You should get out of education.

That was the advice first-year teacher Bill Henderson received when he discovered he was gradually losing his vision. Instead, Henderson persevered and became principal of the O Hearn Elementary School in Boston, an ethnically and economically diverse school where about a third of the students have mild, moderate, or significant disabilities.

In The Blind Advantage, Henderson describes how the journey into blindness helped him develop key qualities determination, vision, sensitivity, organization, collaboration, and humor that made him a more effective principal. At the same time, he shows how the inclusionary policies and practices at the O Hearn School (now renamed the William W. Henderson Inclusion Elementary School), elicited and developed these qualities in others.
The Blind Advantage provides insight into the challenges, possibilities, and practicalities of including students with disabilities and into the mind and heart of an inspired and determined leader.

Review
In an age when the word hero is overused, Bill Henderson clearly deserves the title. Long before most educators embraced the concept of inclusion, Bill built a school that became a model of equity and excellence. This book offers a rare glimpse of highly effective school leader. --Thomas Hehir, Professor of Practice, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Bill Henderson, a pioneer in inclusive urban school leadership, provides an honest, practical, and joyful guide as to what
it takes to make inclusion work organizationally and instructionally. A must read for educators and parents! --David P. Riley, Executive Director, Urban Special Education Leadership Collaborative

About the Author
Bill Henderson was an educator in the Boston Public Schools for 36 years. He was appointed principal of the Patrick O Hearn Elementary School in 1989 with a mandate to develop an inclusive program, and he remained its leader for 20 years.