The purpose of this project is to increase the quantity and quality of teachers of children with visual impairments (TSVIs) and certified orientation and mobility specialists (COMS) working collaboratively to serve culturally diverse school-age children with visual impairments, including children who have additional disabilities, in the state of North Carolina and neighboring states.
NCCU is the only university in North Carolina that prepares professionals to work with this population. NCCU is a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) with a minority enrollment of 77% or more (Competitive Preference Priority 1). The geography of North Carolina, which is predominantly rural, has dictated the nature of the graduate program to include distance education. Through a mixture of online, hybrid, teleclassroom, and face-to-face programming offered through NCCU, scholars may access graduate-level coursework leading to separate master’s M.Ed. degrees in each specialty that leads to licensure in TSVI or certification in O&M. For individuals who have no current teaching licensure, they may pursue a Master of Arts in Teaching to obtain initial licensure as a TVI in North Carolina.