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Gain the skills to become a teacher, therapist, or specialist for people with visual impairment.
UMass Boston’s Vision Studies MEd was ranked as one of the Best Online Graduate Education Programs by U.S. News & World Report. This program focuses on training professionals to assist people with visual impairments to achieve their goals, including high-quality education, fulfilling employment, and safe, independent travel. It’s designed for teachers and other professionals who want to work with people with visual impairments and help them lead safe, productive, and independent lives.
Explore cutting-edge learning technologies and gain practical hands-on experience through fieldwork. Apply these skills to assist people of all ages in different settings — school districts; veterans rehabilitation hospitals; nonprofits; state, federal, and private agencies; and more. This program prepares you to receive initial licensure to teach in Massachusetts and prepares you to sit for national professional exams through the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation & Education Professionals.
The program consists of four tracks: Orientation & Mobility (O&M), Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI), Vision Rehabilitation Therapy (VRT), and Assistive Technology for Individuals with Visual Impairment (AT).
The O&M track teaches you how to evaluate needs of adults and children with visual impairments. You’ll learn how to teach them how to use equipment, such as the long cane, and low vision aids, as well as the integration of a professionally trained dog guide so they may orient themselves and travel safely with confidence. The program prepares you to sit for the national professional examination in O&M offered by the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals (ACVREP).
The TVI track trains you to work with students who are blind or have low vision, as well as their families. TVI students include general education leaders, special educators, and other specialists in related fields. The program also includes a practicum that partially fulfills the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education requirements for initial licensure.
The VRT track teaches professionals how to enhance the vocational opportunities, independent living, and educational development of people with vision loss. You’ll learn how to evaluate and teach daily living skills and strategies for safe, independent living for those with visual impairment. This program fulfills the eligibility requirements of the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired and prepares you to sit for the national certification exam from the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation & Education Professionals (ACVREP).
At any given time, the VRT program has new students and continuing students concurrently in the program. The program has a retention rate of over 94% and 96% of graduates are working in the field.
The AT track is designed for professionals who want to work in areas that enhance technological skills to enhance opportunities in various settings, including vocational, educational, independent living, and avocational settings. This program prepares you to sit for the national certification exam from the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation & Education Professionals (ACVREP).
Plan Your Education
How to Apply
In addition to the criteria listed below, applicants must also meet general graduate admission requirements.
- Transcripts. Official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended. A 3.0 undergraduate GPA is required.
- Three Letters of Recommendation. Emphasis should be on academic and professional references.
- Statement of Interest and Intent (Required Writing Sample). Submit a two-part essay:
- Explain your reasons for wishing to pursue graduate studies (approximately 300 words).
- Indicate your specific interest in AT, O&M, TVI, or VRT, and discuss the type of work you would like to do in this field (at least 1,200 words).
- This statement will be reviewed for both your overall message and your ability to write at the graduate level. Proofread your writing carefully; it is ranked according to its clarity, grammar, and syntax.
- Personal Interview with Faculty Member. When the Office of Graduate Admissions has notified us of your completed application, we will contact qualified candidates to arrange an interview (either in person or via teleconference).
Deadlines & Cost
Deadlines:
- O&M and TVI tracks: February 15 for summer
- VRT and AT tracks: June 15 for fall
Application Fee: The nonrefundable application fee is $75. UMass Boston alumni and current students that plan to complete degree requirements prior to graduate enrollment can submit the application without paying the application fee.
Estimate Your Program Cost: Get a feel for your expected program costs using the Graduate Program Cost Calculator.
Program Cost Information: For more detailed information on costs, please visit the Bursar's website.
Curriculum - Assistive Technology Track
Required Courses (37 Credits)
- VISN 601 - Physical and Functional Aspects of Visual Impairments 3 Credit(s)
- VISN 602 - Education of Students with Visual Impairments 3 Credit(s)
- VISN 603 - Braille I 3 Credit(s)
- VISN 604 - Eye Anatomy and Disease 3 Credit(s)
- VISN 605 - Clinical and Functional Assessment of Vision 3 Credit(s)
- VISN 640 - Psychosocial Aspects of Visual Impairment 3 Credit(s)
- VISN 660 - Introduction to Assistive Technology for People with Visual Impairments 3 Credit(s)
- VISN 661 - Assistive Technology Assessment and Instruction for People with Visual Impairments 4 Credit(s)
- VISN 662 - Configuration and Exploration of Assistive Technology solutions for People with Visual Impairments 4 Credit(s)
- VISN 663 - Technological Methods of Accessibility and Accommodations for People with Visual Impairments 4 Credit(s)
- VISN 669 - Assistive Technology for People with Visual Impairments Practicum 4 Credit(s)
For more information on curriculum, including course descriptions and degree requirements, visit the Academic Catalog.
Curriculum - Orientation & Mobility Track
Required Courses (37 Credits)
- VISN 601 - Physical and Functional Aspects of Visual Impairments 3 Credit(s)
- VISN 602 - Education of Students with Visual Impairments 3 Credit(s)
- VISN 603 - Braille I 3 Credit(s)
- VISN 604 - Eye Anatomy and Disease 3 Credit(s)
- VISN 605 - Clinical and Functional Assessment of Vision 3 Credit(s)
- VISN 621 - Orientation and Mobility Assessment and Instructional Strategies: Children 4 Credit(s)
- VISN 622 - Orientation and Mobility Assessment- Adult 4 Credit(s)
- VISN 625 - Methods of Orientation and Mobility 3 Credit(s)
- VISN 628 - Orientation and Mobility Praxis Lab 1 Credit(s)
- VISN 629 - Orientation and Mobility Practicum 4 Credit(s)
- VISN 640 - Psychosocial Aspects of Visual Impairment 3 Credit(s)
- VISN 646 - Introduction to Audiology and the Human Auditory System 3 Credit(s)
Curriculum - Teacher of Students with Visual Impairment Track
Required Courses (37 Credits)
- VISN 602 - Education of Students with Visual Impairments 3 Credit(s)
- VISN 603 - Braille I 3 Credit(s)
- VISN 604 - Eye Anatomy and Disease 3 Credit(s)
- VISN 605 - Clinical and Functional Assessment of Vision 3 Credit(s)
- VISN 610 - Braille II 3 Credit(s)
- VISN 612 - Orientation and Mobility and Independent Living Skills 4 Credit(s)
- VISN 613 - Assessment of Students with VI Including Those with Additional Disabilities 4 Credit(s)
- VISN 614 - Assessment & Instructional Strategies for Students with VI Including Those with Additional Dis II 4 Credit(s)
- VISN 615 - Early Childhood and Visual Impairment 3 Credit(s)
- VISN 619 - Teacher of the Visually Impaired Practicum 4 Credit(s)
- VISN 648 - Cortical/Cerebral Visual Impairment 3 Credit(s)
- VISN 660 - Introduction to Assistive Technology for People with Visual Impairments 3 Credit(s)
State Licensure Requirements
The licensure of educational personnel requires a bachelor’s degree and the completion of a program that has been approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, with course and field work that includes at least 75 hours of pre-practicum field observations and a supervised student teaching experience or internship. In addition, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education requires satisfactory performance on a test of proficiency in written and spoken English, and on competency examinations in a field of knowledge.
For individuals seeking licensure as Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments, applicants must pass the Communication and Literacy Test to demonstrate written and spoken English competency. The field of knowledge is covered in the General Curriculum Test, which addresses the range of subjects covered in the elementary curriculum.Candidates must also pass a Foundations of Reading Test. Individuals who have completed such a program and have passed the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) will be granted “Initial Licensure” and are eligible to teach in a public school.
Those holding initial licensure have up to five years from the time they are first employed to complete the additional requirements for Professional Licensure. These include a master’s degree and successful teaching experience. Professional Licensure is renewable every five years; re-licensure requires the accumulation of Professional Development Points and the payment of a fee. More details concerning licensure and re-licensure are available in a booklet available from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 350 Main Street, Malden, Massachusetts 02148-5023, or at www.doe.mass.edu.
Curriculum - Vision Rehabilitation Therapy Track
Required Courses (37 Credits)
- VISN 601 - Physical and Functional Aspects of Visual Impairments 3 Credit(s)
- VISN 603 - Braille I 3 Credit(s)
- VISN 604 - Eye Anatomy and Disease 3 Credit(s)
- VISN 605 - Clinical and Functional Assessment of Vision 3 Credit(s)
- VISN 630 - Introduction to Vision Rehabilitation Therapy 4 Credit(s)
- VISN 631 - Methods of Vision Rehabilitation Therapy I 4 Credit(s)
- VISN 632 - Methods of Vision Rehabilitation Therapy II 4 Credit(s)
- VISN 639 - Visual Rehabilitation Therapy Practicum 4 Credit(s)
- VISN 640 - Psychosocial Aspects of Visual Impairment 3 Credit(s)
- VISN 646 - Introduction to Audiology and the Human Auditory System 3 Credit(s)
- REHAB 612 - Vocational Rehabilitation and Placement 3 Credit(s)
Graduation Criteria
AT Track
Complete 37 credits from eleven required courses.
Capstone: Completion of a portfolio during the practicum semester.
Statute of limitations: Five years
O&M Track
Complete 37 credits from twelve required courses.
Capstone: Completion of a portfolio, as part of VISN 629.
Statute of limitations: Five years.
TVI Track
Complete 37 credits from eleven required courses.
Capstone: Completion of a portfolio, normally during the final semester, as part of VISN 619.
Licensure: Students seeking initial licensure must pass all teaching test requirements (MTEL, Communication/Literacy; Foundations of Reading; General Curriculum) and the Braille Proficiency Exam before being placed in a practicum.
Statute of Limitations: Five years.
VRT Track
Complete 37 credits from eleven required courses.
Capstone: Completion of a portfolio, normally during the final semester, as part of VISN 639.
Statute of limitations: Five years.
Contact
Graduate Program Director Laura Bozeman
laura.bozeman [at] umb.edu
781.588.4274
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