VIDBE-Q Volume 65 Issue 1
Holly Lawson, Ph.D., Program Coordinator, Assistant
Professor Visually Impaired Learner Program,
hlawson@pdx.edu
Amy T. Parker, Ed.D. & COMS, Program Coordinator,
Assistant Professor Orientation and Mobility Program,
atp5@pdx.edu
Program History
In 1964, PSU began the Visually Impaired Learner (VIL) program to
address the critical need for personnel training in the Pacific Northwest.
Because of its strategic geographic location of Portland, candidates had
access to numerous partnering agencies including the Oregon Commission
for the Blind and the Washington State School for the Blind. The VIL
program was launched with a $15,000 federal grant. These funds also
provided scholarships to students. Dr. Keith Larson, who was the first
Special Education chair (1964-78), hired Madge Leslie from Portland Public
Schools as the VIL program's first coordinator. According to PSU historian
Steve Brannan, "Ms. Leslie was well-respected in the field," and the PSU
The Visually Impaired Learner (VIL) and Orientation and
Mobility (O&M) programs at Portland State University
