that Ms. Homsy individualizes for her students so they can feel the mountains, boundaries of countries, rivers and other features.

Shelley Homsy devises tactile maps, like the large globe
behind her, to accommodate individual student' needs.

“You never know who is going to come in and what their needs will be,” said Ms. Homsy.

Ms. Homsy comes to the classroom having graduated from the University of Pittsburg with a degree in Special Education and certification in teaching the blind and visually impaired. Early on she worked with newborn blind infants and taught parents how to keep up with the babies' early milestones. After a break to raise her own two children, she began working in 1993 at the NY Institute teaching Global Studies I and II, US History and Government and Economics.

An important part of her job is preparing her students for the NY Regents exams. At the award ceremony in Kentucky, when Mr. Calavero introduced her, he noted that more than 90% of her students have passed the Regents or RCT standardized tests.

In addition to helping individual students succeed, Ms. Homsy has worked to raise awareness of biases that hinder performance of the blind and visually impaired on these high stakes standardized tests.

For example, the tests contain a lot of graphs, political cartoons and graphics that are difficult for students to discern. Graphs with small grids are a particular problem for many students. Grasping the nuances of a political cartoon may be impossible if the details are left out of an oral description provided for visually impaired students.

She wrote an article a year ago published by NASD (National Association of Special Education Directors) on “Visually Impaired and Blind Students Struggle Against Bias on High Stakes Tests.” In addition, she has attended workshops with publishers attempting to find solutions.

With all that, she also finds time to serve as student council advisor, help organize proms for her students and produce the senior year book – both in print and in Braille.

“I just love what I do” said Ms. Homsy. “If I retired I think I would just read to the blind – I love every aspect of the field from newborn to preparing them for college.”

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