Distinguished Educator of Blind Students Presentation

Presented by Carla McQuillan

From the Editor: Carla McQuillan has been the chairperson of this award committee for many years because she consistently does a fine job of running it and her team excels in finding qualified educators. Here was what Carla and the 2024 winner said at the board meeting held July 5, 2024:

CARLA: Thank you, Mr. President. Every year the National Federation of the Blind honors a teacher of blind students for going above and beyond everyone’s expectations to meet the needs of their students. This year’s distinguished educator comes from the great state of Texas!
This was a tough one this year. We had several very qualified candidates, but when you get letters from Norma Crosby and Emily Gibbs like I saw and the committee saw, it is absolutely the correct person we have in this seat today.

Before I move on, I would like to thank all of the members of the committee for the Distinguished Educator of the Year Award for participating, going through applications, and making decisions that will ultimately thank and reward the individual who has really shown attention to the students she serves.

This individual teaches at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI). She runs the day program for students there.

I think to sum it up the best was a quotation from one of her students, Madison Flores, who said, "She told me that I was in the driver’s seat, and that has stuck with me."

So this year’s Distinguished Educator of Blind Students is—Dori Senatori! [Applause]

The Distinguished Educator of the Year gets the opportunity to speak to our National Organization of Parents of Blind Children at their annual business meeting which will take place this afternoon. She also has her expense paid for this convention and will receive a check that I have in hand for $1,000. [Applause]

In addition, we have a plaque that is in both print and Braille. The plaque reads:

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND HONORS

Dori Senatori

As Distinguished Educator of Blind Students

For your skills in teaching Braille and other alternative techniques of blindness, for graciously devoting extra time to meet the needs of your students, and for empowering your students to perform beyond their expectations.

YOU CHAMPION OUR MOVEMENT. YOU STRENGTHEN OUR HOPES. YOU SHARE OUR DREAMS.

July 5, 2024

[Applause]

Now for a few words, Dori.

DORI: Thank you, Carla. I just want to start off by thanking Norma Crosby, Emily Gibbs, Mika Baugh, Kaylee Joiner, and Liz Wisecarver for nominating me, and the National Federation of the Blind for such an incredible recognition and award. I’m incredibly honored to be selected as this year’s Distinguished Educator of Blind Students. To be recognized by the NFB is extremely significant to me. I always work hard to ensure that my students have the services and supports they need, including widened perspectives, to help them shape a plan for the life they want to live.

As Carla mentioned, currently I’m the day student coordinator in Austin at the Texas School for the Blind. Yay, Austin! For the last eight years, I was in our Eighteen Plus Program, Experiences in Transition program, also known as EXIT. That’s where the goal is to customize the curriculum to students, empowering them to live independently or as independently as they can in their home community.

You know, I always tell my students they have a lifetime warranty with me, and I love it when I hear from them or see them at convention. I think I’ve counted at least seven people here today, so I’m very happy.

Recently I was able to see firsthand what happens when somebody is connected to the NFB, and that just makes my heart so happy, because when I see them at convention, I know that they are connected, and I see them thriving.

So the collaboration between the NFB Career Mentoring Program started after I completed the Teachers of Tomorrow Program [applause] in 2021. Prior to that program, I had a lot of help from Rosie Carranza—I don’t know if she is here, but she helped me, and maybe along with other NFB members in this audience, to set up numerous guest speakers for my students. I knew it was important, and I really wanted to add that into their individualized curriculum. I wanted them to hear from blind professionals all over the US, and Rosie sent me numerous people. It was fantastic.

After that, I had reached out to the Career Mentor Program, and I had the idea to collaborate and make it a part of the curriculum that I teach my students. This started, like I said, after my completion of the 2021 Teachers of Tomorrow Program. We started it shortly thereafter in the fall. Then, in the spring, we started the in-person sessions, where a mentor comes to TSBVI, and we only had seven students at the time when the program first started. This year we had a record twenty-two students in our program with our collaboration together. It was fantastic. I think that the growth of this program is that all of us, teachers and mentors alike, share the passion. I love teaching, and I think that all the mentors share this passion to teach students and work with them and give them all these different experiences that they may never have had before. I just could not have done this without the collaboration. Just to see how it’s grown over the years and to see how students, even after graduation, have chosen to participate and become a member makes me so happy.

I just have witnessed students blossom and grow in ways that I had not observed prior to partnering with the Mentor Program. I’m so grateful for this opportunity to work with the Mentor Program and other NFB members who have helped me through the years and spoken to my students. I just couldn’t have done it without the support of the NFB.
Thank you so much for this, and I’ll always keep this in my heart.

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Congratulations! Thank you. We really appreciate the opportunity to work with you. Congratulations on this great acknowledgment, and Carla, thank you to the Committee.

The National Federation of the Blind also issued a press release about the award and its recipient. The text of the release follows:

National Federation of the Blind Names Dori Senatori 2024 Distinguished Educator of Blind Students

Orlando, Florida (July 5, 2024): The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) announced today that Dori Senatori has been selected as the 2024 Distinguished Educator of Blind Students. This prestigious award recognizes an educator who has made a significant impact in the lives of blind students, empowering them with the skills and confidence to live the lives they want.
Ms. Senatori currently serves as the Day Student Coordinator at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) and has been instrumental in transforming the educational experiences of her students. Her role has encompassed a range of responsibilities, from providing explicit instruction in the Expanded Core Curriculum to creating individualized learning opportunities that prepare students for all aspects of adult life.

Ms. Senatori’s colleagues and students alike speak highly of her dedication, creativity, and collaborative spirit. "Dori possesses knowledge, experience, the ability to approach problems creatively, and the ability to lead a team in a collaborative manner," said Tad Doezema, Assistant Principal at TSBVI. "Her commitment to the mission of TSBVI and to each student and family she supports is unwavering."

One of Ms. Senatori’s notable achievements has been strengthening the relationship between TSBVI and the National Federation of the Blind (NFB). After participating in the NFB’s Teacher of Tomorrow program in 2021, she began working with the organization’s Texas affiliate to bring career mentoring to the TSBVI campus, providing her students with invaluable access to blind professionals and mentorship opportunities that extend beyond their school years.
Norma Crosby, President of the National Federation of the Blind of Texas, expressed her enthusiasm for Senatori’s selection: "Dori’s dedication to her students and her commitment to the values of the NFB are truly commendable. Her efforts to connect students to life-long mentorship and resources have placed them on the path towards lives of possibilities and prosperity."

The impact of Ms. Senatori’s work is perhaps best summed up by Madison Flores, a former student who attended the EXIT transition program at TSBVI: "Dori encouraged me to take control of my own life. She always reminded me that I am the driver, and that really stuck with me. I am incredibly grateful for the impact she had on my life."

“Dori Senatori has shown outstanding commitment not only to preparing her students to succeed academically and to develop blindness skills, but in helping them to build a network of mentoring and friendship that will sustain them long after they leave school,” said Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind. “Her work is living testimony to what can be achieved when teachers of blind students collaborate with blind people to help blind children and youth internalize the truth that blindness does not define them or their future. The National Federation of the Blind is proud to recognize the invaluable contributions that Dori is making to her students and to our community.”

The Distinguished Educator of Blind Students award carries with it a $1,000 cash prize and an opportunity to address hundreds of parents of blind students and network with other blind individuals and teachers of blind students at the 2024 National Convention of the National Federation of the Blind, which is taking place in Orlando through July 8.