About Us : Newsletters : VITP eVisionaire Fall/Winter 2007-2008
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.
Fall/Winter 2007-2008
In This Issue
- Welcome!
- VITP on the Move
- Dual Media Study
- Visual Impairment Partnership
- Grant Proposals
- Summer Fast Track Program
- Teleclassroom Move/Upgrade
- NCATE Approval
- Save the Date
In August, 2007, Ms. Victoria Poole accepted the position of administrative assistant for the Visual Impairment Training Program. She is working at NCCU and can be reached at 919-530-7291 or vpoole@nccu.edu. She can also receive program faxes (including distance education registration forms) at 919-530-5346. Prior to joining NCCU she worked at Duke. She has been a great asset to our program. Welcome Victoria!
On October 31, 2007 the VITP faculty and staff began the move into our new office and classroom space. We are now housed on the top floor of Lineberry. The space is still a work in progress, but we have 1 smartboard classroom, 1 teleconference classroom, 1 library/assistive technology lab, and 4 offices. We are thrilled to be in a central part of campus.
Our GMS phone number will remain the same 919-715-6342 and the fax is 919-715-1597.
Do you know of a student in grades K-12 that started school using print and is now learning braille or is using both print and braille. If so, please contact Julie Bardin about the dual media study she is working on. Participation in the study would involve surveys and a review of the cumulative school records.
When the VITP was created, a partnership agreement including NCCU, Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), and Department of Public Instruction (DPI) was put in place. This agreement supports the sharing of resources among the agencies to benefit individuals with visual impairments in NC.
Diane Wormsley is currently coordinating the renewal of the Visual Impairment Partnership between NCCU, DHHS, and DPI. The process began in September and the document is almost ready to move forward for approval from the represented agencies.
Dr. Wormsley submitted a proposal for a grant from Institute for Education Sciences under the U.S. Department of Education for an Individualized Braille Curriculum research project based on the Functional Braille Approach.
The VITP faculty members have also submitted a proposal to receive grant funds from the Rehabilitation Services Administration to support students in the existing O&M program and to create a VRT program. We are very appreciative of the letters of support from the VI community.
Please stay tuned for updates on these projects!
Based on feedback from teachers, potential students, and students who have exited the program early, the faculty of the Visual Impairment Training Program determined that an alternative method of course delivery needed to be considered. The students in the Visual Impairment Training Program have traditionally completed coursework through a variety of delivery models (face to face, on-line, hybrid, and teleclassroom). The feedback from students indicates a strong preference for face to face and telelclassroom as the methods that were most effective. Additionally, numerous people have contacted the program faculty regarding the availability of intensive summer sessions that began after their public school obligations were over for the summer.
The fast track program will be offered during the 2008 and 2009 summer sessions and re-evaluated before being offered in 2010. Detailed information about this program can be found at www.nccu-vitp.net or by contacting Julie Bardin at 919-530-5346 or jbardin@nccu.edu.
Our fall and spring semester courses will still be offered. This Fast Track is just one more option.
As part of the original Visual Impairment Partnership and the North Carolina Central University (NCCU)/Governor Morehead School for the Blind (GMS) Professional Development School a teleconference room was installed on the first floor of the Lineberry Building in 1997. The original cost of this room was $120,000 shared between NCCU and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). To date, no upgrades have been made to this room. Since the original installation, no additional equipment costs have been incurred by DHHS or NCCU related to this room.
In May, 2007 we were notified by Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) that the existing system in the teleclassroom will no longer be compatible and will not be able to connect after October 1, 2008. This deadline and the current move to the top floor of Lineberry presented to perfect opportunity to upgrade the equipment and move the teleconference room.
NCCU and DHHS have committed to purchasing the equipment necessary to upgrade this room. The furniture has arrived and the other equipment is being ordered. Please watch for an announcement of the "Grand Opening" of this room.
The NCCU School of Education has received final word that the unit's NCATE certification has been reaffirmed.
- North Carolina Conference on Visual Impairments and Blindness, Raleigh, NC, April 24 - 26, 2007. More information will be available on http://www.ncaer.net
- International AER Conference, Chicago, IL, July 22 - 27, 2008. For more information go to http://www.aerbvi.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=956
About NCCU VITP
The Visual Impairment Training Program is a concentration of study in the Master's of Special Education at North Carolina Central University that prepares teachers of children and adults who are visually impaired. Part of the NC Vision Partnership and housed in LIneberry Hall on the Governor Morehead School campus, the program sequence is designed to meet national accreditation standards as well as fulfill the specific requirements for a North Carolina teaching license specializing in Visual Impairments. Teachers, parents, and professionals may take courses leading to the Master's Degree, Licensure in Visual Impairment Teaching, or Certification in Orientation & Mobility. Individuals may also enroll for courses for general professional and personal development.
If you have any information you wish to contribute for the NCCU-VITP eVisionaire newsletter, please forward it to our Editor, Ray Dragon, for consideration.