New USU/Hadley Courses Available for Enrollment Fall 2009

USU-Hadley logo Winnetka, IL— The Hadley School for the Blind is pleased to announce that, as of fall 2009, students may enroll in any of four USU/Hadley courses for associate, bachelor’s or master’s degree credit: 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. Two additional courses, Introduction to Multiple Disabilities and Introduction to Low Vision will be available in spring 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. 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 new program receive either a "Certificate in Blindness" or a USU degree in General Studies with a Focus in Blindness at the associate, bachelor’s or master’s degree level, qualifying them to work in a classroom with school-age children who are blind or visually impaired. Certificates of completion are available at two levels: 9 semester credit hours (3 courses) and a practicum, or 18 semester credit hours (6 courses) and a practicum. An associate degree in General Studies requires 60 total credit hours; 30 of which must be in blindness or related topics in order to receive a Focus in Blindness as part of the degree. Courses may also be taken on a non-credit basis.

"The advantages of this partnership are many: USU/Hadley students can stay employed while they bring their careers to the next level, they can study at a distance in their homes and the program is affordable," said Charles Young, president of Hadley.

After the No Child Left Behind Act changed requirements for hiring paraeducators, Frank Simpson, superintendant at The Lavelle School for the Blind in the Bronx, (N.Y.), suggested Hadley partner with a university to offer courses toward certification requirements. Hadley’s existing coursework provides rich resources for paraeducators and teachers of children who are blind and visually impaired, but the coursework was not designed for the college level. The Lavelle Fund, affiliated with The Lavelle School for the Blind, contributed funding toward the creation of these courses. Currently, there is a core group of between nine and eleven Lavelle employees enrolled in USU/Hadley.

"The USU/Hadley courses equip me with the knowledge and confidence I need to assist the teacher in my classroom and to read and write braille," said David Jessamy, a teacher assistant who has worked at Lavelle for over a decade and just completed the ‘Introduction to Braille’ course. Jessamy, who is from Barbados and has a family member with a visual impairment, works with Lavelle’s older population of students, who are between 16 and 19 years old. He loves to see his students graduate with the skills he helped them learn.

Hadley instructor Judy Matsuoka became involved in USU/Hadley’s ‘Introduction to Braille’ course in late spring 2008. She previously taught at the college level, but this was her first experience teaching college at a distance. Matsuoka was impressed by the depth of material and the presentation of each lesson as she instructed the first class of USU/Hadley students.

"Students are required as part of the courses to interact and share their thoughts and personal experiences: not only do you receive our expertise, but that of fellow teachers." Matsuoka said. "Our class had a wealth of work and life experience that really added value and depth to the information presented in the course itself. USU/Hadley’s program is designed to provide a great learning experience for teachers as well as the children they teach."

To learn more about enrolling in USU/Hadley, please contact Linda Alsop at linda.alsop@usu.edu or 435-797-5598. To take courses on a non-credit basis, please contact Fran Payne at fran.payne@usu.edu or 435-797-5591.