[Ncabs] Free Tuition master's in O&M

[Alan A. Chase]

FREE TUITION!

FREE MASTER’S DEGREE IN ORIENTATION & MOBILITY!



Northern Illinois University

Application Deadline: MARCH 15, 2014

If you are currently certified as a Teacher of Students with Visual
Disabilities (TVI) or as a Vision Rehabilitation Therapist (CVRT), you
may be eligible to study in a summers-only program which will allow
you to obtain a master’s degree and certification in Orientation &
Mobility (or just certification, if you prefer) without an
interruption in employment!

This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity includes full tuition, fees, and
an $800 per summer stipend. On-campus courses will take place during
the summers of 2014, 2015, and 2016. A full time, 12-week internship
will be completed during the summer of 2017, at any approved site in
the contiguous 48 states. This package is worth $16,000 for Illinois
residents; $25,000 for out-of-state students!

Act now if you are interested! This will not be a continual offering;
this is a one-time cohort opportunity based on federal funding. For
more information about this program, please contact the NIU Director
of Orientation and Mobility: Jodi Sticken: jsticken at niu.edu



ACT NOW…application deadline: MARCH 15, 2014

For additional information on the NIU Visual Disabilities Program,
please visit our website:www.vision.niu.edu

For online Graduate School application, please visit the NIU Graduate
School Admissions website: http://www.grad.niu.edu/online/apply.htm

This program is a one time only opportunity open to certified TVIs and
CVRTs. It is designed to enable professionals in the visual
disabilities field to earn credentials in the area of Orientation and
Mobility without an interruption in employment as teachers.

Funding is available for 6 of the cohort participants to be awarded
graduate assistantships which will pay in-state or out-of-state
tuition, fees, and a stipend of $800 for each of the 4 summers of this
program. The graduate assistantships will be awarded on a competitive
basis (combination of undergrad GPA, GRE scores, recommendations,
etc.). There will be more than 6 spots available in the cohort, but
only money enough to provide support for 6 students. Many if not most
school systems, however, have a tuition support program available for
their employees, so this should help tremendously with financing for
anyone who wants to participate but isn't funded by the grant. Also,
most salary schedules have incremental pay increases for coursework,
so this should help, also.

In order to be awarded a graduate assistantship, students must be
fully admitted to The Graduate School at NIU. Admission requirements
include:

· a bachelor’s degree from an accredited 4-year institution with a
minimum 2.8 grade point average on a 4.0 scale;

· a passing score on the Graduate Record Exam General Test (verbal and
quantitative); and

· 3 letters of recommendation

· In addition, admission to this particular cohort requires evidence
of current certification in the visual disabilities area, either as a
TVI or as a CVRT.

The application process is started with submission of the actual
application and a $40 application fee. This can be accomplished online
at the following website: http://www.grad.niu.edu/online/apply.htm .
Other supporting documents (transcripts, official GRE scores, letters
of recommendation, and copies of certificates) may be submitted after
the actual application.

Be sure to notify Gaylen Kapperman (gkapperman at niu.edu ) of your
intent to apply as soon as the decision is made to ensure that your
name is included in the pool of candidates!

Following is the anticipated course schedule:

Summer 2014 (on campus in DeKalb, IL):
ETR 520 Introduction to Educational Research (3)
TLSE 573 Instructional Systems in Low Vision (3)
TLSE 579 Assistive Technology Used by Persons with VI (3)
TLSE 590 Workshop in Basic Orientation and Mobility (3)

Summer 2015 (on campus in DeKalb, IL):
TLSE 574a Advanced Orientation and Mobility (3)
TLSE 571 Collaboration Principles and Skills (3)
TLSE 580 Advanced Assistive Technology Used by Persons with VI (3)

Summer 2016 (on campus in DeKalb, IL):
TLSE 574b Advanced Orientation and Mobility (3)
TLSE 570 Orientation and Mobility for Learners with Multiple Disabilities (3)
TLSE 587U Orientation and Mobility Practicum (3)

Summer 2017 (off campus at an approved site in the contiguous 48 states):
TLSE 586A Orientation and Mobility Internship (9)

Cohort participants will complete the program in August of 2017, and
will be eligible for ACVREP certification as a Certified Orientation
and Mobility Specialist (COMS) and will be awarded the Master of
Science in Education (M.S.Ed.) degree.

Please contact Gaylen Kapperman if you have any questions!
gkapperman at niu.edu
815-753-8453

-- 
Alan A. Chase, M.Ed.
Special Education Teacher, Wake County Public School System
Program Coordinator, Envisioning Youth Empowerment Retreat
President, North Carolina Association of Blind Students
Secretary, Governor Morehead School Alumni Association