Teaching Visual Impairment

The Teaching Visual Impairments licensure-only program trains teachers to support the unique learning needs of children from preschool through school-aged students who are visually impaired or blind. At the successful completion of the program, you will be a qualified vision intervention specialist, able to teach a student to read and write Braille, make classroom adaptations in a general education setting, introduce magnification aids to low-vision students, and help a child with vision impairments and other disabilities learn daily living skills. 

AER Accreditation Council announces a 30-day public comment period for comments regarding the accreditation review of The Ohio State University, Programs in Teaching Visually Impairments and Orientation and Mobility. Comment period will close at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Jan. 13, 2025. Send questions or comments to: accreditationinfo@aerbvi.org. All comments will be kept in strictest confidence.

Why become a Visual Intervention Specialist

Licensure Requirements 

Non-Coursework Requirements

• Opioid Module
  • Students applying for endorsement after July 1, 2019 are required to complete the module “Educators and the Opioid Crisis.”
  • Complete this module
• Computer Science Computational Thinking Module
  • Students applying for an endorsement are required to complete the module “Computer Science Computational Thinking.”
  • Complete this module
• Ohio Standards for Pupil Services and Endorsements
  • Students applying for an endorsement or pupil-service type licenses are required to complete this training.
  • Complete this module

Students are required to send their certificates of completion for each module to tles@osu.edu prior to applying for endorsement.

Each module carries a $5 fee, which supports the technical infrastructure needed to deliver and maintain the modules—ensuring secure access, regular platform updates, and reliable digital resource management.

Licensure Disclosure 

Ohio State academic programs are designed to prepare students for licensure or certification in Ohio. If you plan to pursue licensure or certification in a state other than Ohio, please review state educational requirements for licensure and certification at go.osu.edu/onground. 

Key Facts and Statistics

The Ohio State University (OSU) hosts one of the oldest teaching programs in visual impairments in the United States; started as graduate-level university program that promoted sight-saving in the 1950s, it has since evolved into an accredited program that is nationally recognized. Our programs consist of a variety of options for teacher licensure, including tracks at both undergraduate and graduate levels, including:

• One of only five undergraduate programs nationwide preparing Intervention Specialists to work with students who have vision loss.
• VI Minor tailored for undergraduate pre-optometry, occupational therapy, and pre-med majors.
• Two graduate programs (MA and MEd) prepare professionals for education and rehabilitation roles, focusing on unique needs presented by vision loss.

Since 2021, Ohio State initial and advanced licensure completers have had a pass rate that is consistently higher than the statewide pass rate on the required Ohio Assessments for Educators (OAE) exams, with rich opportunity for employment upon graduation. Specific to the field of visual impairments, OSU Office of Accreditation, Placement and Licensure data indicates that 86% of program completers since 2020 and 91% since 2022 Ohio licensure, Graduates in this field are in high demand, with many receiving job offers from their student-teaching or internship sites.

For additional program data, please visit the Accreditation, Placement and Licensure (APL) site.*

*In Ohio, educator preparation program data are not publicly reported when fewer than 10 individuals complete a program to protect participant privacy and confidentiality.