GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A student in west Michigan is finding success without sight.
It hasn’t always been that way for the East Kentwood High School choir alumna, Hailey Cone, but she credits the ensembles she was a part of and the professors she learned from along the way.
Hailey is a sophomore at Grand Rapids Community College, and she spends most of her days studying for her associate’s degree in Music.
Now, she is also a content writer for a YouTube page called “Inside the Core,” which has hundreds of thousands of views and subscribers.
“I am the one responsible for doing the research, the writing, and I need to find pictures and music that would accompany my writing,” Hailey explained to FOX 17.
All this Hailey does legally blind. She is just barely able to see out of one of her eyes.
Hailey says a college career in music wasn’t always in the cards because it’s a challenge on its own just to see sheet music.
When she learns something new, Hailey has to have it on a PDF so she can zoom in on the notes and lyrics which takes a lot of time.
“I’m learning like a quarter of the song today and then hypothetically, the next quarter tomorrow. And it also takes a lot of individualized practicing on my part,” Hailey said.
She credits her patient professors at GRCC for helping to facilitate her growth.
“Those accommodations weren’t always met for me in elementary through high school,” Hailey added.
Hailey went into college undecided, but that changed when her professors not only looked past her visual impairment, but also encouraged her to pursue music.