Remembering Education Leader Dr. Kathleen M. Huebner
In each issue of AFB Focus, we remember individuals who have made a lasting impression on the field of vision loss and whose work aligns with AFB’s mission to create a world of no limits for people who are blind or have low vision. Former AFB staff member and Migel Medal honoree, Kathleen Mary Huebner, Ph.D., died on October 14, 2023.
Dr. Huebner was a leader in the field of education of children who are blind or have low vision. She joined AFB in 1983 as a national consultant. Over the course of a decade, Dr. Huebner represented AFB on the national stage, holding various positions that furthered the education of people who are blind, deafblind, or have low vision, in addition to her extensive work on improving the quality of teacher training for professionals in the field.
After leaving AFB in 1994, Dr. Huebner joined the faculty of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, now Salus University. While there, she, along with a coalition of representatives from institutions and organizations across the blindness field, worked to establish the National Center for Leadership in Visual Impairment (NCLVI), a federally funded program that addressed the shortage of leaders and faculty in higher education programs encompassing visual impairment.
“One of Kathy’s greatest contributions within the field of blindness was her own leadership toward creating the next generation of leaders in the education of professionals in the field,” said Mark Richert, international program coordinator for the Overbrook School for the Blind.
Richert had the opportunity to work with Dr. Huebner and others as the NCLVI was being established, in his role as the executive director for the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER).
“Kathy was the visionary and catalyst behind the NCLVI and the National Leadership Consortium in Sensory Disabilities (NLCSD),” said Stacy Kelly, Ph.D., professor for Northern Illinois University. Dr. Kelly was one of the early NCLVI fellows who continued to work with the program as it expanded to include other sensory disabilities through NLCSD.
According to Dr. Kelly, the NCLVI has served as a model and as a blueprint for other doctoral and scholar training programs since its inception.
In 2012, Dr. Huebner was awarded the Migel Medal by AFB. In 2020, she was inducted into the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) Hall of Fame. She continued to stay engaged with AFB over the years, playing an instrumental role on the advisory board for AFB’s Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness (JVIB).
“Kathy’s impact is truly immeasurable,” Dr. Kelly added. “She is forever treasured by so many and greatly missed.”
