Salus University’s Department of Blindness and Low Vision Studies (BLVS) has been awarded two five-year grants from the U.S. Department of Education to support the preparation of two of its programs - Teachers of Children with Visual Impairments (TVI) and Orientation and Mobility (O&M) professionals.
The directors of the projects are Fabiana Perla, EdD, COMS, CLVT, chair of the BLVS department; Jamie Maffit, MS, COMS, CLVT, director of the O&M program at Salus; and Katherine Alstrin, EdD, TVI, COMS, director of the TVI program at Salus.
The ultimate goal of the project is to attract, prepare, and support a total of 44 qualified candidates, over the five-year course of the grants, to become TVI and O&M specialists. The projects aim to increase representation in both fields by increasing efforts to attract applicants from underrepresented groups into an inclusive environment fostering belonging and academic excellence.
To accomplish this, the project will implement an intensive recruitment plan, with an innate focus on attracting a diverse pool of applicants; put in place a strong support system from the admissions process to graduation fulfillment; recruit families who are multilingual and/or come from traditionally underrepresented groups to join the Families as Faculty program, which involves families of children with visual impairments as guest speakers, as well as a newly formed advisory team.
Recruitment for the spring semester has begun. Information on the project and how to apply will be available soon on the BLVS website.
