[rehab] Educating Blind Children

[Dick Davis]

Dear List Members,



If you are thinking of jobs you might want to do, or considering a career
change, why not look at the fields of special education and orientation and
mobility for blind children?  Many of the professionals in both fields are
retiring, and there are lots of job vacancies coming up.  Orientation and
mobility requires a master’s degree, and I can’t think of a better place to
take your training than Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, where you can
get your NOMC certification.  Louisiana Tech also offers two kinds of
special education degrees, one for individuals who currently have a
teaching license, and one for individuals with a bachelor’s degree but no
education licensure.  They also offer joint certification in special ed and
orientation and mobility.  Here’s the basic link to follow:
http://www.pdrib.com/.



There are some colleges and universities that provide bachelor’s degrees in
teaching blind children.  To find them, you will need to pick carefully
through the following list, which contains mostly master’s degree programs
(including Louisiana tech):
http://www.teachingvisuallyimpaired.com/professional-preparation-programs.html.
I don’t know as much about the other colleges and universities as I do
about Louisiana Tech, although Salus University does send its students to
the BLIND, Inc.  English Language Learner Program so they can learn how to
work with students for whom English is not their primary language.  Or you
can get a general special eduation degree and teaching license, and go on
to a master’s degree program.



The climate toward blind teachers of blind children is better now, so you
might consider these careers.  Remember, though, a teacher who lacks
blindness skills isn’t going to find a job as easy as one who has them, so
please consider training at one of our NFB training centers or one of the
good public or private ones.



Best wishes,

Dick Davis, Chair

NFB Employment Committee