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VIDBE-Q Volume 63 Issue 3
1. What is the importance of the CEC's Division on Visual Impairment and
Deafblindness (DVIDB) Initial Specialty Set: Blind and Visual Impairments?
The CEC's Division on Visual Impairment and Deafblindness (DVIDB) Initial
Specialty Set was developed in order to inform personnel preparation programs,
accreditation organizations, and credentialing agencies about the skills that a
teacher of students with visual impairments (TVI) must master in order to
become an effective educator of students who are blind or who have low vision
upon initial licensure.
1. Are these standards enforceable, and if so, how and by who are they
enforced/monitored? For universities? states? individual teachers?
The initial specialty set from DVIDB adheres to the standards set forth by
the larger CEC organization. All personnel preparation programs in visual
impairment education that are applying to become accredited programs
through the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
must show evidence of pre-service teachers' knowledge and skills as set
forth by CEC standards. A review team of professionals in special
education reviews all reports of that evidence and monitors the practice of
personnel preparation in university settings. Accreditation of a university
by CAEP is dependent upon adherence to the standards.
2. What about TVIs who do not go through university programs – do these
standards apply?
No. The standards do not necessarily apply, although some university
preparation programs that are not CAEP-accredited use these standards
to design their coursework and field experiences. Without evidence of
having adhered to the CEC DVIDB initial specialty set, it is unknown what
training those TVIs are receiving. However, an employer who hires a
teacher from a personnel preparation programs that adhere to the
standards can be assured of the training that person by reviewing the
standards.
2. What is meant by "initial" specialty set – is there a more advanced set of
standards?
According to CEC, the initial standards define what beginning teachers must
know and be able to do to begin their teaching career. The initial specialty sets
FAQ. CEC's Division on Visual Impairment and Deafblindness
Initial Specialty Set: Blind and Visual Impairments