Special Education

Undergraduate Minor: Visual Impairment and Blindness

This 18 credit minor provides undergraduate students with background knowledge in teaching students with visual impairments. Completing this minor partially fulfills requirements for licensure in Special Education in Virginia. Eight credits of course work must be unique to the minor

Course Work

• EDAT 422: Assistive Technology for Individuals with Sensory Impairments (3 credit hours)
• EDSE 401: Introduction to Special Education (3 credit hours)
• EDSE 411: Characteristics of Students with Visual Impairments (1 credit hour)
• EDSE 412: Braille Code (3 credit hours)
• EDSE 414: Orientation and Mobility (2 credit hours)
• EDSE 418: Curriculum and Assessment of Students with Visual Impairments (3 credit hours)
• EDSE 432: Positive Behavior Supports (3 credit hours)

Suggested additional courses:

Students may request permission to take additional Special Education graduate courses for undergraduate credit or for reserve graduate credit. Students who wish to complete more than 18 credits of coursework in Visual Impairments as part of their undergraduate program should contact an advisor to discuss the option that best meets the needs of their educational and career goals.

Tuition Assistance and Grant Funding

Visual Impairments Consortium: The Virginia Consortium for Teacher Preparation in Visual Impairments is made up of six universities: George Mason University, James Madison University, Norfolk State University, Old Dominion University, Radford University and Virginia Commonwealth University. Its primary goal is to prepare teachers to be highly skilled at working with students with visual impairment and blindness. Classes will be offered through video conferencing equipment to establish real-time, interactive, multipoint instruction among the six universities. The consortium is supported by a grant from the Virginia Department of Education. Every semester, a limited number of tuition stipends are awarded to qualified applicants.