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

[mike at michaelhingson.com]

For those who might not have seen this. It is great that Dr. Bell and his
staff are empowering blind people to enter this field. We should also help
to advocate for guide dog schools to hire blind O&M teachers. 

 

 

Best Regards,

 

 

Michael Hingson

 

From: NFBNet-Members-List On Behalf Of Blake, Lou Ann via
NFBNet-Members-List
Sent: Friday, March 27, 2020 2:19 PM
To: nfbnet-members-list at nfbnet.org
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 <mailto: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 <http://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 |  <mailto:lblake at nfb.org> lblake at nfb.org

 

 

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The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends
who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation's blind. Every day we work
together to help blind people live the lives they want.

 

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