“I never could have achieved my dream if Southeast hadn’t been there for me every step of the way.”
These are the proud words of 56-year-old Claudia Masters, the first visually impaired student at Southeast to receive a degree fully completed online.
“Right from the start, Southeast was wonderful and sensitive to my disability. Online courses do work for a visually impaired person, and I highly recommend them for a person who is disabled and wants to get an excellent education,” said Claudia.
Claudia graduated with a bachelor of general studies degree, but it did not come easily. After working nearly 30 years as a flight attendant for Trans World Airlines (now under American Airlines), she said she had to quit because of her vision. Her eyesight had been declining since 1994, when she was diagnosed with a degenerative retinal disease for which there is no known cure or medical treatment. However, 30 years of job experience wouldn’t disappear quickly from memory, and she was able to continue as normal for another seven years.
“I was working legally blind and no one knew. My impairment was unnoticeable because I knew my job and safety duties well. As a veteran flight attendant, I was a professional right to the end,” she said.
In addition to the struggle with her vision, Claudia said she had to face a few national tragedies. On July 17, 1996, TWA Flight 800 exploded mid-air, killing all 230 people on board, including some of Claudia’s co-workers. Despite the nearness of such sorrow, she believed it would be a one-time occurrence within her airline. However, five years later, the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York disrupted an already-fragile position.
“I was working the day of 9-11 and once again lost my co-workers. Shortly afterwards, I left flying; not by choice, but because of my vision,” she said.
Claudia said she then turned her focus toward completing her education. She had simultaneously maintained a second career as a fitness professional and obtained certification in fitness instruction in 1982, with success, but her vision became a sizable stumbling block in terms of where to attend college.
“Finding the means to physically attend college was out of reach since I had no transportation and needed to work around my fitness schedule. It was then that I began to research the possibility of doing my education online.”
However, Claudia said it was impossible to use the computer screen normally. She began the task of learning to use the computer through a talking program known as Job Access With Speech, referred to as JAWS.
“Using the computer through sound can be painfully slow, but it works if you have the patience and the drive,” she said. “My search results for an online college were meager – only two universities offered a complete degree online. Of course, Southeast was my first choice, and what a good decision it was!”
Claudia was on her way to obtaining a degree, but she said that some elements of her web courses weren’t compatible with JAWS software. Adjustments became necessary, including a conversion of Power Point documents to Microsoft Word format, since JAWS wasn’t able to read Power Point. This, along with many small adjustments, all paid off for Claudia, who wants to return to Southeast to continue her education.
“I owe a special debt to Floyd Lockhart in tech support. We spent many an hour together setting the standards for Web courses that would clear the way in helping future visually impaired students.”
Once she had complete access to her online materials, Claudia said her professors had a profound effect on increasing her knowledge and broadening her horizons.
“It was amazing, how their individual personalities so clearly came through those Web classes. It was as if I were sitting in a classroom with a Dr. Ruth, a Mr. Kotter, a Dr. Leaky, or maybe even an Albert Einstein,” she said. “Their names will remain in my thoughts for a long time to come. I am honored to know that I am one among a thousand of my classmates who is blind and able to graduate as an equal.”