VIDBE-Q 2026 Volume 71 Issue 3
Center for Assistive Technology Training-Northwest (CATT-NW) and faculty and
staff from the California School for the Blind (CSB). In addition, individuals from
California DeafBlind Services, the Disability Cultural Center of San Francisco,
San Francisco LightHouse Little Learners program, American Printing House for
the Blind, and graduates and faculty from the University of California Berkeley
school of Optometry are frequently featured as guest lecturers.
While students in the SFSU VI program attend classes and complete their
coursework online, on one weekend each semester students from across the state
travel to the Bay area to gather and learn together in-person. During these face-to-
face "lab weekends" students work together with their fellow classmates to
practice hands-on assessment and instruction techniques in collaboration with
students, faculty and staff from the California School for the Blind, the San
Francisco LightHouse and other organizations dedicated to the Blind and Low
Vision community in Northern California. Students are also required to attend two
in-person courses, basic Orientation and Mobility (O&M) and assistive technology,
both of which are week-long courses taught over the summer at CSB.
Many of the courses offered in the VI Program are also required for students
that are earning their Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist (COMS)
credential from SFSU's O&M Program. While San Francisco State University
does not offer a dual certification program for students who are interested in
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