VIDBE-Q Volume 68 Issue 1
utilizing online evening classes and in-person weekends and summers at the
Kentucky School for the Blind (KSB) in Louisville. Since its inception, the
program has grown to offer a master's degree with TVI certification, as well as a
master's degree in O&M. Currently the program is in its tenth cohort of TVI
students and third cohort of O&M students.
Both programs operate using a cohort model offering a flexible program for
working professionals. They were designed to meet the needs of those located in
Kentucky and its surrounding region. The TVI program sequence starts each fall
and runs for two years, which includes one intensive summer. Students take two
classes a semester consisting of evening classes online and one to two weekends a
semester in-person at either KSB or at the University of Kentucky campus in
Lexington. During their summer, students meet for approximately two weeks in-
person, in addition to participating for a week in one of the numerous summer
programs affiliated with the Visual Impairment Program. Cohorts in the TVI
program typically consist of 12-15 students.
The O&M program is designed to train up to 12 students per a cohort. New
cohorts start in the fall on even years. Like its TVI counterpart, classes are online
in the evenings, however due to the need for more hands-on instruction, students
meet two to three weekends a semester. They also have one intensive summer of
blindfold training consisting of approximately three nonconsecutive weeks. Classes
