Visual Impairment Consortium

Teachers of students who are blind and visually impaired (TBVIs) are in high demand across Virginia and beyond.

The Virginia Consortium for Teacher Preparation in Vision Impairment (VI Consortium) trains teachers for a rewarding career working with students who are blind and visually impaired. The VI Consortium is comprised of three universities: George Mason University, Old Dominion University, and Radford University that work together to recruit, train, and equip the next generation of TBVIs throughout Virginia.

This program meets the licensure requirements set forth by the Virginia Department of Education for teachers of students who are blind and visually impaired.

Teacher training consists of coursework, field experiences, and internships to prepare highly skilled educators to meet the diverse needs of students who are blind and visually impaired. This program may be completed as part of an initial teacher licensure course of studies, or as an add on credential.

How Does it Work?

Interested applicants seek admissions and enroll in courses through their Consortium university that is nearest to their geographic location.

Classes are offered through a combination of online, synchronous, asynchronous, and face-to-face learning environments. Live, web-conference courses are scheduled in the evenings that allow teacher candidates to experience real-time, interactive, multipoint instruction across our university partners that connect students from their varied geographic locations. Face-to-face courses are offered in the evening or on the weekend. Field experiences and internships are completed at designated locations and times provided for each candidate’s individual circumstances.