Betty (McWhorter) Gissoni ’50 was a pioneering educator and advocate for the blind, whose lifelong work made a significant impact in Kentucky and beyond. After graduating from Kentucky Wesleyan College, she began her career by teaching English at Paint Lick High School, becoming one of the first blind teachers in Kentucky.
In 1952, Betty pursued graduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania, studying at the Overbrook School for the Blind in Philadelphia, where she became certified as a home teacher of the adult blind. In 1956, she returned to Kentucky and established a home teaching service for the blind. This model was later adopted by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1960, leading to the creation of a state home teaching service.
Betty became the first certified home teacher of the blind in Kentucky, and she served on the board of the Midwestern Conference of Home Teachers of the Blind and on the graduate council of Guiding Eyes for the Blind. She received accolades for her work, including the Handicapped Professional Woman of the Year from the Pilot Clubs of Kentucky and the Community Service Award for her service to the blind from the National Federation of the Blind. In addition to her work as a teacher and advocate, Betty served as the Director for the Center of Independent Living for the Department of the Blind. She was inducted into the inaugural class of the Kentucky Wesleyan Alumni Hall of Fame in 2004.
Betty passed in 2010, but her legacy as a pioneering educator and advocate for the blind continues to inspire.
Keep an eye out as we continue highlighting more amazing KWC alumnae throughout #WomensHistoryMonth! This year, we honor nearly 135 years of female alumnae, as KWC was one of the first co-ed higher education institutions in the Commonwealth, welcoming female students since the early 1890s.