[Pibe-division] Fwd: Generous Financial Support

[Eric Guillory]

Please see below for an important announcement from Northern Illinois University
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> Full-time, On-campus Program
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> Training for a Rewarding Career
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> Generous Student Financial Assistance
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> Teaching Children who are Blind or Visually Impaired and/or Providing Orientation and Mobility Services for Those Children 
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> Northern Illinois University (DeKalb, Illinois) offers a nationally regarded program at the graduate level for individuals who wish to join a rewarding career in teaching children who are blind or visually impaired. Teachers of students who are visually disabled generally travel from school to school working with the students on a one-to-one basis. The vast majority of students who are visually disabled attend their local schools with their sighted peers in the same classrooms as their sighted friends. The special education teachers who provide instruction for children who are blind or visually impaired work with their regular classroom teachers to insure that the youngsters receive the best and most appropriate education designed for them. There is an overwhelming need for these teachers. As a consequence, there are many job opportunities in all regions of the United States. Individuals who choose this career path can anticipate having no difficulty obtaining life-long employment with great job security! In addition to numerous job opportunities, good pay, and excellent job security, individuals who choose this career path experience a sense of fulfillment not commonly found in other careers. These teachers play a significant role in the lives of youngsters who are blind and their families. 
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> Generous student financial assistance is available. We will pay all instate or out-of-state tuition, all fees, health insurance, and a stipend of $5,200 per calendar year for qualified individuals who wish to come to Northern Illinois University to enroll in the graduate program focusing on special education for children who are blind or visually impaired. For more information, go to the following web site to read about the program.
> www.vision.niu.edu
> Also, go to the following Youtube links 
> http://youtu.be/UHmpASpzCKA
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxgVXY5jg7o
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> Interested individuals can contact the project director, Gaylen Kapperman, at the following e-mail:
> gkapperman at niu.edu
> Or by calling 815-753-8453 
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> Admissions requirements are as follows:
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> Online application with a fee of $40
> GRE scores of 30%tile verbal and 30%tile quantitative ($160 fee)
> Official transcripts of all previous academic work
> GPA of 2.8
> ACT score of 22 or successful completion of the Test of Academic Proficiency (TAP)
> Three letters of recommendation
> Personal statement
> The link to the online application process for the Graduate School can be found on the page,www.vision.niu.edu.
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> This is not an online program. All courses except for student teaching and the orientation and mobility internship are taken on campus in DeKalb, Illinois, the home of Northern Illinois University. 
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> In this program, one can obtain a master’s degree and certification for teaching children who are visually disabled (16 months in length). Also, one can obtain a master’s degree to be trained to be an orientation and mobility instructor (16 months in length). We strongly advise completion of both components which requires 22 months. The “dual” certification increases one’s opportunities for employment considerably. 
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> Students progress through the program in cohorts. Each cohort begins in the fall of each academic year. Our deadline for receipt of applications is June 15 of each year. The generous financial assistance is awarded on a first come, first served basis to qualified applicants. 
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> The Summers-only Orientation and Mobility Component
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> 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 without an interruption in employment! 
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> 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 2015, 2016, and 2017. A full time, 12-week internship will be completed during the summer of 2018, 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!
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> Act now if you are interested! This will not be a continual offering; this is a one-time cohort opportunity based on federal funding.
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> Application deadline: MARCH 15, 2015
> For additional information on the NIU Visual Disabilities Program, please visit our website: www.vision.niu.edu
> 
> For the online Graduate School application, please visit the NIU Graduate School Admissions website: http://www.niu.edu/grad/apply/
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> 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. 
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> 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. 
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> Many 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.
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> In order to be awarded a graduate assistantship, students must be fully admitted to The Graduate School at NIU. Admission requirements include: 
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> - A bachelor’s degree from an accredited 4-year institution with a minimum 2.8 grade point average on a 4.0 scale 
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> - A passing score on the Graduate Record Exam General Test (verbal and quantitative); and 
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> - 3 letters of recommendation 
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> - 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. 
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> 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 (to the graduate school admissions office, NOT to the vision program!) after the actual application. 
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> 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! 
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> Following is the anticipated course schedule:
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> Summer 2015 (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)
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> Summer 2016 (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)
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> Summer 2017 (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)
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> Summer 2018 (off campus at an approved site in the contiguous 48 states): 
> TLSE 586A Orientation and Mobility Internship (9) 
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> The 8-week NIU summer session always begins mid-June and ends early August. In summer 2015, classes begin June 15 and end August 7; the dates shift accordingly for the following 2 summers. The 4th summer has to be 12 weeks (in a full time internship at any approved site in the contiguous 48 states), so has to start mid-May.
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> Cohort participants will complete the program in August of 2018, 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. 
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> Many people have inquired about the certification-only vs. the master's degree; here's the deal: to be eligible for the student support, an applicant must be fully admitted to the Graduate School. The difference between the cert-only program and the degree is only one course (ETR 520); the program cannot be completed any faster by eliminating this one course!
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> Please contact Gaylen Kapperman if you have any questions!
> gkapperman at niu.edu 
> 815-753-8453
> 
>  
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