[Pibe-division] TVI Training

Tue Feb 18 01:06:06 UTC 2014

That would be great. Would you email me with it off list?

Sent from my iPad

On Feb 17, 2014, at 2:56 PM, Treva Olivero <treva at olivero.us> wrote:

> Hi Mikayla,
> I remember you from the 2010 JSA. I'm so excited that you're asking
> about teaching!
> 
> I'm actually a student in the TBS program at Louisiana Tech, and the
> program is a wonderful program. I highly recommend it. I came to
> Ruston in 2012. First I attended the Louisiana Center for the Blind,
> which was a life-changing experience. Then I started at Louisiana Tech
> in the fall of 2012. I have never had an issue with getting to
> classes. I haven't had to rely on my classmates for transportation.
> Occasionally I've gotten rides with them because we were going to the
> same place anyway, but it was with friends. The transportation is
> limited, but I have been able to manage. Currently I have a job as a
> paraprofessional in addition to my grad school classes, and I have
> been able to get adequate transportation for both my job and my
> classes without having to depend on friends. There are cabs and there
> is a transit service that runs from early in the morning until around
> 5:00 in the evening. Also, there is a lot of housing close to campus.
> 
> Krystal is right that the blindness related classes are mostly online.
> They have really strong NFB philosophy. Also, I have never had an
> issue with adaptations. When I need to know how to do something as a
> blind teacher, I just ask my peers who are already teachers.
> 
> It is not perfect here, but I don't know any place on earth that is.
> However, if you look at the overall blindness philosophy of the
> program and the wealth of knowledge from our instructors, I believe
> that the program at Louisiana Tech is the best program for teachers of
> blind students in the country.
> 
> If you have any questions about the program or Ruston in general
> please don't hesitate to contact me on or off list. Also, let me know
> if you want my phone number. I'm happy to talk to you about any of
> this.
> 
> Warmest Regards,
> 
> Treva
> 
> On 2/17/14, Mikayla Gephart <mikgephart at icloud.com> wrote:
>> I am curious. What do you mean by strengthening chrodentials?
>> 
>> Sent from my iPad
>> 
>> On Feb 17, 2014, at 1:56 PM, "Smith, Pauline L" <PSmith4 at dmc.org> wrote:
>> 
>>> Good Afternoon,
>>> 
>>> I am thinking about strengthening my TVI credentials. This discussion on
>>> training programs is very instructive.  Thanks, Allison for your honesty.
>>> I don't think I would consider Ruston for the reasons that you and Jewel
>>> have mentioned.  I am a bit shy about asking people for a lot of help and
>>> would not like having to depend on classmates all the time for
>>> transportation to places.  I guess that comes from a life history of
>>> family and other sighted individuals I have been in contact feeling like
>>> they were put upon when helping.  You get things like being yanked during
>>> guiding or hearing secondhand how transporting you or associating with you
>>> interfered with something they wanted to do.  I'm glad some people are
>>> brave enough to express their honest feelings.
>>> 
>>> There definitely needs to be NFB type teacher training programs in diverse
>>> geographic areas.  The methods seem sound and any program that gives all
>>> teacher candidates a fair chance to succeed deserves to be duplicated.
>>> 
>>> Pauline
>>> 
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Pibe-division [mailto:pibe-division-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
>>> Allison Hilliker
>>> Sent: Monday, February 17, 2014 10:05 AM
>>> To: Professionals in Blindness Education Division List
>>> Subject: Re: [Pibe-division] TVI Training
>>> 
>>>   Hi All,
>>> 
>>> I went to Louisiana Tech for the TBS program for about 6 months in 2007.
>>> It absolutely has the best blindness philosophy and beliefs in the
>>> capability of blind people around. You'll definitely get the best teacher
>>> education there.
>>> 
>>> That said, Jewel is right, it is located in the middle of nowhere. I
>>> didn't care for Ruston at all and that's why I left the program. I loved
>>> my instructors and my classes, but they only lasted for about 12 hours a
>>> week and the rest of the week I was still stuck living in the small town
>>> south. And the lack of transportation is a huge problem when trying to do
>>> your field work as most blind students do not live in Ruston and you'll
>>> need to hire drivers to get to neighboring towns. I was able to get rides
>>> with friends sometimes, but when a quarter's worth of classes require more
>>> than 30 hours of field work then depending on friends is not necessarily
>>> practical. I was spending a lot of money on drivers to do field work.
>>> Also, I was the only blind student in the program, and most of my
>>> instructors were also sighted, so  I didn't necessarily feel like I was
>>> getting many alternative technique suggestions for how to be an effective
>>> blind teacher. While The Louisiana Center does have many
>>> blind instructors, Louisiana Tech did not and those were the people I was
>>> working with in my grad program. And most of all, I just did not like the
>>> small town culture. Many people may love it, but I'm not one of them.
>>> 
>>> Sorry fellow NFB members. I realize this post won't be popular, but I felt
>>> moved to be honest. I've been in the NFB for years, consider myself a
>>> philosophical purest, and am  a Louisiana Center graduate. Even so, I have
>>> to be honest about Ruston. It's not the greatest place to spend two years
>>> of one's life. We desperately need more than one NFB-focused graduate
>>> program in this country because Ruston is not an option for everyone. It
>>> has many limitations that I feel we need to be real about.
>>> 
>>> JMO,
>>> Allison
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Pibe-division [mailto:pibe-division-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
>>> Jewel
>>> Sent: Sunday, February 16, 2014 6:22 PM
>>> To: Professionals in Blindness Education Division List
>>> Subject: Re: [Pibe-division] TVI Training
>>> 
>>> I looked into Louisiana Tech, too. I really liked the program description,
>>> and I really like their director, who took the time to speak to me.
>>> However, this school is in the middle of nowhere. There is no bus system.
>>> The only way to get to any good shopping is by Greyhound bus. And getting
>>> around town unless you're walking is difficult. You would have to bum
>>> rides from fellow students. That is the bad side of Louisiana Tech, but
>>> their program looks really good.
>>> Jewel who went to Louisiana Tech last June to visit
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
>>>> On Feb 16, 2014, at 8:07 PM, Mikayla Gephart <mikgephart at icloud.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> Hi,
>>>>  As I have said, I want to be a TVI. I am looking at training programs,
>>>> and am leaning towards the College of New Jersey and Louisiana Tech, as I
>>>> live in New Jersey. What are your experiences with these and other
>>>> programs.
>>>> 
>>>> Sent from my iPad
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> 
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