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VIDBE - Q Volume 6 4 Issue 1
College of Education and Human Ecology at The Ohio State University
(OSU) and the support of the university administration, beginning in the
autumn of 2018, OSU began offering a dual licensure, undergraduate
program in e arly c hildhood e ducation and special education for students
with v isual i mpair ments (ECEVI). In an effort to increase the number of
professionals prepared to teach children with visual impairments, this
program provides a coherent curriculum for preservice teachers who are
seeking specialties in both general and special education se ttings.
Students enrolled in the program will take required licensure courses in
both early childhood education (ECE) and special education for students
with visual impairments (VI) to become dually licensed teachers.
Teacher education has changed dramatic ally in recent years,
especially in expectations and requirements within colleges and
universities. Teacher education programs have the responsibility of
preparing today's graduates to work with diverse populations (Blanton &
Pugach, 2011). Ely and Ostrask y (2018) pointed out the importance of
creating programs within personnel preparation that address the needs
specific to our youngest learners with visual impairments and their families.
The Division for Visual Impairment and Deafblindness further support s this
notion by stating that teachers need to be trained to support the unique
