Legally Blind Student Sets Sights on Graduation

When Courtney Goad walks into a room, people notice.

Her pretty, mahogany face almost always flashes a smile. And sure, her attention-snatching rhinestone sunglasses, fresh clothes and white plaits playing in the river of black braids cascading down her back make people stop and stare, but that’s not the only reason. She’s also legally blind.

“I’m visually impaired, but I don’t let that stop me from getting things done,” she said.

May 18 the 34-year-old widow and mother will accept an associate degree in general transfer studies at St. Louis Community College’s Commencement Ceremony at the Chaifetz Arena.

She takes classes full time at St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley and plans to study psychology at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, so she can open her own practice. She will serve fatherless girls like her 10-year-old daughter, Faith.

“I’m really growing and in transition right now. I went through a traumatic experience. I had a car crash that nearly ended my life in 2021, so now I am reshaping my life and walking into my newness in this second chance I was given,” she said.

Goad’s late husband, Steve, died April 5, 2020. In a deep depression, she was without hope and turned to alcohol instead of dealing with her feelings head-on. Those feelings spiraled and resulted in a car crash April 4, 2021.

Goad survived, but her vision didn’t. She suffered multiple strokes in her occipital lobe -- the part of the brain that controls vision -- and she was intubated for two weeks.

“They didn’t know that I was blind until I woke up, and they noticed that I wasn’t responding to things. I only had five percent of my vision. It came back gradually, and they said my eyesight would plateau after six months. After six months, it stayed there. Now I have 40 percent,” Goad said.

“When I had total sight, I had the ability to do what I wanted to do without a care in the world. Now, I am very intentional about what I do. I think before I do. I don’t want to put my daughter or family in a bad position.

That’s an about-face for the 2008 Lafayette High School graduate who admits she wasn’t even giving it 50 percent when she tried college immediately after graduation and dropped out.

When she lost her eyesight, she found the clarity and focus she was missing.

“After the accident occurred, I gave it my all. I had an opportunity to experience life: good, bad and ugly, and it gave me the bravery, strength and courage to continue on, finish up and get my degree,” she said.

Last month, she celebrated being alcohol free four years.

“I can think with a clear mind and make good decisions not just for myself but my daughter as well. I give all credit to God. I know I am the vessel that is doing these things, but I know I couldn’t do it without God,” she said.

“God did it, he's the one. I am a vessel. I am a true sign of God's miracles for real.”

Navigating College Legally Blind

Goad was nervous about walking around campus, so she enrolled in online classes. “What if I get lost, or what if I am not able to move through campus with the construction?” she asked herself.

But taking online classes was difficult, so she decided it was better to take classes in person.

“It’s a wonderful decision I made to go back on campus. I’ve had an amazing group of people working with me. Amy Bird, Rachel Lucarz and Scott Armstead have given me an insurmountable amount of help maneuvering around campus physically, mentally, emotionally, etc. They have been very helpful and have made these two years a lot easier than if I had to just wing it on my own. I have been able to get in to talk with them when needed if I have any questions or concerns,” Goad said.

“The only negative I’d say is the construction and the geese.”

Goad can hear what’s happening, but it’s difficult for her to understand, because she can’t see everything that’s going on. Her long-term memory was impacted by the accident as well, so she often studies right before tests.

“My younger brother will come over and read something to me. I’ll ask him questions and give him feedback and vice versa. It helps me come to a better understanding,” she said.

STLCC’s access office offers resources and support that enable students with disabilities to succeed. Blind students have worked with the office since it opened over two decades ago.

“Many people don't realize how common it is to be legally blind. About 2.4% of Americans are legally blind, which is as common as red hair!” Rachel Lucarz, disability support specialist, said.

Goad worked with Lucarz to secure notetakers and extended time on tests as accommodations. Lucarz helped Goad navigate every class she took at the College.

“Some classes have presented very unique challenges, like ensuring both her ability to participate fully and be safe in a biology lab, but through ongoing conversations with faculty and use of support staff like our educational assistants, she has been able to gain equitable access to course activities and materials,” Lucarz said.

Goad has nothing but praise to share about her STLCC education. “My professors have been amazing, every last one of them were very helpful. They’ve been great! They’ve been awesome!”

Lucarz said Goad advocated for herself and helped the access office work better by identifying things that work and ways to make the campus accessible for everyone, including pointing out cracks, blocked ramps and the need for signage.

The access office was a source of social support for Goad too. Lucarz introduced her to some students who like to hang out there, and Goad built a quick friendship with one of the education assistants, Ashley, who also has low vision. They even formed the VIPs social club, which stands for Visually Impaired Persons.

Goad participated in campus life events like the Motown Tribute and Soul Food Luncheon.

“This past February, they had a live band and catered food. The band was nice, and the food was pretty decent,” she said. “It was a nice experience.”

Looking back over her initial fears of coming to campus, she said she has been pleasantly surprised by the support she has received from students and professors who were willing to stop wherever they were going to help her.

“That is pretty amazing to me, because they didn’t have to stop what they were doing, so I am grateful for those encounters.”

Two years in, she knows her way around campus, and she will soon walk across stage, with help from her daughter Faith, to accept her diploma in a sparkling cap and gown.

“I’m going to bedazzle it out for graduation. My daughter keeps asking me, ‘Can I please decorate it?’ And I tell her, baby, it's not about you. I'm going to try to find us something matching to wear. My younger sister helps me, because she is a fashionista,” she said.

"I wasn’t supposed to make it to my 31st birthday, so graduation is a birthday present for me. May 22 is the celebration of my 35th birthday,” she said. “It's a big one.”

Goad’s already savoring the significance of the moment.

“For me, graduating means so much. It’s proven to me that I’m capable, I’m strong, I’m courageous, I’m brave. I hear it so often. When I first started going back to school in the fall semester of 2022, this lady would see me, and she said, ‘You know what, I watch you come in here every day, and I want you to know that seeing you encourages me.’ And when she told me that, it just proved to me there are people watching me, and I can be encouraging to others in the world,” she said.

“If I can do it, anybody can do it! Life isn’t meant to be easy; you are going to have hardships and trials that knock you off your square. You can believe in God, believe in yourself and you have to have a great support system. It makes the journey a bit easier. No matter what the hurdles are that are placed in front of you or me or annoy you, keep pushing, you keep pushing, because trouble really don’t last always.”