Alice Geisler Raftary (September 2, 1927 – March 30, 2014) was an American educator, based in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, who specialized in education and rehabilitation for newly blind adults.

Early life

Alice Therese Geisler was born in Detroit, Michigan, the daughter of Anthony Jerome Geisler and Florence M. Geisler. Her father was a plumber, and president of the Michigan Association of Plumbing Contractors. Geisler earned a bachelor's degree in nutrition at Marygrove College in 1949. She had vision issues from her youth, from

macular degeneration Macular degeneration, also known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD or ARMD), is a medical condition which may result in blurred vision, blurred or vision loss, no vision in the center of the visual field. Early on there are often no sym ...

, and became legally blind in 1960."Mary Raftary's Eulogy to her Mother, Alice Raftary"
(2014) American Printing House for the Blind, Hall of Fame. "I knew that I would do something that would insure that none of my children would ever think that blindness must ruin their lives," she told an interviewer in 2014. Raftary returned to Marygrove as a married mother of eight, and earned a master's degree in education in 1967, focusing on blindness and rehabilitation.

Career

Raftary became a rehabilitation teacher at the Greater Detroit Society for the Blind's Upshaw Institute in 1968. She was promoted to supervisory and coordinating jobs, and eventually became the institute's associate director. She spoke at conferences and wrote promotional and educational materials for the Upshaw Institute, including an award-winning filmstrip, "Valentines for Grandpa Raub" (1980). "Helping people to progress from hopelessness to confidence and competence is a thrill and a joy," she explained. In 1982, Raftary received an award from the American Association of Workers for the Blind. Other awards for Raftary came from the Michigan chapter of the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired in 1991, and the Charlyn Allen Award from the Mid-America Conference of Rehabilitation Teachers (MACRT) in 1992. In 2002, she was inducted into the

American Printing House for the Blind The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) is an American non-for-profit corporation in Louisville, Kentucky, promoting independent living for people who are blind and visually impaired. For over 150 years APH has created unique products ...

's Hall of Fame. She was also named a distinguished alumnus of Marygrove College.

Personal life

Alice Geisler married Raymond H. Raftary in 1950. They had eight children together. Alice Raftary was a widow when she died in 2014, aged 86 years, in Detroit. The Association of Vision Rehabilitation Therapists established an award in her name, for emerging leaders in the field.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Raftary, Alice 1927 births 2014 deaths Academics from Detroit Marygrove College alumni American educators Blind educators American blind people Educators of the blind