Building Spaces of Independence and Inclusion

Bernheim’s Director of Education Kristin Faurest will have a conversation with two representatives of the Kentucky School for the Blind – Connie Hill (INSIGHT Coordinator, Orientation & Mobility Specialist, Low Vision Therapist and Athletic Trainer) and Michele Brown (Executive Director of the Kentucky School for the Blind Charitable Foundation). They will discuss how KSB is one of several community organizations partnering with Bernheim in creating the Sensory Garden as a space of inclusion and independence for blind and visually-impaired people.

Connie Hill earned her bachelor’s degree in physically handicapped/physical education, a master’s degree in school guidance counseling and a master’s degree in health and physical education from Marshall University. Since 2014, Hill has been a low vision specialist at the Kentucky School for the Blind, where she continues to make a positive impact on the lives of Kentucky students who are blind and visually impaired.

She has acquired certifications as a teacher of the visually impaired/functional mental disability from the University of Louisville, low vision rehabilitation from Salus University in Pennsylvania and is currently working on orientation and mobility certification, also from Salus. In 2006, she was inducted into the Marshall University Sports Medicine Hall of Fame. Hill also has spoken at state and national Association of Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired conferences.

Micheles education and career has taken her from  her hometown in Maine, to D.C., California, Chicago, Atlanta, Cincinnati and finally, to Louisville, KY, where she landed in 2015 as the Administrative Director for the Kentucky School for the Blind Charitable Foundation (KSBCF). Her experience in both corporate and non-profit healthcare and global pharmaceutical marketing has given her a unique skill set that greatly supports the KSBCF mission. She holds degrees from George Washington University and Georgia State University, and when she’s not at work, you can find her running marathons, traveling and managing the busy schedules of her kids.