Personnel Prep for Areas of Low Incidence: Challenges, Possible solutions, & Thinking Again

1. Lisa Moses, PhD, COMS University of Alabama at Birmingham lisamoses@uab.edu 256-335-1080 Personnel Prep for Areas of Low Incidence: Challenges, Possible solutions, & Thinking Again

2. Some Things to Think About During Presentation • What are your state’s needs concerning low incidence personnel prep? • What are the challenges in your state? • Have you seen some of the following strategies work in your state? • What are some other strategies that have worked or could work for you?

3. My Journey: O&M in Alabama 2001-Last year of PhD (met a dreamer: Mary Jean) 2002-While finishing; added Adm. Certificate 2004-Texas Tech 30 days anticipating collaboration (compare to FSU) 2005-Texas Tech at UAB/ me support 2006-Me Adjunct at UAB/ Texas Tech support 2007-Quit tenured job; accepted full time in Oct 2008-OSEP grant>>>60 COMS

4. My Journey: Personal Challenges • Pay for Adm. Certification and PhD • Pay for Texas Tech and to live there 30 days • Live 125 miles away from UAB • Quit tenured job; UAB non-tenured • Initially made less money (9mts/12 mts) • Dependent on soft money…economy… • 2008 notified of OSEP grant a couple of weeks prior to a 30 day notice

5. Challenges: Recruiting • Time to recruit • Where to find prospective students • How to find qualified students from underrepresented areas • What techniques work /are efficient?

6. Possible Solutions: Recruiting *Finding Time • Get involved with colleagues and divide state • Use current and past students • Talk everywhere you go • Recruit everywhere you go • Design a written plan *Where to find prospective students (underrepresented groups) • Other universities • Conferences • Word of mouth • Teach current and past students to recruit • Job fairs • Parent groups • Wal Mart

7. Possible Solutions: Recruiting (con’t) • What techniques are efficient? • Have to collect data to confirm opinion • Colleague and I disagree (conferences) • Brochures & flyers (rate of return) • Press (paid ads and articles) • Entry interviews indicate word-of-mouth

8. Challenges: Training * What system meets students’ needs best? • Internet based • Face-to-face instruction • Combination * What sequence meets students’ needs best? • Traditional schedule • Summer courses • Weekend college

9. Possible Solutions: Training * Students’ Feedback for System • Students like combination • Skills class direct instruction • Seminar class on-line (with 2 hr/wkd college for direct instruction) *Students’ Feedback for Sequence • Started with summer courses (4 weeks-skills) • Weekend college was preferred by students

10. Challenges: How To Teach It All • Limited time: credit hours • Competencies to be taught • Have only one full time O&M faculty • Increasing requirements from Association for interns

11. Possible Solutions: How to Teach It All • Find ways to allow others to teach • Resources on campus (university) • Guest speakers with expertise • Other instructors in specialty areas (deafblind/ multiple disabilities, current COMS) • Collaborate with other weekend classes when appropriate • Use available national resources (ex The Seeing Eye) • Use resources in community (ex. VA, Mass Transit Superintendents…ADA presentation)

12. Possible Solutions (Con’t) • Web links • Resource notebooks • Hands-on with students • Use of remote video conference teaching sites to allow for training from other geographical areas • Send students to specialized conferences

13. Challenges: Practicum & Internship Sites • In Alabama, we began with less than 10 COMS • COMS have to practice for 3 years before they can be supervising teacher • Many school systems have not provided O&M services for their students with visual impairments

14. Possible Solutions: Practicum & Internship Sites • Think differently about internship (not all in one place) • Build “projects” into internship requirements (camps for various populations across state) • Work to maintain every project as continue to build new ones • Collaborate with out-of-state programs (meet a need of theirs) even out-of-country programs

15. Possible Solutions: Practicum & Internship Con’t • State school for the blind…worked with special sessions to provide staffing • Transition camps • Assessment camps • Weekends with students who live on campus (ex. students with multiple disabilities) • Rehab-developed 2 week camps for Seniors • Rehab-transition camp for pre-college

16. Possible Solutions: Practicum & Internship Con’t • Continue to build intern sites through partnerships (students’ special interest) Helen Keller National Perkins • Work with professional conferences that have large numbers of participants with VI…provide sighted guide services

17. Challenge: How to Support Students During Training • Retention is a problem…MA in TVI first • Students get tired and don’t want to go another year • Student’s generally have families and work full time

18. Possible Solutions: Support Students During Training • Rethinking TVI requirement…possibly MS in O&M; certification for those in related fields • Support financially through OSEP Grant • Available at non-office hours • Use cell phones and texting as well as email • Allow flexibility in due dates (take of minimal pts) to allow for family/work commitments • Allow student input into scheduling

19. Possible Solutions: Support Students During Training • Have alternate ways of making up missed class time if needed • Allow for frequent student input and respond to that • Be creative and empathetic

20. Challenges: How to Support Students After Training • Right now retention after training is not a problem • Students are often lonely…no peers in system or even area • New graduates don’t have colleagues to readily ask questions of or work with on difficult issues

21. Possible Solutions: Support Students After Training *Mentoring-on site assistance • With technical issues • With challenging students , parents, or teachers • With assessments • With any problems *Remain accessible *Pay for professional membership *Encourage developing networks in class and in field

22. Closing Thoughts • Always rethink and often go to plan B • Out-of-state, as well as in-state partnerships are imperative • Out-of-country partnerships are possible and expand our knowledge and insight • Always look for ways to increase awareness of project • Key words: Flexibility, Faith, & Focus • Perseverance, Persistence, Passion

23. I choose not to simply live my life; I choose to invest it. Helen Keller