About Us : Newsletters : VITP Visionaire Spring 1998
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.
New Faces, New Beginnings
With the Fall Semester of 1997 Dr. Brad R. Walker, formerly of the University of Texas at Austin, has been appointed as Director of the Visual Impairment Training Program (VITP) at North Carolina Central University. Dr. Walker is excited with the prospects of this new graduate-level training program and has a myriad of plans to make this program one of the best in the nation.
Two new part-time Graduate Assistants have been hired by the program - Jane Shi and Tim Shi. Mr. Shi and Ms. Shi are both graduate students in the Instructional Sciences program housed on the North Carolina Central campus. Work schedules have been arranged to allow full, daytime telephone coverage for the Visual Impairment Training Program. We are pleased to have them with us and expect them to be a tremendous asset to the VITP's success.
The process of hiring a full-time secretary for the VITP has begun and it is hoped that the position will be filled within the coming weeks. Position announcements also have been made for a second full-time faculty member to begin with the Fall 1998 Semester. It is anticipated that this position will assist with the Visual Impairment Training Program, as well as implement a new Orientation & Mobility Training Program.
We have also hired a part-time technical coordinator to handle our computer maintenance and to design and maintain our site on the Internet.
With these new faces, we expect bright new beginnings for the VITP. We hope that everyone will extend a warm welcome to Dr. Walker and his staff, and wish them the best of luck in this exciting new endeavor.
Accolades
Now that the Visual Impairment Training Program is officially under way it is important to recognize those people who made this program a reality. Organizations which were instrumental in supporting the VITP's implementation include:
- Division of Services for the Blind
- United Action for the Blind
- North Carolina Central University
- NC Federation for the Blind
- NC Council of the Blind
- Consumer and Advocacy Committee for the Blind
- Governor Morehead School for the Blind
Specifically, we wish to extend a heartfelt thanks to Mr. Fred Baars - DPI, Drs. Sheila Breitweiser and Charles Bernardo - GMS, Ms. Joan Baker - GMS Outreach, JW Smith and Ben Akin - UAB, John Deluca - DSB, Chancellor Julius Chambers - NCCU, Bill and Gail Waters, and Rachel Rawls. We also wish to thank the coordinating efforts of Dean Sammie Campbell Parrish - School of Education, Dr. Cecilia Steppe-Jones - Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies, and Dr. Thomas Wasileski - Department of Curriculum Instruction, and Dr. Mary Wakeford,
Without the diligent efforts and support of these individuals and organizations of the past few years this program would never have been possible.
Projects, Plans & Directions
Office equipment and supplies have been received to support the VITP faculty and staff. In addition to general office supplies, the program now has the use of four computer systems housed on the NCCU and GMS campuses. The donation of a fifth computer system is expected to be received during the month of March. Supportive office equipment including scanner, and printers are currently on order.
A library of resource books and materials has been ordered and received. This $4000 acquisition of reference materials is currently being catalogued and placed for use of VITP students on the Governor Morehead School for the Blind campus. The organization and cataloguing of these items is being performed by Ms. Jane Shi and is being entered into a computer database for easy access by program participants.
Equipment and furnishings for the tele-classroom facility on the GMS campus is near completion. All connectivity hardware necessary for transmission has been installed. Pending the installation of the classroom furnishings and the final recommendations from the State Information Processing Services (SIPS), it is expected that tele- classroom facility will be able to pilot its first course beginning with the Summer Session of 1998. Plans are currently underway to identify remote reception sites for this piloting.