There is a nationwide shortage of teachers of students with visual impairment and certified orientation and mobility specialists (COMs). The following universities offer on-site training and/or distance education programs in these areas.
Portland State University (on site and online training)
University of British Columbia
Contact: Dr. Cay Holbrook at cay.Holbrook@ubc.ca
University of Northern Colorado
For more information about college and university programs in visual impairment/blindness, check Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
Teacher training programs to prepare you to work with children and youths who are deaf and hard of hearing
University of Northern Colorado
New! Teacher Training Program in Deaf-blindness at San Francisco State with Stipends for Students Beginning September 2007
San Francisco State University and California Deaf-Blind Services (CDBS) Announce a Teacher Training Program with an Endorsement in the Education of Students who are Deaf-Blind
SFSU has been awarded a four-year personnel preparation grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. This new program will prepare teachers to meet the needs of students who are deaf-blind and will develop the next generation of leaders in the field of deaf-blindness.
The endorsement program in the education of students with deaf-blindness will include—in addition to completing all the coursework and fieldwork requirements for the Moderate/Server Disabilities Credential Program—the following opportunities:
Students will be eligible to receive substantial stipends of approximately $15,000.
For more information, contact:
Dr. Pam Hunt, Professor and Coordinator of the Moderate/Severe Disabilities Area Program
Department of Special Education
San Francisco State University
hunt@sfsu.edu
DB-LINK maintains information on training programs through colleges and universities in Alabama, Arizona, Massachusetts, and other states to prepare you to work with children and young people with dual sensory disabilities.