BLVS

Rehabilitation Teaching

Rehabilitation teachers offer adults who are blind or visually impaired information and resources they need to lead successful, productive lives. By offering instruction in specialized methods and adaptive techniques required for independent living and communication, the rehabilitation teacher helps people to achieve independent lifestyles.

What does the rehabilitation teacher do?

The rehabilitation teacher provides specialized methods or adaptive techniques for communication and coping with the demands of daily living. The broad sphere of communication includes Braille, computers, handwriting, listening and recording technology, low-vision technology, mathematical calculation, and keyboarding. Instruction in daily living skills includes food preparation, personal management, home management, home mechanics, leisure and recreation activities, and orientation and movement in familiar indoor environments.

Services are primarily provided in two major settings: rehabilitation centers designed to serve groups of people and in people's homes. Teachers work with each student or with small groups of consumers.

Rehabilitation teachers work collaboratively with other rehabilitation team members to help their students identify the kinds of services that suit their needs. Because they establish close working relationships with their clients, they often help clients address issues associated with adjustment to blindness.

The curriculum

Students preparing to be rehabilitation teachers enroll in blindness core courses and specialized courses in rehabilitation teaching. They receive a total of 39 credit hours of instruction, which include a professional field experience. The program can be completed in three to four semesters, after which the master's degree is awarded.

Rehabilitation Counseling/Teaching

The Rehabilitation Counseling/Teaching program is sponsored by the Department of Blindness and Low Vision Studies (BLS) and the Department of Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology (CECP). The seventy-six hour Rehabilitation Counseling/Teaching (RCTM) degree program prepares rehabilitation counselors specialized in blindness and low vision. Graduates receive two Master of Arts degrees (CERM - Counselor Education: Rehabilitation Counseling & VRTM – Vision Rehabilitation Therapy = Rehabilitation Counseling/Teaching RCTM). The Rehabilitation Counseling/Teaching (RCTM) program is accredited by the Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE) and approved by the Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the blind and visually impaired (AER). Graduates are eligible to become certified rehabilitation counselors through the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC) and certified vision rehabilitation therapists (CVRT) through the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals (ACVREP). Graduates are also eligible for Michigan Licensure as Professional Counselors (LPC).

RCTM Program graduates are prepared to provide a full range of vocational rehabilitation counseling services to individuals with cognitive, physical, psychiatric, and sensory disabilities.

What do rehabilitation counselors/teachers do?

Typical duties for rehabilitation counselors/teachers are to:

Provide training in specialized methods or adaptive techniques for communications, activities of daily living and recreation.
Facilitate training and access to assistive technologies.
assist consumers with career development and choices
foster acquisition of work-related skills
modify jobs
develop jobs
facilitate placement into employment

Rehabilitation Counseling/Teaching Program Mission & Objectives

Rehabilitation Counseling/Teaching Program Mission Statement
It is the mission of the Western Michigan University Rehabilitation Counseling (CERM)/Teaching (RCTM) Programs to promote quality rehabilitation services for, and with, individuals with disabilities through the education and preparation of qualified rehabilitation personnel; the provision of professional and student centered services to rehabilitation agencies, facilities and associations; and, the sponsorship of research related to employment and rehabilitation to advance the profession.

Rehabilitation Counseling/Teaching Programs Objectives
Objectives supporting the RC/T Program Mission are to:

Prepare rehabilitation counselor (CERM)/teachers (RCTM) who subscribe to the basic philosophical tenets of rehabilitation, including the value and worth of all individuals, a belief in human dignity, the right of all individuals to live as independently as possible, to engage in gainful employment, and to have full participation in society.
Prepare competent professionals in rehabilitation counseling (CERM)/teaching (RCTM) with skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary for delivering rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities.
Prepare rehabilitation counselor (CERM)/teachers (RCTM) who embrace professionalism by: a) adhering to the Codes of Ethics for Rehabilitation Counselors and Teachers; b) engaging in activities that foster the advancement of the rehabilitation counseling (CERM)/teaching (RCTM) profession; and, c) updating/maintaining skills through life long learning and service to the rehabilitation profession.
Prepare rehabilitation counselors (CERM) with expertise in blindness or low vision services (RCTM).
Utilize experiential and innovative instructional strategies to maintain high quality personnel preparation programs in rehabilitation counseling (CERM)/teaching (RCTM).
Facilitate a diverse learning environment through recruitment of representative populations within each cohort of students.
Emphasize diversity and multicultural issues in CERM/RCTM program offerings.
Engage in ongoing program evaluation and improvement to respond to the ever changing evolution of applicant, student, legislative, profession, employer, and consumer demands.
Utilize a collaborative, constituent-based cooperative approach for CERM/RCTM program management which includes contributions of; students, faculty, department representatives, rehabilitation community representatives, and the CERM/RCTM Program Advisory Board.
Promote the practice and profession of rehabilitation counseling (CERM)/Teaching (RCTM) by emphasizing the vocational aspects of rehabilitation service delivery within the context of human development.
Meet the demand for qualified rehabilitation counseling (CERM)/Teaching (RCTM) personnel in public and private rehabilitation systems, with emphasis in systems serving individuals with blindness or low vision.
Pursue internal and external student and research based funding to support personnel development and advancement of the profession.
Facilitate student acquisition of a strong conceptual and working knowledge of the foundations and principles supporting rehabilitation counseling (CERM)/teaching (RCTM).
Establish and maintain professional and student centered research/services with local, state, regional, and national rehabilitation entities.
Maintain the high standard of professional education in rehabilitation counseling (CERM)/teaching (RCTM) as established by the CORE and ACVREP accreditation bodies in conjunction with promoting advances in the profession(s).

The curriculum

Preparation includes the acquisition of specific skills in rehabilitation counseling, with a specialization in blindness or low vision.

The program includes several unique educational opportunities. They include:

an innovative two-week immersion in blindness experiential course
a state-of-the-art vision rehabilitation clinic, providing training and work with low vision aids
supervised practicum placements in the WMU Center for Counseling and Psychological Services
a state-of-the-art adaptive computer laboratory that is used to teach methods of computing to people with blindness or low vision and other disabilities
a practicum experience in a mini adjustment program through the MCB
availability of practicum and internship experiences at various agencies throughout the country

Rehabilitation Counseling/Teaching Program (RCTM) Curriculum Requirements

1. Rehabilitation Counseling/Teaching Program Core (32 cr.) Courses

BLS 5770: Services for Persons Who are Blind or Have Other Disabilities (2 cr.)
BLS 5840: Computer Technology in Rehabilitation (3 cr.)
BLS 5880: Psychosocial Aspects of Disability (2cr.)
BLS 5890: Medical and Functional Aspects of Disability (2 cr.)
BLS 6010: Small ‘N’ Research: Design & Analysis (3 cr.)
BLS 6100: Assisted Research (2 cr.)
CECP 6020: Group Dynamics and Procedures (3 cr.)
CECP 6030: Tests and Measurement (3 cr.)
CECP 6040: Counseling Techniques (3 cr.)
CECP 6050: Professional Issues and Ethics (3 cr.)
CECP 6070: Multicultural Counseling and Psychology (3 cr.)
CECP 6080: Counseling Across the Life Span (3 cr.)

2. Rehabilitation Counseling/Teaching Program Concentration (44 cr.) Courses

BLS 5860: Job Development and Placement (3 cr.)
BLS 5900: Physiology and Function of the Eye (2 cr.)
BLS 5910: Braille and Tactual Communication Systems (2 cr.)
BLS 5930: Methods of Teaching Adaptive Communications (2 cr.)
BLS 5970: Principles & Practices of Low Vision (2 cr.)
BLS 6020: Gerontology in O&M and RT (2 cr.)
BLS 6050: Practice in Low Vision (1 cr.)
BLS 6640: Principles of Rehabilitation Teaching (3 cr.)
BLS 6910: Practicum in Rehabilitation Teaching (3 cr.)
FCS 6360: Teaching for Independent Living (4 cr.)
BLS 7120: Professional Field Experience (2 cr.)
CECP 5200: Foundations of Rehabilitation Counseling (3 cr.)
CECP 6100: Career Development: Theory and Practice (3 cr.)
CECP 6110: Theories of Counseling (3 cr.)
CECP 6120: Practicum in Rehabilitation Counseling (4 cr.)
CECP 6130: Field Practicum (2 cr.)
CECP 6220: Psychoeducational Consultation (3 cr.)

RCT Course Sequence-Graphic Version

RCT Course Sequence-Large Print Text Version

Rehabilitation Counseling/Teaching (RCTM) Curriculum guides are available from the BLS and CECP department offices. Application for the Master’s of Arts degrees in Rehabilitation Counseling/Teaching (RCTM) are made through the Department of Blindness and Low Vision Studies.

Those seeking admission to the RCT program should request application information from the Department of Blindness and Low Vision Studies. Admission is offered in both fall and summer I semesters. BLVS Application and Admission page

Teacher of Children with Visual Impairments (TCVI) and Teaching Orientation and Mobility (O&M)

The TCVI/OMC Program is a collaborative program between the Department of Blindness and Low Vision Studies in WMU's College of Health and Human Services and the Department of Educational Studies (Special Education) in the College of Education. This program offers preparation for students interested in working as a TCVI or O&M Specialist with Children, or a dual program of both TCVI and O&M. The focus in this program is on the specific skills required for helping children with visual impairments to learn to lead full and productive lives.

What does the TCVI and OMC do?

The TCVI teaches children with visual impairments the skills they will need to lead successful lives. These skills fall into two major areas: 1) skills that are needed to support the full participation academic curriculum, and 2) skills from the "expanded core," or vision specific curriculum, that need to be specifically taught to students with visual impairments to accommodate their educational needs.

Responsibilities regarding support for the academic curriculum include working in multiple ways with the regular classroom teacher to assure that the student with visual impairments can access the regular curriculum. Duties include transcribing materials into Braille or large print, modifying materials so they can be read tactually, and modifying test materials to accommodate for information not available through the visual cannel.

In addition to modifying the typical curriculum, TCVI's are responsible for teaching children with visual impairment in the "expanded core." Skill areas in the expanded core include teaching Braille, daily living skills, social skills, adapted computer technology, and recreation and leisure activities. These skills are typically learned incidentally from watching others and are not readily available to children with visual impairments without specific instruction. The TCVI (and OMC) will take the lead in teaching these skills to students with visual impairments and in helping parents and others to assist children to learn such skills.

OMC's also assist children with visual impairments to attain the skills they need to live successful lives. The OMC's responsibilities center mainly on skills needed for day to day life, such as independent travel and daily living skills. In addition to the typical O&M sequence (see Orientation and Mobility for Working Age Adults), OMC's help children to learn many fundamental skills that support independence. These skills include (but certainly are not limited to): gross and fine motor skills, auditory skills, concept development, exploration and curiosity, problem solving, and environmental experiential activities.

Many choose to become dually certified in both TCVI and OMC. This combination of preparation helps the professional to understand and meet the total needs of the child. The combination is also in high demand in primarily rural areas where the number of children with visual impairments is too low to employ professionals separately educated in TCVI or OMC.

TCVI's, OMC's, and TCVI/OMC's work primarily in public schools and residential schools for children with visual impairments. Personnel shortages exist in most states in the nation for people educated in these areas.

The curriculum:

Many curriculum choices are available to the prospective student interested in working with children. The actual curriculum will depend on which of the three areas of preparation the student is interested in (TCVI, OMC, or TCVI/OMC), whether the student is interested in taking classes on campus or via the distance education program, and the background training of the prospective student. All students in the TCVI or TCVI/OMC program must have prior certification in regular or special education.

The TCVI curriculum consists of 56 credit hours. The WMU curriculum is believed to be the most comprehensive curriculum offered in TCVI anywhere in the U.S. Instead of 1-2 hour lectures on topics such as Nemeth Code (Braille math), daily living skills, computer technology, and art and sport instruction, the WMU curriculum includes entire courses in these important areas. An on-campus sequence takes approximately four semesters to complete and the standard distance education sequence requires six semesters. The distance education sequence requires that students attend courses on campus for one 5-6 week summer session.

The OMC curriculum consists of 36 credit hours if the prospective student has had prior training in the area of visual rehabilitation. The on-campus sequence takes three semesters and the distance education sequence takes five semesters with one of the semesters being held on campus during the summer.

The TCVI/OMC curriculum consists of 63 credits. The distance education sequence requires students to attend two summer sessions on campus and takes eight semesters to complete. The on-campus sequence consists of 5 semesters.

Orientation and Mobility for Working-Age Adults

Orientation is the process of mentally organizing the environment and determining one's location within that environment. Mobility is the act of moving through the environment in a safe, efficient, and independent manner. The orientation and mobility instructor teaches people who are blind or visually impaired to travel independently, safely, and efficiently.

What does the O&M instructor do?

evaluates people's current travel-related skills, discusses their goals, and helps them select a program of instruction that will allow them to reach their greatest travel potential
teaches people to travel by using their hearing, remaining vision, and other senses
teaches people to use a long cane for travel and learning to establish and maintain orientation

The curriculum

Students preparing to become orientation and mobility specialists enroll in blindness core courses and specialized courses in orientation and mobility totaling 36 credit hours. Professional field experience is included in the curriculum. The program can be completed in three to four semesters. Students with a degree in a closely related area can enroll in a "certification only" non-degree curriculum.

Students graduating from the program earn a master of arts degree and meet all of the requirements for certification by the Academy in O&M. The program includes preparation for the successful completion of the national certification examination.

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