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VIDBE - Q Volume 6 4 Issue 1
learning needs and interventions needed for early learners with visual
impairments and their families (Hatton, Chen, Snyder, Smyth, Greeley,
Anthony, Ely, Lind, Hillier, and De wald, 2018). Through an examination of
(1) the emergence of dual licensure programs in higher education, (2)
consideration of the need for a dual licensure program for students with
visual impairments, and (3) creation of the OSU ECEVI program, this artic le
highlights key components of the newly established undergraduate
program at OSU.
The Emergence of Dual Licensure Programs in Higher Education
Collaboration in teacher education, defined as the purposeful
integration of general and special education at the preservice level and
characterized by graduates earning two (or more) teaching licenses, is an
unmistakable trend in current teacher preparation programs (Pugach,
Blanton, & Correa, 2011). Situated within a larger context of educational
reform and an o ngoing struggle to assure that all students are provided
opportunity for learning under the guidance of an effective teacher, the
incorporation of related disciplines into an interdisciplinary curriculum is one
way to address needs of students with disabil ities.
Shoemaker (1989) defines interdisciplinary curriculum as, "education
that is organized in such a way that it cuts across subject - matter lines,
