Kentucky Grant to Train Teachers of the Visually Impaired

Kentucky Grant to Train Teacher of the Visually Impaired Abstract This state funded grant is to train Teachers of the Visually Impaired, due to a critical shortage of qualified teachers in this area. In year five of the grant, the majority of the monies for the Teacher Preparation Program in Visual Impairments will go towards salaries. A full-time clinical assistant professor will act as Program Faculty Chair, expand programs in blindness and visual impairment, teach courses, supervise students, provide service to the field, engage in research, and provide technical assistance and outreach to districts across the state. A clinical instructor will teach courses, supervise students, and provide technical assistance and outreach to districts across the state. Two part-time instructors will also be utilized. One to assist in providing mentoring to students who are working on the job while in the program and supervise student teaching/field experience, as well as assist in grading braille and summer instruction. The other will teach two courses, one in the fall and another in the spring. In addition, monies will also go towards program materials, equipment, travel, and programming for students. Currently 12 students have completed the program, 11 are anticipated to finish in 2016, and 11 started the program in the fall of 2015 with an expected completion in 2017. The program is currently accepting students to start the fourth cohort in the fall of 2016, in addition to a separate cohort for teachers and administrators from the Kentucky School for the Blind. These graduate level students continue to represent diverse backgrounds and locations across the state. The program reaches all students by offering both face-to-face and online classes in the evenings and weekends