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22 graduate students pass Braille literacy course
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Posted on Jan 19 2012
The Pacific Vision Instruction Program recently concluded its fall semester with on-site instruction conducted by six visiting University of Massachusetts Boston faculty members at the University of Guam from Dec. 29, 2011, to Jan. 7, 2012.
Twenty graduate students from American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, and Guam participated in instructional seminars, which focused on Braille literacy, Nemeth Braille code, abacus skills, and teaching orientation and mobility skills.
During the fall semester, scholars participated in online courses in “Visual Functioning” and “Braille II,” which concluded with an intense final exam in Guam to test student competency in reading and translating Braille. All passed the exam. Scholars will be reconvening for the spring semester on Jan. 30, 2012, with online courses in “Implications of Low Vision” and “Physical and Functional Aspects of Visual Impairment.”
Pacific VIP, a collaboration between University of Guam CEDDERS and UMass Boston, uses a blended delivery approach of online coursework and on-site required class/lab work in Guam, which will be enhanced by integrated field experiences coordinated throughout the academic program. At the end of the four-year program, scholars will earn a Master of Education in Special Education degree, plus dual credentials in Teacher of Visual Impairments and Orientation and Mobility from UMass Boston with the goal of working with students with visual impairments in their respective island communities. [B][I](UOG)[/I][/B]
