About Us : Newsletters : VITP Visionaire Spring/Summer 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. 4 Number 3
Spring/Summer 2002
Deafblind Program In Full Swing
by Llewellyn Jones
We are moving forward during the second year of the three year Deafblind Training Program project. This spring, two classes offered were met with strong support.
The first class, Introduction to Deafblind and Multiple Disabilities, was a graduate level class. Taught by Stephanie Johnson, Deaf-Blind Specialist with the Wilson Regional Resource Center. The class began on March 21, 2002, and ended on June 6. This first class is intended to serve as an introduction to the areas of visual impairments, hearing impairments, multiple impairments, and deaflbindness. Emphasis is placed on the unique aspects of combined sensory impairments and multiple impairments on the learner. This instance of the class was held in the VITP Teleclassroom in order to utilize the NC Information Highway and reach two satellite learning sites.
The second class was Survey in Deafblindness. This was the first course offered in the Deafblind Intervenor Training Program, and was taught by Carolyn Monaco, Professor at George Brown College, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This class serves as an introduction to the areas of visual impairments, hearing impairments, and deaflbindness, with an emphasis on the overall unique needs of the combined sensory-loss of vision and hearing, and the unique role of the Intervenor. The course was also offered via the NC Information Highway, and was held April 22 - 26, 2002.
The NCCU Deafblind Program is progressing. Interviews were held for the Deafblind Training Project Professor/Coordinator, and hopefully there will soon be someone on board to fully implement this program during the third year of this renewable project. Additionally, there is now an official job classification within the North Carolina Personnel system for Intervenors. The plan is for a full range of coursework to be offered during the Fall semester.
On the Move
The VITP has just moved into its own building!
Expansion of the GMS Short-Term Sessions Program necessitated the move of the VITP to another location. Our new facility is the South Building - located just off Western Blvd. on the GMS campus (across from the Blockhouses and the Lighthouse).
The South Building, containing approximately 2000 square feet of space, is dedicated solely to the VITP and Deafblind Liaison. The building has been completely refurbished by the wonderful maintenance staff at GMS, led by Bill Glen.
The South Building contains room for all faculty offices, a resource library, Transitions Program, two dedicated classrooms, a conference room/classroom, media center, and faculty/student lounge.
The building's location away from the main GMS campus activities affords ample student/staff parking, and is fully accessible to persons with special needs. However, it is still very much a part of the GMS community and VITP students will still have access to the nation's only Professional Development School Partnership located on a residential school for the blind campus.
A Fond Farewell...
Dr. Laura Bozeman, Coordinator of the Orientation & Mobility Program, has announced she will be leaving us at the end of the summer.
Dr. Bozeman, who will be joining her husband in New Zealand, has been with the VITP since 1998. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin O&M Project, Dr. Bozeman has ably led the VITP's O&M through AER & NCATE certifications, as well as provided countless VITP students with seemingly-endless hours under blindfold learning cane skills and mobility techniques. Her workshops in self-defense for the visually impaired, and her tireless work coordinating the VITP Sports Education Camps will be sorely missed, as well as her guidance during our students' numerous trips to the various dog guide training schools. We wish her all the best.
...Changes Everything
With Dr. Bozeman's departure comes obvious personnel changes. An international search for a highly-qualified candidate to fill the position of O&M Coordinator will be underway before the summer ends. Until a candidate is found and hired, O&M teaching duties will be handled by Dr. Walker. Several of Dr. Walker's current classes will be taught, temporarily, by adjunct faculty.
One such adjunct faculty is Sandy Deluca. Mrs. Deluca, recently retired from teaching at GMS, has proved to be not only extremely knowledgeable and passionate about her profession, but also extremely popular with the VITP students. Mrs. Deluca is definitely a welcome addition to our program, and we hope to have a long, successful relationship.
With the success of the Deafblind Project, a full-time adjunct faculty position is being pursued, pending current budgetary restraints being lifted. Please see the related article.
Also new to campus, but not to the VITP, will be the addition of Ms. Lisa Sutton. Ms. Sutton will be spending time at the VITP's GMS offices to better serve the students and faculty.
Final Printing of the Visionaire
The Visionaire has been a staple of the VITP since our first issue in Fall 1997. During that time we have provided details on the comings (and goings) of the VITP, faculty, staff, and student activities, program expansions and roadblocks, and general neat information for you, the Friends of the VITP. Times change, however, and with those times we are shutting down the production of the Visionaire - in print!
With the rising costs of paper and postage, the tightening of State budgets, and the shrinking of our planet's natural resources, we decided it was time to go to a fully-electronic means of delivery. We have always made copies of the Visionaire available on the VITP website at the same time we dropped copies in the mail, and many of our Friends have been asking us to provide the Visionaire via e-mail, which we started with our last issue. This, however, will mark the first time we have not provided a copy using traditional paper and ink.
What will this mean for you, the reader? You will now be able to read VITP news in a more "immediate" manner, and all information will be fully accessible without adaptation.
What will YOU need to do to continue receiving the Visionaire? Nothing - you are already getting it in our new format. The only notification you need to give would be a different e-mail address than the one we have on file - you can send a message to ray DOT dragon AT ncmail DOT net with any changes you need. And, as always, copies of the Visionaire are available on our website under "What Is the VITP".
Sports Camp 2002
This year the NCCU VITP Sports Education Camp will be held on the Governor Morehead School Campus July 28-August 1. Interested athletes with visual impairment between the ages of 10-15 are welcome to apply. There is no charge except that the athlete must join the US Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) - the fee for joining is $25.
We also need volunteers to work part or all of the camp days.
Contact Dr. Laura Bozeman for further information. 919-715-6342 laura DOT bozeman AT ncmail DOT net
Tidbits
With the move to a new building comes an obvious change in physical address, mailing address, and phone numbers. Our main phone number remains the same - 919-715-6342; our fax is 919-715-1596 and our new TTY/TDD number is 919-715-1597. Our new mailing address is: The Visual Impairment Training Program, 311 Ashe Avenue, South Building, Raleigh, NC 27606. All changes are in effect immediately.
Once we have had time to settle-in look for an Open House to be held early in the Fall 2002 Semester. We are proud of our new digs, and want all our friends to see just how well a PDS can work.