THE EYE RETREAT
Donation protected
Our motto is simple, “I retreat from no challenge,” but our work is not as easy.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, visually impaired high school graduates attend college at similar rates to their nondisabled peers. However, only 16 percent of visually impaired students will graduate in four years as opposed to 40 percent of their nondisabled peers (Astin, Tsui, & Avalos, 1996). In addition, studies by Monahan, Giddan, and Emener (1978) and McBroom (1997) found that 32 percent of visually impaired students dropped out of college after their freshman year. Over ten years later, Brown (1990) noted again that the dropout rate of college students with visual impairments was more than 30 percent after the first year.
The EYE Retreat has grown with only 15 participants in 2009 to 38 in 2014. We’ve had participants and group leaders come from as far as California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia and all over North Carolina. The EYE Retreat aims to squeeze five years of one’s life into five days of intense programming to build academic, social, and transitional skills. Not only do the participants benefit from the programming, but our group leaders benefit by gaining valuable work experience and refining their skills.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, visually impaired high school graduates attend college at similar rates to their nondisabled peers. However, only 16 percent of visually impaired students will graduate in four years as opposed to 40 percent of their nondisabled peers (Astin, Tsui, & Avalos, 1996). In addition, studies by Monahan, Giddan, and Emener (1978) and McBroom (1997) found that 32 percent of visually impaired students dropped out of college after their freshman year. Over ten years later, Brown (1990) noted again that the dropout rate of college students with visual impairments was more than 30 percent after the first year.
The EYE Retreat has grown with only 15 participants in 2009 to 38 in 2014. We’ve had participants and group leaders come from as far as California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia and all over North Carolina. The EYE Retreat aims to squeeze five years of one’s life into five days of intense programming to build academic, social, and transitional skills. Not only do the participants benefit from the programming, but our group leaders benefit by gaining valuable work experience and refining their skills.
Organizer and beneficiary
Kathryn Webster
Organizer
Raleigh, NC
Alan Chase
Beneficiary
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