National Registry for Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments Launches
Success Beyond Sight, (SBS), a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization, has created a FREE National Registry (NRTSVI) for Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments (TSVIs/TVIs) to empower a national voice for TSVIs/TVIs and to provide a means to reach, on a national level, TSVIs/TVIs with free resources and important professional information. Success Beyond Sight recognizes the crucial role that TSVIs/TVIs play in the long-term success of their students. Strong instruction and mentorship by TSVIs/TVIs are common denominators for many highly accomplished adults who were born without vision or who lost their vision as children.
Participating in this Registry is voluntary, and the absence of a TSVI/TVI from this Registry does not indicate, by itself, that they are not licensed, credentialed, endorsed, or certified in their state. Each registrant that appears in the Registry has attested that the information that they provided is true and correct. The Registry relies on their attestation and does not independently verify their information. If there are any concerns about whether or not an individual in the Registry is properly licensed, credentialed, endorsed or certified in their state, please contact that state's Department of Education for further information.
Because TSVIs/TVIs are licensed/credentialed/certified/endorsed in their state of practice, there has not been a Registry recognizing them as a nationally important profession demonstrating the power of their numbers.SBS formed an Advisory Board to help guide the development of the NRTSVI. Advisory Board members are Dr. Laura Bozeman, Dr. Rona Pogrund, Dr. Amy Parker, Dr. Cheryl Kamei-Hannan, Jill Brown, Dr. Nicole Johnson, Dr. L. Penny Rosenblum and Dr. Stacy Kelly.
SBS is providing FREE access to the Journal of Vision Impairment & Blindness (JVIB) for all Registrants. JVIB is the resource for peer-reviewed research and articles for professionals serving individuals who are blind or have low vision. Registrants also have FREE access to the Journal of Special Education (JSE). JSE is also a peer reviewed journal providing information and research in general areas of special education.
TSVIs/TVIs will be able to be directly engaged with, and have a voice in, national discussions regarding:
- the funding needed to train current and future professionals and to secure the survival of this very important profession
- efforts to ensure sufficient funding for all students who require specialized services from a TSVI/TVI
- the sharing of important information and opportunities to be included in relevant surveys and research to benefit the profession
- appropriate student caseloads
- public policy and legislative advocacy
SBS recognizes that there are important professional membership organizations that provide TSVIs/TVIs a voice among other professional voices, but the Registry will provide the forum for TSVIs/TVIs to be highly visible and have their own unique voice on the national stage.
Click here or use the button below to submit a new TSVI registration or update your existing TSVI registration information or to log into your account to access JVIB.
To access JVIB once logged in to your account go to the My SBS tab on the SBS website to find the link for FREE access to JVIB.
