Special Education: Specialist in Low Vision and Blindness

Specialists in Low Vision and Blindness work with learners who have a wide range of visual impairments ages 3-21. Instructors in this field can be found in classrooms from preschool through high school, in public schools as well as in residential centers as classroom, resource, or itinerant teachers. Training includes courses in braille reading and writing, assistive technology for individuals with visual impairments, and fieldwork in clinical experiences.

Licensure and Endorsements Earned:

Specialist in Low Vision and Blindness, PreK-12

Program Features

• Ranked by College Factual as the number one school for special education in Illinois 
• Opportunities available for Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver
• One of 33 programs in visual impairment in the U.S. and one of only eight undergraduate LVB programs in the country.
• A job market currently experiencing a shortage of teachers
• Newly revised curriculum that includes an extensive emphasis on assistive technology. The LVB Program is one of the only vision programs in the country that provides an intensive level of low vision and blindness-specific assistive technology training and support to proactively address the critical shortage of vision personnel with assistive technology expertise.
• Clinical experiences through established connections with school partners. The professional development partnerships with residential and public schools include:
  • Chicago Public Schools, Chicago, IL
  • Illinois School for the Visually Impaired, Jacksonville, IL
  • Indianapolis School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Indianapolis, IN
  • Sangamon Area Special Education Cooperative with Sangamon, Menard, Macoupin, and Cass Counties in Illinois
  • Springfield Public School District #186, Springfield, IL
• Senior Seminar Week teacher candidates experience private tours and presentations at several leading agencies that serve people who are blind or visually impaired worldwide. The onsite visits include half- or whole-day seminars on-location at:
• Chicago Lighthouse, Chicago, IL
• Hadley School for the Blind, Winnetka, IL
• Hines Blind Rehabilitation Center at the Hines VA Hospital, Hines, IL
• Illinois Center for Rehabilitation and Education (ICRE) Wood, Chicago, IL
• Illinois College of Optometry, Chicago, IL
• Illinois Instructional Materials Center (IIMC), Chicago, IL
• Phillip J. Rock Center, Glen Ellyn, IL
• TransVision on-location in Winnetka, IL
• The Braille Birds registered student organization is open to any ISU student interested in braille or the field of visual impairments.
• Teacher candidates progress through the program as a cohort, developing friendships and professional partnerships that last beyond graduation.
• Many unique aspects of the program, including the opportunity to live for an entire semester at a residential school for learners with low vision and blindness.
• There is an option to add bilingual and/or ESL endorsements to this program.

Program Media Coverage

• Story about Braille teacher shortage from Good Morning America 
• Campus News story about EL VISTA program