[NFBC-Info] Please read:

[Paul Howard]

-- 
Paul C. Howard

Subject: [Nfbnet-members-list] Institute on Blindness gets grant
extension for improved mobility and rehabilitation programs


Institute on Blindness gets grant extension for improved mobility and
rehabilitation programs


March 20, 2020


Louisiana Tech’s Institute on Blindness has received grant approval
for Structured Discovery Cane Travel (SDCT) and Structured Discovery
rehabilitation training, a development that brings more depth and
opportunity to the Institute’s education programs that are specialized
for teaching individuals who are blind or visually impaired.


Louisiana Tech University is the only university in Louisiana to offer
graduate certifications and master programs in Teaching Blind Students
(TBS), Orientation and Mobility (O&M), and Rehabilitation Teaching for
the Blind Counseling and Guidance. These graduate certifications and
master programs train individuals to become teachers who help give
independence to the blind community. The innovative and effective SDCT
and Structured Discovery rehabilitation training programs will offer
more opportunities to improve mobility and daily living skills for
individuals who are blind or visually impaired.


Dr. Edward Bell, Director of the Professional Development and Research
Institute on Blindness (PDRIB), expressed that he has seen great
success from previous years and through the renewed grant he
anticipates exponential growth.


“Over the past five years, Louisiana Tech has benefited from this
grant and has trained 35 individuals who have gone on to be employed
across the country in professional careers,” Bell said. “With this new
grant, we are excited to train as many as 40 new and eager students
who are ready to change the world by bringing independence to blind
kids and adults nationwide.”


The PDRIB, housed in Tech’s College of Education, prepares highly
qualified professionals to educate and rehabilitate individuals who
are blind or visually impaired. The PDRIB also conducts thorough
research that broadens perspectives, deepens the overall understanding
of blindness, and seeks the best methods to increase independence for
individuals who are blind or visually impaired.


However, there is a nationwide shortage of educators for the blind and
visually impaired community. With a 90% illiteracy rate and a 75%
unemployment rate nationwide within the blind community, there is a
dire need to increase the number of educators trained in teaching
students with visual impairments. Job opportunities have grown
exponentially for teaching blind or visually impaired students;
currently there are four times the number of teaching jobs available
than there are the number of qualified educators and instructors to
fill those positions.


Through their job assistance placement services and new program
offerings, Bell and his team seek to do their part to fill this hiring
need and empower educators to change lives within the visually
impaired community.


All tuition and fees are covered for the Structured Discovery Cane
Travel (SDCT) and Structured Discovery rehabilitation training
programs. Scholarships are available on a competitive basis for those
who pursue these programs. Students who receive scholarship funding
must work in the field of rehabilitation for two years for each year
of their scholarship support.


To become an educator for the blind and visually impaired community,
contact Bell at ebell at latech.edu. For more details on how to make a
difference in the national shortage of teachers for the blind and
visually impaired, visit  www.pdrib.com.


Lou Ann Blake, J.D.

Deputy Executive Director, Blindness Initiatives

200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230

(410) 659-9314, extension 2221 | lblake at nfb.org