Utah State University – Hadley Distance Education Courses

Students may enroll in any of five USU/Hadley courses for associate, bachelor’s or master’s degree credit for the winter session: Introduction to Blindness and Visual Impairment, The Human Eye and Visual System, Introduction to Braille, and The Role of Paraeducators with Individuals who are Blind or Visually Impaired, and Introduction to Low Vision. Introduction to Multiple Disabilities will be available in summer 2010.

The partnership between Hadley and USU, which was announced in January of 2008, offers courses as part of Utah State University’s SKI-HI Institute, a unit of the College of Education’s Department of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education, which focuses on development and needs of young children who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, visually impaired, deafblind or multidisabled. Three Hadley instructors are teaching as adjunct professors in the joint USU-Hadley program.

This one-of-a-kind program increases access to affordable distance education for teachers, teacher assistants, paraprofessionals and parents to help them obtain professional certification in working with students who are blind and visually impaired. It also enhances their knowledge and awareness of resources for children with disabilities. Students in this program receive either a Certificate in Blindness or a USU degree in General Studies with a Focus in Blindness, qualifying them to work in a classroom with school-age children who are blind or visually impaired.

The training program includes the following options:

Certificate of Completion

Level I – 9 semester credit hours of coursework and practicum hours

Introduction to Blindness and Visual Impairment
The Role of Paraeducators with Individuals Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired
One additional course in blindness depending upon the student’s program emphasis
Practicum

Level II – 18 semester credit hours of coursework and practicum hours

Introduction to Blindness and Visual Impairment
Human Eye and Visual System
Introduction to Low Vision
The Role of Paraeducators with Individuals Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired
Introduction to Multiple Disabilities
Introduction to Braille
Practicum

Associates Degree in General Studies with a Focus in Blindness

30 semester hours of general education courses
30 hours of coursework in blindness and other related topics (60 credit hours total)

The courses in blindness include (3 credits per each course):

COMD 3300 Introduction to Blindness and Visual Impairment
COMD 3320 The Human Eye and Visual System
COMD 3330 Introduction to Low Vision
COMD 3340 The Role of Paraeducators with Individuals Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired
COMD 3350 Introduction to Multiple Disabilities
COMD 3360 Introduction to Braille

The courses can also be taken for graduate credit as listed below (3 credits per each course):

COMD 6500 Studies in Blindness and Visual Impairment
COMD 6520 Anatomy, Function and Disorders of the Eye
COMD 6530 Issues in Low Vision
COMD 6540 Visual Impairments and the Role of Paraeducators
COMD 6550 Vision Loss and Multiple Disabilities
COMD 6560 Braille

Undergraduate tuition is $211 per credit hour with no out-of-state fees. Graduate tuition is $268 per credit hour with no out-of-state fees.

For more information please visit SKI-HI Institute, or contact Linda Alsop, 435-797-5598, or linda.alsop@usu.edu.