Twenty years ago, earning a college diploma was more like fantasy than a dream for Harpersville&8217;s Dana Barber, who joined 299 other graduates at Faulkner University’s spring commencement this year.

Barber

was declared legally blind as a result of a retinal disease at age 24, while she was pregnant.

&8220;I knew all my life I would potentially lose my vision,&8221; she said.

Barber was a stay-at-home mom for twenty years when she realized she had to prepare for life after children.

In August of 2002, she enrolled at Central Alabama Community College in Childersburg. After earning her associates degree from CACC &8212; the first blind student at the school to do so &8212; she enrolled at Faulkner University, which offered classes at the same Childersburg campus.

With the help of technology, her leader dog, Faith, and her family, Barber excelled in the classroom.

She got her textbooks on audiotape from Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, in New Jersey and audio recorded her lectures.

Family members drove her to and from class each day and Faith guided her around campus.

The students and staff were also behind her.

&8220;The students never treated me any differently and they loved Faith. The faculty was absolutely wonderful. I couldn&8217;t have asked for them to be better,&8221; Barber said.

She graduated with a with honors, earning a bachelor of science of Management of Human Resources degree and maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average.

Her daughters April, a junior at UAB and Heidi, a senior at Vincent High School, also excel in academics. April, in fact, was a former valedictorian at Vincent.

&8220;I pushed my girls so hard, I couldn&8217;t lower the standard,&8221; Barber said.

Now that she has her degree, Barber&8217;s new goal is to work at the School for the Blind complex in Talladega.

She also hopes to inspire others with disabilities to reach their goals as well