VIDBE-Q 2026 Volume 71 Issue 1
in education. I was offered the opportunity to join a funded program to complete a
graduate certificate in the field of Visual Impairment. The incredible opportunity to
pursue further education through the University of Arizona program was timely.
The program expanded my knowledge and understanding of individuals with
visual impairment. It further prepared me for the required state exams needed to
add the certification as a Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TSVI) to
my teaching license.
Working with students who are visually impaired in a special education
setting has offered me a multitude of opportunities to grow as a professional. Over
the course of the years since becoming a TSVI, I've worked in Arizona as a
preschool teacher in a special school classroom setting for students with visual
impairments, taught VI courses to undergraduate students seeking to become
TSVI's as well as mentor TSVI candidates during their student teaching
experience. Through these experiences I can consistently say that I'm always
learning. This field has taught me a great deal and challenges me to seek to know
more. My hope is to be able to give back to the field for all it's given me.
Teaching is something I have always been passionate about. Becoming a
Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments was a professional opportunity
pursued because of my personal journey of raising a child with visual impairment.
67
