[rehab] [OandM] O&M opportunity for degree or certification

Wed May 20 20:44:56 UTC 2009

-----Original Message-----
From: Jodi Sticken <jsticken at niu.edu>
To: oandm at lists.aerbvi.org; aernet at lists.aerbvi.org
Cc: lchandler at niu.edu; gkapperman at niu.edu
Sent: Mon, 18 May 2009 11:27 am
Subject: [OandM] O&M opportunity not to be missed...please, spread the
word!

 		FREE TUITION!
 		FREE MASTER'S DEGREE IN ORIENTATION & MOBILITY!

 		Northern Illinois University
 		Application Deadline: MARCH 15, 2010

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 2010, 2011, and 2012. A full time, 12-week internship will be
completed during the summer of 2013, at any approved site in the
contiguous 48 states. This package is worth $16,000 for Illinois
residents; $25,000 for out-of-st ate 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
815-753-8456
jsticken at niu.edu

ACT NOW...application deadline: MARCH 15, 2010

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

<http://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=2 0than 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 combined minimum score of 800 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 $30 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 Jodi Sticken (jsticken at niu.edu, 815-753-8456) 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 2010 (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 2011 (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 2012 (on campus in DeKalb, IL):
TLSE 574b       Advanced Orientation and Mobility (3)
TLSE 570         Orientation and Mobility fo r Learners with Multiple
Disabilities (3)
TLSE 587U       Orientation and Mobility Practicum (3)

Summer 2013 (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 2013, 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 Jodi Sticken if you have any questions!
jsticken at niu.edu
815-753-8456

Jodi Sticken
Director of Orientation and Mobility
Department of Teaching and Learning
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL 60115
815-753-8456
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