ICI Launches New Collaborative UMass DeafBlind Graduate Certificate Program this Fall
A new collaboration between the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI), UMass Boston Vision Studies program, New England Consortium on DeafBlindness (NEC), and Northeast Resource Center for Vision Education at UMASS Boston (NERCVE) has culminated in a DeafBlind Graduate Certificate program, available this fall for education professionals interested in expanding their skills.
Students who are DeafBlind face unique challenges in school that require the attention of specialized instructors and staff. UMass Boston’s new DeafBlind Graduate Certificate program will prepare education personnel to work with students who are DeafBlind. The program is specifically for professionals who are trained as:
- teachers of the visually impaired
- teachers of the Deaf/heard of hearing
- intensive special needs educators
- speech language pathologists
- orientation & mobility specialists
- other education staff who work closely with the DeafBlind student population and have a background in vision and/or hearing
The certificate program includes five courses in the UMass Vision Studies program that cover myriad topics, such as multicultural perspectives of DeafBlindness; psychosocial implications of DeafBlindness; communication strategies for DeafBlind children; literacy access, assessment, and practice application; assistive technology; and research-based practices.
Learn more about this exciting new certificate program!
For more information about the program, including information about how to enroll, contact Dr. Amy Szarkowski, Senior Research Fellow of Deaf & Disability in Early Childhood, by email at Amy.Szarkowski@umb.edu.