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Stephen F. Austin State University

General Information

Stephen F. Austin State University
1936 North St
Nacogdoches, TX 75965
936-468-1145
humanservices@sfasu.edu
https://sfasu.edu/

Services Offered

  • Personnel Preparation
    • The Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI) program prepares the student to teach children with visual impairments from birth through 22 years of age. The program focuses on graduate level students who already hold a valid Texas teaching certificate. Instructional arrangements and schedules are designed with the needs of the non-traditional student in mind. Approximately one calendar year is required to complete the requirements of the program. Students are admitted once per year in cohorts that begin during the summer. The first classes are SPE 516 (braille) and SPE 517 (the eye), which are taught here at SFASU and delivered to remote locations through participating Education Service Centers over TETN. After this six-hour block has been completed, students are expected to take the Texas Examination of Educators Standards (TExES) test in Braille (TExES 183- Braille) in order to fulfill the requirements for emergency certification as a TVI. Once emergency status has been granted, they may serve as a district TVI while completing their coursework in the fall and spring semesters (with courses offered online in the evenings to accommodate the needs of non-traditional students/working professionals). A three to six semester hour practicum, SPE 558, is also required. Students are also expected to take the state test in Visual Impairment (TExES 182 - Visually Impaired) at or near the end of their spring classes. Students must successfully complete ALL instructional classes, examinations, and practicum assignments before being eligible to earn permanent certification. Grant funding is usually available for students in the TVI program. Funded slots are allocated on a competitive basis. Applications for the grant funds are due the third Monday of March each year.

  • Distance Education
    • Offers distance education certification program in teacher of the visually impaired and orientation and mobility.

  • Distance Education
    • Certification program in teacher of the visually impaired.

  • Professional Training
    • SFA has offered training for Orientation & Mobility specialists since 1972. Our graduates provide training on skills and services for children and adults with visual disabilities, which enable these individuals to move about independently in both familiar and unfamiliar environments. Graduates from the SFASU program work for state rehabilitation agencies, lighthouses for the blind, schools for the blind, and school districts throughout the State of Texas and elsewhere in the United States. Our O&M program is the only one in the nation offering O&M preparation at both the undergraduate and graduate level. Students who successfully complete the requirements of the SFASU O&M program are eligible to be nationally certified by the Academy for the Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals (ACVREP).