Teachers of Visually Impaired and Orientation and Mobility

Abstract This state funded grant is to train Visual Impairment Professionals as Teachers of the Visually Impaired (TVIs) and Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Specialists due to critical shortages in these areas. Since the start of the Teacher Preparation Program in Visual Impairments in 2012, the University of Kentucky (UK) has successfully graduated/certified 107 TVIs. In addition, 16 O&M specialists have graduated since 2021, with three more expected in May. The program continues to grow and reach students from all regions of Kentucky offering two master’s degree programs: 1) Teacher Preparation Program in Visual Impairment, and 2) Orientation and Mobility (O&M). Monies from this grant will provide salaries for three full-time faculty members, as with several part-time instructors/field supervisors, and a braille transcriber. In addition to teaching courses, faculty members supervise students, provide service to the field, engage in research, and provide technical assistance and outreach to districts across the state. Tuition support will be available for teachers working at the Kentucky School for the Blind (KSB) pursuing their VI certification as well as students enrolled in the O&M program. The remaining funds will also go towards additional student support, program materials, equipment, travel, and programming for students. The most recent TVI cohort to start the program, in the fall of 2022, consists of 14 students expected to complete the program in 2024. The program is currently accepting students to start the eleventh cohort in the fall of 2023. In addition, 11 students are currently enrolled in the third O&M cohort which started in the fall of 2022. These graduate level students continue to represent diverse backgrounds and locations across the Commonwealth. Both the TVI and O&M programs utilize a hybrid model, offering online classes in the evenings, combined with face-to-face courses on weekends and in the summer in Louisville at the Kentucky School for the Blind or at the University of Kentucky.