Blumberg Center for
Interdisciplinary Studies in Special Education

promoting achievement for students with sensory loss (PASS)

Blind, low Vision, or deafblind

distance education

Visual impairment licensure program

 

Announcement

We are now accepting applications for the Fall 2013 cohort.

please note that funding for
2013-2014 GRANT YEAR IS PENDING. check back for updates.

The Visual Impairment Licensure Program is designed to prepare Indiana teachers to work with students who are blind or have low vision. The Program is made possible by the PASS grant which is funded by the Indiana Department of Education through the Blumberg Center at Indiana State University.

The graduate level Program includes 16 credit hours of coursework including:

  • SPED 651: The Eye, its Function and Health
    - 3 credit hours
    - Attendance is mandatory at two weekend seminars
  • SPED 652: Programs and Services for Individuals with Visual Impairments
    - 3 credit hours
    - Attendance is mandatory at one weekend seminar and one face-to-face class

  • SPED 653: Communication Skills for Individuals with Visual Impairments
    - 3 credit hours
    - Attendance is mandatory at one weekend seminar and four face-to-face classes

  • SPED 654: Instructional Accommodations for Individuals with Visual Impairments
    - 3 credit hours
    - Attendance is mandatory at one weekend seminar and one face-to-face class

  • SPED 655: Principles of Orientation and Mobility
    - 3 credit hours
    - Attendance is mandatory at one weekend seminar and one face-to-face class

  • SPED 656: Practicum in Visual Impairment
    - 1 credit hour
    - Attendance is mandatory at assigned practicum sites

Program Requirements:

Minimum requirements include, but are not limited to, a minimum undergraduate grade point average of 2.75; a degree from an accredited school; and applicants must hold (or be eligible for) an Indiana teaching license in Special Education or General Education. Individuals who hold (or are eligible for) an Indiana teaching license in General Education may be required to take some additional courses depending upon a review of their transcripts after completing the Visual Impairment Program.

Program Details:

Students accepted into the program will be responsible to pay for all tuition costs. For more information about tuition and fees, visit http://www.indstate.edu/distance/fees.html.

Course content is delivered via online distance education using Blackboard. Typically, weekend seminars are held either on the ISU campus in Terre Haute or in the Indianapolis area.

Other Program Benefits:

The PASS grant currently provides textbooks and supplementary materials at no cost for students who are accepted into the Program if they are a teacher employed by a school system or special education planning district in Indiana.

In addition, PASS currently makes hotel reservations and pays the lodging costs for students who live more than fifty miles (one-way) from where weekend seminars are held (must be employed by a Indiana school system or special education planning district).

These benefits will remain in effect unless our funder would require us to remove them beginning with 2013-2014 grant.

Application process

Step One:
Any individual wishing to begin the application process must first notify Sharon Bryan at PASS who will begin a file for the potential applicant. Her email address is Sharon.Bryan@indstate.edu. Be sure to include the following information:

  • Your full legal name
  • Your address, city, state, and zip
  • Your daytime and evening telephone numbers
  • Your email address
  • Your current place of employment
  • Indicate whether you are currently employed on an Emergency Permit in the area of blindness and low vision
  • List teaching licenses you currently hold or are eligible for in the state of Indiana

Step Two:
Complete the PASS Visual Impairment Program Application Form.  Program brochure attached in PDF format

Step Three:
Complete and print the self-assessment on distance learning and computer technology.

Step Four:
Get a letter of recommendation from your current supervisor (if currently teaching); or a letter of recommendation from someone who is familiar with your teaching and interpersonal skills (if not currently employed); or a letter of recommendation by one of your undergraduate professors (if a recent graduate).

Step Five:
Write an essay on your philosophy of teaching, your understanding of the role of a teacher of students who are visually impaired, and your reasons for deciding to pursue this license (maximum length 1,500 words).

Step Six:
Mail your application packet and make sure to include the following items:

  • Your completed application form
  • A copy of your Indiana teaching license
  • A copy of your university transcripts
  • A letter of recommendation
  • A written essay on your philosophy on educating students who are blind or have low vision
  • Your completed self-assessment on distance learning and computer technology
Mail to:

PASS Project
Blumberg Center, Bayh College of Education
Indiana State University
401 North 7th Street
Terre Haute, IN 47809

Questions? Contact us at 1-800-622-3035

process for determining acceptance into the program

Once an individual has submitted their completed application packet to PASS, it will be reviewed to ensure the individual meets the minimum requirements to be considered a qualified applicant for the Program.

Priority status will be given to applicants who are currently working in a local education agency (LEA) with an Emergency Permit in the area of blind/low vision and have a caseload of eligible students who are blind or visually impaired assigned to him or her. All qualified applicants will be placed into the pool of applicants within the parameters outlined in the lottery process.

Once a qualified applicant is selected via the lottery system they become a prospective candidate for the Program. You will be notified in writing, indicating whether or not you were selected as a prospective candidate.

After receiving notification of acceptance into the Program from the PASS Project, candidates will be asked to verify, in writing, their continued interest in enrolling into the Program at ISU. After the written verification is received the PASS Project, the candidates' Program application will be automatically forwarded by the PASS Project to the Indiana State University, College of Graduate and Professional Studies to be used for university admission purposes. Candidates will be responsible for any admission fees and must also meet the university's enrollment criteria, in addition to the program criteria. (Candidates are only required to fill out the Program application and do not need to complete the online admission form for new graduate students at Indiana State University.)

Please note that distance education is not for everyone. Distance education requires self-motivation, discipline, and an ability to independently complete assignments in a timely manner. Web-based learning can be best described as a facilitated self-study. There are traditional training programs throughout the country that may be better suited for some individuals' learning styles. The Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) tries to keep an updated list of those programs at www.aerbvi.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=107.

The distance education used for this program incorporates modules that originated from Project Within Reach, a grant project from Stephen F. Austin University. The modules have been adapted to cover the required Indiana Teacher Standards.

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