Blind, deaf woman also an accomplished pianist, author, educator

At 90 years young, Geraldine Lawhorn is an accomplished pianist, a published author and an educator. All three achievements are even more impressive because she is deaf and blind.

Even though she is still adept at the keyboard, she has not seen a piano since the 1930's, and she has not heard one for 70 years. When she graduated from Chicago's Marshall High School, Geraldine Lawhorn was totally deaf and blind.

"I did play the piano before I lost my hearing and also before I lost my sight, and so, I still remember the music in general, and I learned braille music and had many good teachers," Lawhorn says.

Despite living in a dark and silent world, she created a one-woman show, delivering monologues and playing the piano in appearances that took her to Carnegie Hall.

In June of 1983 she graduated from Northeastern Illinois University with a bachelor's degree in rehabilitation of deaf blind adults. Thirty-nine years ago she joined The Hadley School for the Blind in Winnetka and is now head of the deaf blind studies department.

For 20 years Karen Woodfork has been her interpreter.

"When I’m speaking to Gerry, what I'm doing is spelling out words in her hand," explained Woodfork.

Among her many accomplishments, Geraldine Lawhorn is also an author who has written her autobiography, On Different Roads, published in 1991.

This week the staff at the Hadley School celebrated her 90th birthday with a party.

"I think all the students she works with are inspired by her,” said Tom Tobin, vice president of development and communications. “She provides them with the ray of hope they need to deal with being visually impaired and blind, and to keep living life."

Ninety-year-old Geraldine Lawhorn, head of the deaf blind studies department at the school for the blind in Winnetka, and someone you should know.