| Home| Site
TOC| Site Search| Professional
Preparation|| Home| Site
TOC| Site Search| Professional
Preparation|
VI, O&M, and Deafblind Preparation in Texas |
|
| Information about how to become a VI teacher or O&M specialist | February 2009 |
Certification to work with students with visual impairments is available, regardless of where you live in Texas. Training is provided through Texas Tech University, Stephen F. Austin State University, and on alternate years through Region 2 Education Service Center.
For more information about this flyer, please contact:
KC Dignan, Ph.D.
Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
1100 W. 45th St.
Austin, TX 78756
Phone: 512-206-9156 FAX: 512-206-9320
kcd@tsbvi.edu
Website:www.tsbvi.edu/pds/newsletter.htm
Frankie Swift
Stephen F. Austin State University
936-468-5511
fswift@sfasu.edu
or
Dixie Mercer, Ed .D. (VI)
Stephen F. Austin State University
936-468-1142
dmercer@sfasu.edu
Website: http://faculty.sfasu.edu/mercerdixie/program_page2/home.htm
Rona Pogrund, Ph.D (VI)
Texas Tech University
806-252-8026
(512) 206-9213 (TSBVI)
rona.pogrund@ttu.edu
or
Nora Griffin-Shirley, Ph.D. (O&M)
Texas Tech University
806-742-1997 (voice mail: ext. 247 or 233)
n.griffin-shirley@ttu.edu
Website: www.educ.ttu.edu/sowell/
Then a career working with students with visual impairments might be for YOU!
Beginning your career as a VI teacher or O&M specialist through a university program has at least two steps: being accepted in a participating university and being accepted by the certification program. This packet has the following information you need to begin this process:
As a VI professional you have two options:
To learn more about these professions, please read Typical Roles and Responsibilities of VI Professionals, which is the white document included in this packet.
You may seek certification as either a VI teacher or an O&M specialist. Each is a separate profession with separate professional standards. The prerequisites will vary depending on the training option you choose:
NOTE: Stephen F. Austin has an undergraduate program in VI and O&M. The program is conducted on their campus in Nacogdoches. Contact SFA staff for more information.
The specific program of study will depend on the training option (VI or O&M) and on other additional factors. Below is a basic listing of course topics. Exact course titles will vary by university and training option.
All students will take the following courses:
In addition to the common courses, the VI certificate program includes:
If you are not certified in special education you must complete a survey of exceptionalities course. You will need to coordinate your specific needs with your university advisor.
In addition to the common courses, the O&M program of study required additional coursework. SFA and TTU address the same competencies; however they arrange their courses a bit differently.
TTU
SFA
If you already hold a VI certificate and were trained at a university and have already taken the common courses, you will not need to take them again. O&M specialists are not required to hold any educational certifications.
Both SFA and TTU have funds to assist with the cost of tuition. Each university distributes funds according to university program guidelines. The specific method used and amount of stipends vary by university. It is possible that there may be a waiting list to access funds. You should discuss it with your faculty advisor. You will be responsible for ordering and paying for your books.
If travel to either university is involved, funds may be available to facilitate the travel. The amount and specific method used to administer those stipends varies by university. You should discuss this with your faculty advisor.
Important for the 2008-2009 year: TTU will have very limited funds for students enrolling in the Summer 2009 semester. Priority for funds will be given to those students who are already taking courses. As funds become available, priority will be given to students who are enrolled, but not receiving a stipend from TTU. Additional stipend funds for new students should be available for fall 2009 entry.
You may be able to receive additional assistance from your district, a private foundation in your area, or your educational service center. You may also contact the TTU Financial Aid office for more information about loans or scholarships. You are encouraged to contact your special education director and your educational service center.
SFA accepts students one time a year. They do not anticipate financial restrictions admitting their Spring 2009 cohort.
Courses are offered through a blend of distance learning strategies, such as interactive television (ITV), Internet, and face-to-face activities. The exact blend will depend on your location, the university and the specific course. For more information, you should contact the universities listed on the first and last pages of this newsletter.
Basically, distance learning means the instructor and the learners are not in the same room. There are many kinds of distance learning opportunities. VI programs in Texas primarily rely on two systems: an interactive television system (ITV) and the Internet. These are supplemented with email, chat and/or discussion rooms, phone conferences, and face-to-face meetings.
A sample of interactive television system is the Texas Educational Telecommunication Network or TETN. During an ITV session and/or class, all of the participants travel to the TETN room at the participating ESC. During the class, people are able to see, talk to each other, and participate in class projects and presentations.
Another facet of distance learning is the Internet. All of the courses will have some reliance on the Internet; some courses will be entirely based on using the Internet. During Internet courses each participant will determine the ‘time and place’ for class. Even though participants have the flexibility to set their own schedule, for successful completion it is important that you set and maintain a schedule. Some courses have a weekend component either in Lubbock or Austin.
One face-to-face course is offered by Texas Tech University each semester during the academic year. This course meets every other Saturday at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Austin. For this schedule, please check with the faculty at TTU.
The benefits include:
Each regional service center has at least one VI contact. You are strongly encouraged to contact the VI consultant at your regional service center (ESC) for various reasons.
If you would like to find out about more about regional VI services, the VI staff or other information, go to the TSBVI website and click on your region. You can find a map and a link to the list of VI professionals at the regions at: www.tsbvi.edu/Education/esc.htm.
Of course, you must have an interest in and a commitment to working with children with visual impairments. Most VI professionals work as itinerant professionals. Therefore, as a VI teacher or an O&M specialist you must be prepared for on-the-job travel.
In addition, you must realize that this is an intenseprogram. The instructional content is exactly the same as traditional courses on campus. While the length of instruction is the same, ITV courses will have fewer meetings (but for more hours each time). Internet courses also require a substantial time commitment.
Each university has specific requirements and procedures. You must contact the faculty at the university or visit their web site for information. You can find more information at the following sites:
http://faculty.sfasu.edu/mercerdixie/program_page2/home.htm
Note: SFA only accepts students into the VI program in the spring of each year. New students take all of their courses as a group, starting in the summer of 2009 and are referred to as a “cohort”. The deadline for application to the 2008 -09 cohort is March 19, 2009.
Note: You should order an official copy of your university transcript(s) to be sent directly to the university as soon as possible – even if you have not completed your university or program application. Sometimes it takes time to have your request processed and sent. Don’t let this hold up your application.
Getting a master’s degree is an important and admirable goal. It should be considered fully. Both Stephen F. Austin and Texas Tech universities offer master’s degrees in education (M.Ed.).
The courses described here will contribute to certification as a VI professional; either as a VI teacher or O&M specialist. The courses will not provide all of the requirements for a master’s degree in either of those areas.
If you want a master’s degree you must meet the following conditions:
If you are considering this, please contact faculty at either university. Please note the grant provides support for certification courses. Students seeking a masters degree will need to seek funding elsewhere.
If you do not have a special education certification you are still eligible and are encouraged to begin your career as a VI teacher. However, if you have not already done so, you must complete a ‘Survey of Exceptionalities’ course. These courses are available from a large number of universities. You will consult with your university advisor for additional information. You do, however, need to have some type of initial teaching certificate to add the VI Supplemental Certificate.
O&M specialists are not required to have a teaching certificate of any kind.
The goal of this program is to train and employ VI professionals to work with VI students. Therefore, in order to be accepted, you will have to make a commitment to work with children with visual impairments.
Each university has specific acceptance criteria and procedures. These are also affected by whether you want certification-only, or want a master’s degree. Also, each university has timelines for submitting documentation. You must contact the university of your choice for requirements and timeline information. Contact information is on the first and last pages of this newsletter.
Reauthorization of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was signed into law in November 2004. This new reauthorization of IDEA made changes to professional requirements for those working with children with disabilities. Emergency permits are discouraged and often not used by districts. However, it may be possible to get a probationary certificate.
TTU and SFA have a VI probationary certification program that requires the completion of two specified courses and enrollment in a third before applying for the probationary certification as a VI teacher. This program allows individuals to serve as a VI teacher in their district with the agreement that they will then complete the remainder of the courses required for full certification as a TVI.
Contact SFA or TTU for information about their probationary certificate program.
The courses are a blend of didactic (or lecture-type information) and skill-based learning. The didactic portion will be taught through a blend of the following methods: Internet, ITV and face-to-face meetings. More information about the skill-based training follows:
ITV (interactive television) sessions will require you to travel to a participating ESC. Please note that not all ESCs participate in ITV courses. ONLY SFA uses the ITV system. You should contact your service center prior to sending your application to SFA. For the instruction, you will sit in a room with other students and participate in discussions via an interactive audio-visual device that looks like a TV. You will be able to speak directly to the instructor and students at other sites.
The Internet is used throughout the programs; either for all of a course or some part of all courses. The instructor will be available via phone, discussion and/or chat rooms, email, and correspondence.
You will be able to participate in the Internet-based courses and activities at your convenience. Specific deadlines will be set for each module or unit. You must meet the deadlines; this isn’t an independent study course. It will be very important for you to develop and stick to a schedule. Because of the large amount of information included in these courses and demands on our time that we all face, getting and keeping a schedule will be an important part of your experience. If you don’t do this, you will find it difficult to complete your requirements in a timely fashion.
Unless you are participating at an outreach site such as the TTU Saturday classes at TSBVI, the face-to-face components will be limited and may be restricted to the skill-based portion of the training.
The Basic O&M (taken by all VI professionals) and the Cane (taken by O&M specialists) courses have skill-based components that are taught face-to-face.
During Basic O&M students will meet with a facilitator for approximately 20 hours of instruction. Scheduling will vary from site to site. The skill-based training will be conducted at a university or an outreach site. Please talk to university faculty about the possible locations of the outreach sites.
O&M specialists take 6 credit hours of instruction on how to use the cane while under blindfold. SFA offers a single 6-hour course, and TTU offers two separate 3-credit courses.
The cane courses (Cane I and Cane II) must be conducted on a face-to-face basis. These courses will be offered at the TTU and SFA campuses and in any region (or combination of regions) that has sufficient students. Pending availability to funds students who attend these courses on-campus will be provided with a stipend to cover some of their tuition and assistance for housing and/or travel.
At TTU, the eye course requires a weekend in Lubbock for hands-on and interactive training such as dissecting a cow’s eye, learning how to do a functional vision evaluation and a learning media assessment, using optical devices, etc.
The Academic Methods course for VI teachers at TTU requires a weekend in Austin for the Assistive Technology component of the course which includes hands-on learning about the latest technological advances used with students with visual impairments.
The VI and O&M training options both require field experiences, known as either a practicum or internship. These will be arranged on an individual basis. When possible, the practicum/internship will be in the local area. However, each practicum/internship experience must meet certain basic requirements. As a result, it may be necessary to travel from your existing job location for a portion or all of the practicum/internship. It is possible that O&M specialists will need to go out of Texas.
In O&M, the field experiences (internship and practicum) are completed under the supervision of an Academy certified O&M specialist who meets the criteria for internship supervisors and who has been selected by the university to do so. Internship involves providing orientation and mobility services on a full-time basis. This important experience usually happens away from your home community. Faculty will make all arrangements.
VI teachers complete a practicum/internship, which will be supervised by an experienced VI teacher who has been designated by the university to do so. During that period you will need to work as a VI teacher, completing a series of professional experiences. It is possible that you will need to travel beyond your district for a limited period of time in order to complete those experiences. For example, if there are no braille readers in your district, you may need to travel to a district that has braille readers to observe and interact with students who read braille. . Some students in the probationary certification program already have a job as a TVI and are able to do some or all of their internship hours with their own caseload on the job.
Internet courses and activities have deadlines, but no specific dates for classes. You will determine the specific times when your learning occurs. However, it is very important that you set a schedule and stick to that schedule.
The only courses that will use the ITV system are being taught by SFA. These courses will require you to go to participating ESC on specific dates. Contact SFA faculty for specific schedules.
Both university programs address the same set of professional competencies, respond to the same set of accountability measures, and offer training which will enable you to be certified as either a VI teacher or O&M specialist.
There are differences. You must evaluate both programs and determine which best meets your needs. Stephen F. Austin only admits new students in the summer semesters. This block of students, known as a cohort, take classes together via the Internet and ITV systems. Texas Tech University accepts new students year round and offers courses predominately via the Internet.
IMPORTANT additional information is available from both universities. You should contact both universities to determine which is the best for your situation. You can find information on their websites. The addresses are:
http://faculty.sfasu.edu/mercerdixie/program_page2/home.htm
http://www.educ.ttu.edu/sowell
If you are interested in getting a master’s degree as a VI teacher and/or an O&M specialist, you must discuss this with the faculty at SFA and TTU. Each university has different requirements. SFA students may need to complete some of your semester hours on the university campus. Contact them for more information. TTU students will be able to complete most or all of your coursework via on-line courses.
In order to help you make that decision, you should contact each university to discuss their application and acceptance policies. It will not be necessary to declare whether or not you are seeking a degree during the first semester; however you should be actively exploring this possibility as soon as possible. If you are at all interested in seeking a degree, you should start as a “degree seeking” student. It is easier to move from “degree seeking” status to “certification only” status than to do the reverse.
Braille is a new code to most pre-service professionals. As such, it can be a challenge. Learning braille is like learning a new code; not another language, but a new system for English. The key to mastering braille is the necessity for daily practice, every day, even on weekends. Sighted VI professionals learn braille visually, not tactually as a student with a visual impairments does.
All VI teachers must learn braille in order to be fully certified and to have access to a probationary certificate. You will be required to take a Braille TExES exam. You will be able to take the Braille TExES exam shortly following the completion of the Braille course.
Like all of the courses in the sequence, the Braille course is extremely rigorous in any situation, and even more so when taught in a condensed fashion, such as during a Summer Session.
If you are considering taking the Braille course over the summer, the course will be condensed. If you will not have several hours to devote to braille each day (including weekends), it would be advisable to wait until the course is offered during the long semester. If you take it from SFA over the ITV during the summer, plan on traveling to the ESC two times a week.
It is important that you have all your textbooks before the first day of class. Students will need to purchase their own textbooks. Your district or ESC may be able to help with some of the costs. The textbooks will then become part of your permanent professional library.
You must order your own textbooks and materials. You can usually do this through university bookstores or Amazon.com or other web-stores or directly from the publishers. Books published by TSBVI can be ordered from TSBVI (www.tsbvi.edu/publications/index.htm). It is critical that you register for each course as soon as possible. A list of required textbooks is available from each university. You will be at a significant disadvantage if you start the semester without your books. Even missing a single class will put you behind.Remember, there are at least TWO steps you must complete:
AND
These are separate procedures. You MUST complete all of the steps according to the chosen university’s procedures. To learn more about the steps for enrolling in the university, visit the websites for the VI programs at SFA and TTU.
Texas Tech accepts students throughout the year although the majority of TTU students begin the program in the fall semester. You must apply to the university and to Reach Across Texas no later than June 1, 2009 for the Fall 2009 semester. Once accepted, you must register for the designated courses. For more information visit: http://www.educ.ttu.edu/sowell/grants_projects/RATP/reachAcrossTexas.php
At SFA VI professionals take their courses as a group, or cohort. This means that everyone starts together and takes their classes together. The cohort is accepted in the spring of 2009 and start courses the first summer session. You must apply no later than March 19, 2009.
For more information visit: http://www.faculty.sfasu.edu/dmercer
Yes. You will need to arrange for a copy of your official transcripts to be sent to the university of your choice. The holder of your transcripts (all previously attended universities) will send them directly to SFA or TTU. Since it may take time for your request to be processed, you are strongly advised to start this process as soon as possible. Do not wait! You might miss a deadline!
We are committed to the mentor program. Aall participants will be paired with a trained, experienced professional. To the degree possible, the mentor will be from your home region.
Together you will complete a series of experiences designed to further enhance your learning and your understanding of children with visual impairments. Your mentor will also be available for questions and concerns.
This is a non-evaluative mentor program. This means that your mentor will not be called upon to provide an evaluation of your skills, either by the university or your district. This is a person to whom you can turn when you have questions and/or concerns about content or skills.
| Texas Tech University | Stephen F Austin |
|---|---|
Summer I (May 27 – June 27, 2009)
Summer II (July 7- August 7, 2009)
Fall 2009
|
Summer
Fall
Spring
|
If you want more information, or have a special circumstance, please do not hesitate to contact:
KC Dignan, Ph.D.
TSBVI
512-206-9156
kcd@tsbvi.edu
Rona Pogrund, Ph.D. (VI, O&M)
Texas Tech University (Housed at TSBVI in Austin)
806-252-8026 or 512-206-9213
rona.pogrund@TTU.edu
Nora Griffin-Shirley, Ph.D. (O&M)
Texas Tech University
806-742-1997 (voice mail: ext. 247)
n.griffin-shirley@ttu.edu
Roseanna Davidson, Ed.D(Deafblind, Deaf)
Texas Tech University
806-742-1997 (voice mail: ext. 246)
roseanna.davidson@ttu.edu
Dixie Mercer, Ed.D. (VI)
Stephen F. Austin State University
409-468-1142
dmercer@sfasu.edu
Frankie Swift
Stephen F. Austin State University
936-468-5511
fswift@sfasu.edu
Barry Stafford (O&M)
Stephen F. Austin State
University
936-468-5348
bhstafford@sfasu.edu
Michael Munro
Stephen F. Austin State
University
936-468-1036
munromicha@sfasu.edu
![[Top]](/images/top.gif){kind=small}
![[ Home ]](../images/gohome.gif){kind=small}
![[ Table of Contents ]](/images/word-icon.gif){kind=icon}
![[ Search ]](../images/tsbserch.gif){kind=small}
Agency Contact Information| Texas
State Homepage| Texas State Wide Search
Please complete the comment form or send comments and suggestions to: Jim Allan (Webmaster-Jim Allan)
Last Revision: February 6, 2009
Version
150k