Teachers of Visually Impaired

The proposal for a Vision Impairment (VI) program at the University of Kentucky (UK) is in response to state need as substantiated by figures from the Kentucky School for the Blind and the American Printinghouse for the Blind. These figures show that, in 2009-2010, there were 562 students identified with visual impairments and 720 students identified as legally blind in Kentucky. These students were served by 77 teachers, half of whom are expected to retire within the next 10 years. The University of Louisville has discontinued their program in vision impairments; 50 of the students in that program need to continue their coursework, and there is no other in-state option. In the Fall of 2011, a request has been made for the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling (EDSRC) at UK to provide a program to prepare teachers to serve students with vision impairments in Kentucky at the preservice and inservice levels. The EDSRC responded to this request and has projected a 5-year agenda where a new program in VI will be accomplished through providing on-campus coursework, employing distance education technology to deliver coursework to distant students across Kentucky, conducting summer institutes to teach Braille literacy and numeracy, and providing VI consultation to school districts. It is anticipated that students will enroll in coursework across 2 academic years and 2 summers to complete the coursework necessary for certification. State funds were initially requested and granted for a start-up period of 4 months (3/12-6/12) to recruit two project personnel (one clinical faculty and one clinical instructor). At present, the interviews for these positions have been conducted and the search team is in the process of selecting and recommending persons to fill the positions. As soon as this is done, funds from the start-up money will be expendedfor consultation fees to begin developing the VI program during the summer of 2012. New funds are being requested for 2 years (as part of the proposed 5-year plan) that will include 1 year to develop and gain approval for program coursework and 1 year to implement the project. At the end of the 2-year period, additional funding will be requested to continue the program, and it is anticipated that funding will be ongoing, based on the success of the program in preparing personnel.