Braille Institute Teacher of the Year Award for Jonathan Hooper

Jonathan Hooper received the 2020 Teacher of the Year for Excellence in Braille Instruction Award. Each year, Braille Institute recognizes Teachers of Students with Visual Impairment (TVIs) for their hard work, dedication, and innovation. According to the Braille Institute, Hooper was selected because of, “the life-changing work he has done with children who are visually impaired over the course of his career – but especially in the past year, 2020 presented new challenges in educating students with visual impairments as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and he rose to the occasion and helped set new standards and best practices for remote learning for this community.”

Hooper teaches Braille at Hunter College School of Education, works with blind or visually impaired students in the New York City Department of Education, and participates in many leadership roles in the field. Upon accepting the award Hopper said, “I am humbled to be chosen as the 2020 Teacher of the Year because I know there are so many dedicated and great educators in our field, many of whom I have the privilege of working with every day. This year, teachers of students with vision loss were challenged with providing access to and instruction in braille through distance learning. Through collaboration with colleagues and listening to students, TVIs were able to find solutions to the many barriers created by distance learning and maintain a high standard of education. I am grateful for all the members of my professional network who support my students and me.”