The field of professionals who work with students who are blind, visually impaired, or deaf-blind is facing a huge shortage. The problem to be addressed is the decreasing number of experienced teachers for the blind and visually impaired. The number of teachers for the visually impaired has school districts struggling to find teachers to work with…

In the field of visual disabilities, students who have visual impairments in addition to other disabilities receive limited amounts of direct service time from a teacher of students who are visually impaired (TVI), leaving most of their education in the hands of special education teachers and paraprofessionals. These professionals can support…

This qualitative single case study provides insights on the influences of assistive technology on students with vision impairments within the middle and high school grade levels. The problem addressed in this study is students with vision impairment face limitations in accessing the educational curriculum; however, when assistive technology…

This phenomenological study sought to investigate, analyze and describe the effects of early intervention on college readiness and the transition plan for high school students with visual disabilities transitioning into post-secondary education. Exploring how students with visual disabilities are perceived, treated, and the barriers they face in…

It has been widely recognized that a visual impairment can limit an individual's ability to learn through visual observations. This decreased limited visual access which could impact how the skills to access and recognize the world around them develop. However, when the visual impairment was brain-based, such as in Cortical/Cerebral Visual…

Ten participants who demonstrated consistently high resiliency were nominated by their teachers of the visually impaired for this study. They were asked to complete an initial survey consisting of basic demographic information as well as the Walsh Family Resiliency questionnaire. Those who scored with a 4 or higher and indicated interest in…

Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) research aims to make systems versatile, easy to use, and accessible for most people. While computer technologies have successfully remodeled and improved the learning process, students with vision impairment (SVI) are at a disadvantage due to the lack of accessibility to their learning tools. This research aims to…

Despite legislation being consistently passed to support post-secondary outcomes for students with disabilities, year after year since the completion of "The National Longitudinal Transition Studies," national employment statistics continually demonstrate that implementation of intentions is wanting. A large percentage --50-60%-- of…

The purpose of this study was to explore the shared knowledge and collaboration between special education and itinerant teachers working with students with sensory disabilities (i.e., teachers of students with visual impairments, teachers of the deaf/hard of hearing, and teachers of students who are deafblind). This study addressed the following…

This study asked Teachers of the Visually Impaired to evaluate a shared reading intervention for Students with Intellectual Disabilities and Visual Impairments and how they felt about their preparedness to teach reading. There has been little research on the student population's literacy skills acquisition. For this study, TVIs evaluated stories…

Current methods to address the shortage of certified orientation and mobility specialists have either not been successful or have not kept up with the needs of students with visual impairments. This study explored the potential of an alternative method of addressing the shortage and gaps in education that it causes: training paraprofessionals to…

The purpose of this qualitative study was the exploration of the college readiness phenomenon as experienced through the lives of students with physical disabilities. This study addresses the limited educational literature on college readiness for students with physical disabilities. This study also gives evidence in explaining why a…

Students with visual impairments deserve equal access to educational materials and have a legal right to accessible materials. This study explored the critical role and proficiencies of teachers of students with visual impairments (TVIs) in acquiring digital accessible instructional materials (AIM). The Cultural-Historical Activity Theory,…

In higher education institutions, as the number of online language courses continues to increase, it is paramount to provide training and support for faculty and equip them with the appropriate tools to improve students' learning experiences, specifically those with visual impairments. As such, the Culturally Relevant Disability Pedagogy and the…

Students with multiple disabilities (MD) and concomitant impairments in domains such as vision and communication may experience restrictions in social interactions throughout their school days. These restrictions may be due in part to the intrinsic characteristics and skills of the students with MD, as well as potential barriers from communication…