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It was during her second-year fieldwork placement when Marcy Graboyes, LSW, MSW, ACSW, who was pursuing her master’s in Social Work at Temple University, found herself assigned to the William Feinbloom Vision Rehabilitation Center, housed at The Eye Institute (TEI), which is the clinical facility of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO).
It wasn’t by choice.
“I never had an interest in working in healthcare or with those with disabilities,” said Graboyes. “But Temple was having a difficult time finding a placement for me and this one was available. I was pretty much told if you want to graduate, you need to go there. I needed to graduate, so OK. But, I went under protest.”
Little did she know then that it would lead to a 42-year career at PCO and then Salus University, which recently came to an end when she decided to retire effective June 30, 2024.
“As fortune would have it, I fell in love with the field, I fell in love with the work,” she said. “The fact is that we have such an impact on the quality of life of people with visual impairments. So, by the end of my field placement, I was hooked.”
There was a spot open at PCO after she graduated from Temple and Graboyes jumped at the opportunity. She started at a time in the early 1980s when PCO had just received a grant to start the first master of science program in Low Vision Rehabilitation (LVR). “I came here to do clinical work, I didn’t have any aspirations to teach or do anything other than be a social worker in a clinical setting,” she said.
But with the onset of the new program and because she was a social worker, Graboyes was asked to teach a course in that curriculum. The LVR program was eventually joined by more master’s programs and called the Office of Graduate Studies, the precursor to what now is known as the Blindness and Low Vision Studies (BLVS) department.
Several aspects to her career kept Graboyes in one place. Among them was social work and always being tremendously valued as part of the interdisciplinary team; the role it played was also well-utilized by team members. And, that the team was given the freedom to pursue other ideas.
To that end, Graboyes was part of a team over the years — that included Richard Brilliant, OD ‘76, FAAO, Diplomate; Sarah Appel, OD ‘79, Resident ‘81, FAAO, Diplomate, Low Vision Rehabilitation ‘90; Elise Ciner, OD, FAAO; Erin Kenny, OD ‘15, Resident ‘16, FAAO; Christin DeMoss, OD ‘17, Resident ‘18, FAAO; and Chad Killen, OD ‘19, Resident ‘20, FAAO — that developed programs that still exist today. Those include:
“I’ve always worked with a phenomenal team and I have to say, the team approach is one of the things that has kept me here. That, and the value of social work,” she said. “The ability to be creative, to participate in lots of different activities. That all kept it fresh for me. When one thing maybe didn’t feel fresh, I could refocus on another area. I feel very fortunate that I was part of it from the beginning. I do think that was a very big factor in my longevity here.”
Graboyes was particularly close to Dr. Appel all those years and remains so to this day.
“She and I were like soulmates. When I started here as a student, she was the resident of the low vision department. When I came on board she had just been hired as a staff optometrist for low vision,” said Graboyes. “So, we spent our entire careers together. She’s one of my dearest, lifelong friends. She made my life here exponentially better and I feel very fortunate for that.”
Dr. Appel expressed the same admiration for Graboyes and their professional and personal relationship.
“Marcy has been the heart and soul of the Feinbloom Center all these years,” said Dr. Appel, who retired in May 2023. “She’s helped countless patients, listening to their concerns, helping them to find resources and navigate the rehabilitative process.”
The two have known each other for more than 40 years and Dr. Appel calls Graboyes one of her closest friends.
“Her view of the Feinbloom Center is exactly the same as mine. The patients come first and we work together for the welfare of those patients. That’s the key thing that we do at the center. It’s been a joy working with her and having her as my friend,” said Dr. Appel.
As for what happens now in retirement, Graboyes said she hasn’t quite figured that out yet.
“I should have prepared better. Obviously, I want to relax, I want to spend more time with my family. I want to figure out some hobbies and eventually do some traveling,” she said. “I’ve worked from graduate school on. I’ve never really had any extended time, other than a week or two vacation. It’s going to be an adjustment, but I am looking forward to it.”
