西密歇根大学

This 49 hour Teaching Children With Visual Impairment (TVHM) degree program prepares teachers to work with children with visual impairments in public and residential schools. Instruction is provided in skills to support the regular educational curriculum as well as the expanded core curriculum specific to children with visual impairments. In addition, this degree provides focus on areas such as assistive technology, assessment, adaptive sports, cortical/cerebral visual impairment, braille, and how to effectively work in a school setting. Graduates are eligible to become certified teachers of children with visual impairments. Students may choose to combine this degree program with preparation as an orientation and mobility specialist to attain dual competency in the Master of Arts in Teaching Children with Visual Impairment/Master of Arts in Orientation and Mobility for Children program. This dual program is Teaching Children with Visual Impairment/Orientation and Mobility (TVOM).

Program Requirements

The program requires the satisfactory completion of:

BLS 5440 - Educating Individuals with Severe Impairments Credits: 2 hours
BLS 5840 - Computer Technology in Rehabilitation Credits: 3 to 4 hours

(Credits needed: 3 hours)

BLS 5900 - Physiology and Function of the Eye Credits: 2 hours
BLS 5905 - Physiology and Performance in Blind Children Credits: 2 hours
BLS 5910 - Braille and Other Tactual Communication Systems Credits: 3 hours
BLS 5912 - Teaching Math and Specialty Codes Credits: 2 hours
BLS 5945 - Itinerancy and Effective School Collaboration Credits: 3 hours

OR

SPED 6610 - Collaboration and Consultation in Special Education Credits: 3 hours
BLS 5970 - Principles Low Vision Credits: 2 hours
BLS 6010 - Small “N” Research: Design and Analysis Credits: 3 hours
BLS 6050 - Practice in Low Vision Credits: 1 hour
BLS 6060 - Adaptive Sports and Art Activities for VI Children Credits: 1 hour
BLS 6080 - Expanded Core Curriculum and Assessment for Children with Visual Impairments Credits: 3 hours
BLS 6100 - Assisted Research Credits: 1 to 6 hours

(Credits needed: 2 hours)

BLS 6320 - Teaching Children with Visual Impairments Credits: 3 hours
BLS 6955 - Practicum in TCVI Credits: 2 hours
BLS 7120 - Professional Field Experience Credits: 2 to 12 hours

(Credits needed: 6 hours)

SPED 5300 - Introduction to Special Education Credits: 3 hours
SPED 5330 - Introduction to Assessment and Data-Based Decision Making in Special Education Credits: 3 hours
SPED 6380 - Applications of Behavior Analysis in Special Education Credits: 3 hours