Overview
The Visual Impairment Training Program (VITP) is a distance education program with courses offered through a combination of on-campus concentrated weekend and summer meetings, and on-line study allowing students to continue working during the school year. As part of every program, candidates will complete a minimum 350-hour internship in their specialty area. The VITP is guided by the professional standards in the field of visual impairment and blindness. Coursework is based on the knowledge and skills identified by the Council of Exceptional Children (CEC), the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals (ACVREP), the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER), and the North Carolina Department Instruction (NCDPI). Areas of instruction include compensatory functional academic skills, including communication modes, orientation and mobility, social interaction skills, independent living skills, recreation and leisure skills, career education, use of assistive technology, sensory efficiency skills, and self-determination.
MEd Programs
The Masters of Education (MEd) is available through three concentrations: 1) Teaching Visually Impaired Children (TVI - 52 credits), 2) Orientation and Mobility (O&M - 39 credits), and 3) Dual TVI/O&M (63 credits). The TVI concentration prepares individuals to become eligible for teacher licensure and to serve as classroom teachers. The O&M concentration prepares individuals to become eligible for certification from the Academy for Certification of Vision and Rehabilitation Professionals (ACVREP) and to serve as mobility instructors for children and adults. The dual concentration in both TVI and O&M prepares individuals to become eligible for both teacher licensure and ACVREP certification.
Certificate and Licensure Preparation Programs
Alternatively, applicants may pursue an add-on specialization to their current degree through a, Post Baccalaureate or Post Master’s Certificate in Orientation and Mobility (27 credits), or through Licensure Preparation in Teaching Visually Impaired Children (31 credits). Students who enter the Post Master’s Certificate Program will also earn a second master’s degree upon completion of all Foliotek requirements.
Second Master’s Degree (O&M Concentration)
Students with an existing master’s degree may earn a second master’s degree (MEd) by completing the 27-credit hour Orientation and Mobility certificate coursework and completing all of the Foliotek requirements.