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VIDBE-Q Volume 63 Issue 3
Karen E. Koehler
Assistant Professor
Shawnee State University
kkoehler@shawnee.edu
Douglas Sturgeon
Associate Professor
University of Rio Grande
The TVI Consortium was borne out of research demonstrating a lack of services
and a shortage of qualified, licensed professionals to educate students with visual
impairments in Ohio. This professional educator shortage was especially prevalent in
rural areas of the state, where resources and access to qualified personnel posed
particular challenges for school districts who serve students with low incidence sensory
disabilities. Through the collaborative efforts of the Ohio Deans Compact, Ohio
Department of Education, Ohio Department of Higher Education, and a variety of
educational agencies, state and national experts and other key resource personnel,
Ohio embarked on a new model for addressing critical personnel shortages. The TVI
Consortium model is a multi-institution, collaborative, state-wide licensure program
seeking to credential teachers in the area of Intervention Specialist-Visual Impairments.
The consortium model allows for multiple points of access to the program for students,
the distribution of resources across the state to address severe shortages in
unserved/underserved regions and a collaborative model that involves Institutions of
Higher Education working together to develop and offer a common shared curriculum.
Ohio's New TVI Consortium: A Partnership Model
