Program Overview

Teaching Individuals with Visual Impairments—A Career Unlike Any Other!

The Blindness and Low Vision program at Florida State prepares you to teach individuals with a visual impairment (blindness or low vision). Both public and private institutions across the country have tremendous demand for teachers of students with visual impairments and orientation and mobility specialists. Our graduates are highly sought-after and most find jobs immediately after graduation (and sometimes before!) throughout Florida and the nation!

FSU’s Blindness and Low Vision program teaches the specialized strategies and skills (such as braille, assistive technology, travel skills, social skills, independent living skills, and more!). These skills are necessary to help individuals who are blind or who have low vision learn and participate fully in school, employment, and their community.

Teachers of students with visual impairments (TVIs) and Orientation and mobility specialists (OMS) enable and empower students and clients. These dynamic teachers have a variety of career options upon graduation! You can work in your local school district or private school, a residential school for the blind, non-profit agency, and several of our graduates have started their own contracting businesses!

Florida State University’s Blindness and Low Vision program offers the following options for those seeking to teach individuals who are blind or who have low vision:

Become a Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (B.S./M.S. Pathway)

This is a traditional in-person program offered at FSU’s main campus and is designed to prepare new, pre-service teachers to work with children who are blind or visually impaired. College students begin this combined pathway program at the beginning of their junior year and earn both the Bachelor of Science in Curriculum & Instruction with an emphasis in blindness and low vision. This program takes three years to complete the required coursework and internship.

Financial support through grants and scholarships may be available for eligible students. For information about this program, visit https://annescollege.fsu.edu/blindness-lowvis.

Master's Degree Leading to ACVREP Certification in Orientation and Mobility 

Orientation and Mobility Specialists are the professionals who teach the skills used by individuals who are blind or have low vision to physically navigate through their environments. The content they teach includes skills such as helping a toddler who is blind to explore their room, find their favorite toy, teaching a child to safely play with friends on the playground, and teaching the use of the white cane while crossing streets or using public transportation to independently travel to work.

Students who complete the O&M specialization are eligible to apply for professional certification from the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals (ACVREP) to become certified orientation and mobility specialists (COMS). They may be eligible for the O&M endorsement from the Florida Department of Education.

Financial support through grants and scholarships may be available for eligible students.

Online Master's Degree—Designed for General and Special Educators who are or want to become Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments

This program is designed for teachers and paraprofessionals who want to add an endorsement in the area of visual impairment to work with children who are blind or have low vision or for teachers of students with visual impairments who seek to refine or expand their professional skills. This online program offers current teachers an ideal choice for continuing education while providing enough flexibility to continue working.

Educational Specialist (ed.s.) Degree in curriculum & instruction with an emphasis in blindness and low vision education

Experienced professionals in the field of visual impairments with a Master of Science and who seek to further refine their skills in this area can consider completing this program. If interested in pursuing an Education Specialist degree in the area of Blindness and Low Vision, please contact Dr. Michael Tuttle to discuss options and a program of study based on your prior experience and completed coursework.

Admission Requirements

University admission requirements and the application portal can be found on the prospective student page of the Graduate School: https://gradschool.fsu.edu/prospective-students/graduate-admissions

Application Deadlines

Fall: July 1

Spring: November 1

Summer: March 1

How to Apply

Apply Now

Apply Now- International Students

Course/Degree Requirements

Our programs receive a degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Blindness and Low Vision Education (for teachers of students with visual impairments) or Orientation and Mobility. For programs of study

For specific Graduate Degree requirements please contact Mr. Tim Puch or refer to the student handbook:

Tuition & Aid

The FSU Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences offers over $1 million in scholarship and fellowship opportunities – more than any other public College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences in the state of Florida. On top of that, the state of Florida is nationally ranked in the top 2 for lowest tuition. The tuition at Florida State University is an even better bargain compared to other public research universities. You can find information about tuition at FSU here.

Financial assistance in the form of tuition support and stipends is available for some eligible students. Please contact Tim Puch for information.

Contact(s)
Career Opportunities

Every year in Florida, jobs go unfilled and students go unserved because so few people know about this rewarding and satisfying field of education.

Results from a recent study indicate that there is a need for 5,000 new Teachers of Children with Visual Impairments (TVIs) and a need for 10,000 new Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Specialists to work with children and adults with visual impairments across the U.S.

These teachers and specialists help children and adults who are blind or who have low vision to achieve their educational goals and prepare for the future. They work with individuals with visual impairments and their parents, educators, rehabilitation centers, and community agencies.

Critical Initiatives in Visual Impairment (CIVI)

Critical Initiatives in Visual Impairment (CIVI, funded by a grant from the Florida Department of Education)

The purpose of the CIVI project is to respond, through two initiatives, to critical issues related to services for students with visual impairments in the state of Florida.

Initiative #1: The Personnel Preparation Initiative

This initiative addresses the statewide critical shortage of teachers of students with visual impairments (TVIs) and orientation & mobility (O&M) specialists by offering accessible coursework to residents in the state. Through this initiative, a master’s degree track provides support for currently certified general and special education teachers who are interested in developing or refining the competencies necessary to effectively teach children with visual impairments. This master’s program is provided through online coursework combined with hands-on, accessible practice opportunities. Through this initiative, technical assistance related to appropriate services for students with visual impairments are provided and strategies for addressing the personnel shortages are explored.

For information about the Personnel Preparation programs offered through FSU: https://education.fsu.edu/visual-disabilities-grad

Initiative #2: The Florida Low Vision Initiative (FLVI)

The FLVI provides comprehensive low vision services for Florida students who have low vision. These services include (a) the provision of low vision exams, optical devices, and training to students with low vision who meet the initiative’s eligibility criteria, (b) technical assistance to the teachers and parents of these students, and (c) the collection of data regarding the effect of low vision device use on reading outcomes.

Students with visual impairments who are learning to read and who use large print materials, including those students who also have other disabilities, are the focus of the Florida Low Vision Initiative. After receiving a low vision evaluation by a qualified eye care specialist, students are provided with prescribed eyeglasses, sunglasses, contact lenses, and/or portable handheld optical devices. Teachers and parents of these students receive follow-up services to assist the students in the use of any low vision aids that are purchased for student use.

Students are selected to receive low vision services based on eligibility and use of large print materials, approval of a parent, and agreement of the teacher to participate in a rigorously designed outcomes measurement project. Follow-up services are provided through coordination with each student’s low vision medical provider using best practices of low vision care as described in the research literature.

Additionally, project personnel will work with eligible students of middle and high school ages and their teachers to access the supports provided by the Florida Division of Blind Services or the Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, including those financial supports that facilitate comprehensive low vision care and the purchase of assistive technology that facilitates access to near and distant environments.

For additional information on the FLVI: https://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=2678832

CIVI Personnel: