March 8, 2023
‘A remarkable educator’ St. Charles County teacher to be honored by the St. Louis Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired for his lifetime of work as a blindness professional
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By Brett Auten Kevin Hollinger has been a beacon to those living with visual impairments. Since 1911, the St. Louis Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired has been enhancing, empowering, and enriching the lives of those who are blind or visually impaired to the tune of nearly 1,200 people every year. This spring, the St. Louis Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired will present the Community Light Award to Hollinger, a blindness professional working in the Francis Howell School District as a Teacher of the Visually Impaired and Orientation and Mobility Specialist. The award will be presented to Hollinger at the 2023 Visionary Gala on April 15. The Community Light Award is presented to an individual or group whose accomplishments have an immeasurable impact on the visually impaired and blind communities. Hollinger is a National Board-Certified Teacher as an Exceptional Needs Specialist for Visual Impairment and he is a Certified Assistive Technology Information Specialist. He also has his own company, Hollinger Consulting, LLC., through which provides instructional and consultative services, workshops, evaluations, university preparation adjunct professor, and he has multiple experiences as an expert witness in the field of visual impairment and blindness. “One of the most appealing aspects about this job is that we are with these students across their lifespan,” he said. “For some, it’s from three-years-old until they reach
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Submitted photo Kevin Hollinger, a blindness professional working in the Francis Howell School District as a teacher of the visually impaired, will be given the Community Light Award by the St. Louis Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired at a ceremony this spring. Hollinger presents and teaches across the country and at international conferences while authoring and co-authoring numerous publications and was the lead author for a chapter in the “Foundations of Orientation & Mobility” textbook.
21. I saw early on that I could have an immediate and lasting effect. Whether it was teaching someone to go to the bathroom on their own for the first time or walking to a friend’s house in the neighborhood, just like any other middle schooler would, I wanted to be a part of it.” Mary Morgan-Corbitt is a former co-worker of Hollinger’s while at FHSD. “His education, level of expertise and dedication to the area of low vision is unmatched,” Morgan-Corbitt said. “As some-
one who is also impacted by vision loss, Kevin has provided me with resources, guidance and support. He is a remarkable educator, and his presence is vital to this community.” “Seventy-eight percent of individuals who are legally blind are unemployed,” Hollinger said. “The teachers here work their tails off to get our students into that 22%.” Hollinger, 46, is a homegrown FHSD See’EDUCATOR’ page 2
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