About the Program

UMass Boston’s School for Global Inclusion and Social Development is New England’s only academic center for preparing teachers of students with visual impairment, orientation and mobility specialists, and visual rehabilitation therapists. These are three key specialties that assist people with visual impairment to achieve their goals of high-quality education, fulfilling employment, and safe independent travel.

This degree track provides students with a specialized 37-credit sequence of coursework, field-based experiences, and practicum, fulfilling requirements prescribed by the University Review Standards of the Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AERBVI). Integrated prepracticum hours (100), community engagement, and a practicum composed of a minimum of 350 hours support candidate preparation. Successful completion of the curriculum, along with faculty recommendation, qualifies students to sit for the international professional examination in orientation and mobility offered by the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals (ACVREP).