About Us : Newsletters : VITP Visionaire Fall 2002
Please Note: As this is an archive of a previous newsletter, information may no longer be applicable. At time of original publication, however, all information was verified as accurate. The format of this publication may differ from what was originally published, and may include ommissions such as no longer-relavent contact information.
Vol. 5 Number 1
Fall 2002
Move Completed
Our move to the South Building is complete! We officially finished the move a few days before the semester began, and held our first classes in the new building on August 23, 2002. With three classrooms (in addition to our teleclassroom located in Lineberry Hall), a dedicated library, a receptionist office/transitions office, faculty/staff breakroom, and offices for four faculty, the South Building will provide the VITP with room for even greater growth in the coming years. We could not have survived without the ever-professional GMS maintenance staff, led by Bill Glen, and would not even be here without the generosity of the entire GMS staff, led by Judy Plymale. We are truly grateful.
We are extremely proud of our new home, and once the dust has settled a bit, and everything is put in its place, we plan to open the building to all our friends and supporters. Check out the details on our planned Fall Open House.
New Faculty Search
A search committee has been formed, and applications are now being accepted, to fill the position vacated by Dr. Bozeman. Please share this announcement with any qualified applicants you may know. Read the job announcement...
Meet Our Visiting Faculty
The VITP is currently in negotiations to bring a Visiting Professor to fill the Deafblind position funded by DHHS in 2000. Dr. Alana Zambone, presently of Boston MA, has been selected based on her vast experience within the field. Dr. Zambone has a deep knowledge of special education and general education service systems that she applies to research, evaluation, model development, and teaching. She received her Bachelors degree from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in elementary and special education, and her Masters degree from George Peabody College for Teachers in the psychology program, Human Development Liaison with an emphasis on families whose children are disabled. She received her Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University in elementary and special education (visual and multiple impairments). She has dedicated nearly 30 years to personnel preparation, curriculum design, and systems change related to education for students with disabilities around the world.
Dr. Zambone's expertise in promoting systems change is currently being brought to bear at the Institute for Equity in Schools. As co-founder of the Institute and one of the designers of the Constructivist School Change (CSC) model, she works with districts around the country who have been cited for overrepresentation of children of color in special education and for related inequities. An experienced evaluator, Dr. Zambone is currently directing an Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) research project to evaluate the effectiveness of the CSC model. She has also served as evaluator for OSEP Deaf-Blind Centers, the dual-certificate Professional Development School model graduate program at Wheelock College, and for numerous other projects.
Over the last twenty-two years, Dr. Zambone developed personnel preparation programs for pre- and in-service teachers in the United States and in the Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Africa. She implemented personnel preparation graduate programs in the United States in the areas of visual impairments and multiple disabilities, deaf/blindness, infant/toddler and early childhood special education, mental retardation, severe and multiple impairments, and emotional and behavior disorders. She developed a Professional Development School model graduate program at Wheelock College, and helped refine a rural special education program to prepare teachers serving children with visual impairments and deaf/blindness in Iowa and West Virginia for the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
As International Outreach Coordinator for the Hilton/Perkins International Program, she worked with numerous groups overseas to develop programs and prepare teachers and specialists serving children in formal and non-formal education programs who were deaf/blind or visually and multiply impaired. She has recently completed an international curriculum development project, funded by Bartimeus in the Netherlands, for field workers serving children with visual and additional disabilities, including deaf/blindness, in rural/remote areas of "developing" countries around the world.
Dr. Zambone's experience with grant and contract management is extensive. She has procured and managed federal personnel preparation, model demonstration, and research grants from both the OSEP and the Rehabilitation Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Education, and the U.S. Office of Human Development Services. She also procured and managed National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, Danforth Foundation, Busch Foundation, National Council on the Arts, Kate B. Reynolds Foundation, and Goals 2000 - Eisenhower grants, as well as local and state grants.
As the National Consultant in Early Childhood and Multiple Impairments for the American Foundation for the Blind, Dr. Zambone expanded AFB's services to include consultation in deaf/blindness, and severe multiple impairments. While in this position she helped develop the National Association for Parents of the Visually Impaired; and facilitated policy analysis and advocacy activities with the field, leading to comment and changes in final authorization of P.L. 99-457 infant-toddler and early childhood legislation. She supported Dr. Michael Ward's dissertation research on the federal count process in deaf/blindness and crafted an article with Dr. Ward to disseminate the findings and recommendations to the field.
We look forward to a rewarding association with Dr. Zambone.
Deafblind Program Update
With the acquisition of Dr. Alana Zambone, the Deafblind Training Projects, including Deafblind Intervenor Certificate Training and specialized graduate coursework in Deafblindness, will be implemented as quickly as possible. As part of her duties as the Deafblind Project Coordinator, Dr. Zambone will be assessing the Deafblind training needs for the State of North Carolina, as well identifying funding sources for training needed. In addition, Dr. Zambone will be conducting two Intervenor Training sessions and two graduate-level Deafblind/Multi-Handicaps courses per semester. The Deafblind Intervenor Training that is scheduled will be a continuation of the course sequence to obtain certification as a Deafblind Intervenor; the graduate-level Deafblind coursework is designed as an advanced specialization for students working with individuals who are Deafblind or who have multiple impairments. For additional information regarding either of these programs, please visit
New Department/New Department Chair
A reorganization within the School of Education has resulted in the creation of a new department within the School. The Visual Impairment Training Program is now housed within the newly-created Department of Special Education, with Dr. Ellen Bacon identified as the Department Chair. We would like to congratulate Dr. Bacon on this appointment. We do wish to thank Dr. Sheila Belfon for her work in supporting the VITP while it was under her jurisdiction as the Chair of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.
Low Vision Clinic in Need of Equipment
The Low Vision Clinic continues to need a keratometer and a non-contact "puff" tonometer for the evaluation of individuals with visual impairments. The keratometer will be used to determine corneal curvature, potential refractive errors, and/or contact lens fitting. The tonometer will allow ocular health assessments to include intraocular (IOP) pressure examinations.
If anyone knows of an ophthalmologist or optometrist who has either of these devices that they no longer need, please have them contact Dr. Brad Walker. If you know of any funding sources from which we could purchase available with which we could purchase these much-needed devices, please let Dr. Walker know.
DSB Training
This past summer, Drs. Walker and Bozeman each provided in-house training to employees of Division of Services for the Blind as part of the Vision Partnership. Dr. Walker's 2 three-day workshops were on Eye Medical Updates and Low Vision; Dr. Bozeman held 1 three-day workshop in Orientation and Mobility, including self-defense and actuated signals. Such workshops enable the staff within the various DSB/GMS departments to receive up-to-date training and information without straining the already-tight State Budget.
ACB Conference, 9/28-9/29
The American Council of the Blind will be holding its annual conference at the Crabtree Holiday Inn in late September. Dr. Walker has been asked to give an update on the VITP. Volunteers are need to assist with the Conference - providing sighted-guide, information-giving, registration assistance, and other areas as needed. For further information, or to volunteer your time, contact Mrs. Amy Shaw at 919-683-8022.
Fall Open House
To show off our new building and to introduce our Visiting Faculty, we are planning an Open House to be held in October. All persons receiving this newsletter will receive an invitation via e-mail when the time and date has been determined. [Note: Due to weather conditions, the Open House that had been planned for Fall 2002 was actually held February 14, 2003.]
Wake Community Lions
The Wake Community Lions, formerly meeting in the Penland Building, have made the move with the VITP to the South Building. The Club, comprised of former and current faculty and staff of the VITP, GMS, and NCSU, meet the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month at noon. The primary beneficiary of the Club is the GMS campus including the DSB Rehabilitation Center and the VITP. If you are interested in attending one of our meetings, please contact Lion President Ray Dragon at 919-733-5440 or ray DOT dragon AT ncmail DOT net. We also invite any interested person to visit the Wake Community Lions website at
Dog Guide Foundation: Guest Lecturer
The VITP would like to welcome Richard Kelleher, from the Guide Dog Foundation, to the GMS campus on Friday, September 20, from 2-4 pm. Mr. Kelleher will be presenting on the workings of a dog guide school. We invite anyone interested to come hear this speaker in the VITP/GMS teleclassroom, Room 109 Lineberry Hall.
VITP Foundation Needs Your Help
The VITP is unique in that it is permanently funded by the State of North Carolina. However, the funding we receive is often not enough to purchase some of the expensive equipment needed to train our students to work with visually impaired children and adults. For that very reason we have a Foundation designed to accept donations to directly support the VITP in its mission. If you, or someone you know, would like to make a TAX DEDUCTABLE contribution in your name or as a memorial to a loved one, the VITP will have a lasting impact. Donations may be made to:
VITP Foundation (Acct. 02-534)
North Carolina Central University
1801 Fayetteville
Durham, NC 27707
VITP Wish List
We are currently in need of the following:
LCD Projector - $3500.00 (approx.)
RealServer - $5000.00 (approx.)
Office Supplies
Assistive Devices
Kudos
- Mike Corbett for his generous donation of personal texts, journals, and vision-related materials. His donation has been added to the VITP Library pending cataloging.
- Bill Glen and the GMS Maintenance Staff for their assistance in making the South Building more than we could have hoped. Thanks guys!
The Special Education Exchange
One of the most valued special education resources on the web, The Special Education Exchange, or SpEdEx as it is more commonly known (http://www.spedex.com), has long been a source of knowledge for special educators the world over. Discussion areas, directories of schools, professionals, and agencies, a special education bookstore, and one of the most extensive listing of available jobs, make SpEdEx the first stop for parents, teachers, and others interested in special education. SpEdEx is also the home to the National Association for Parents of Children with the Visual Impairments (NAPVI) at http://www.napvi.org. The VITP is pleased to be associated with SpEdEx as the host for the VITP website, and invite you to bookmark http://www.spedex.com for your special education needs.
You are receiving this newsletter because you are affiliated with NC Central University, the Governor Morehead School, Division of Services for the Blind, or the Visual Impairment Training Program, are a member of a Lions Club in North Carolina, or have indicated you wish to receive newsletters from the VITP. If this is no longer the case, please contact ray DOT dragon AT ncmail DOT net to be removed.