PSU - Visually Impaired Learner and Orientation & Mobility Programs

06/25/2026

We continue to celebrate our graduates who pass their COMS exams. Here is Hannah Greenlee who was in cane class last summer. She was teaching Nick and using a magnetic cookie sheet with magnets to demonstrate a concept. In class we use Wheatley boards and home made tools to teach while out on the community. Hannah passed her COMS exam!

06/18/2026

Free webinar hosted by HKNC in honor of Helen Keller's birthday. Join DeafBlind panelists and O&Ms as research and practices are shared to support tactile-strategies for O&M.

Free HKNC webinar on tactile O&M strategies for DeafBlind travelers. Research findings from HKNC and Portland State University. ACVREP CEUs available. June 30, 2026.

06/17/2026

A group of 16 scholars stand in graduate regalia in a gym before processing into the Viking Pavilion. 81.25% of these scholars received support from the Office of Special Education Programs to pursue their graduate certificates or degrees. Each of these has signed service obligations to serve students with disabilities in special education in the United States. Thank you for the investment in students with disabilities.

06/14/2026

We love our graduates! Huzzah to you and your families who supported you!

06/14/2026

at graduation for VIL and O&M scholars on Friday. they are singing pomp and circumstance to get the line moving!

06/08/2026

Countdown to Friday when many of our students graduate! Zach Schafer captures the spirit of their excitement. Zach is a Teacher of the Blind from Minnesota who teaches blind and deafblind students at the Minnesota Academy of the Deaf. Now, he has added Orientation and Mobility to his credentials. He congratulates the graduates and we congratulate him! Huzzah for Zach!

06/05/2026

Another gem of a student, Beth Carrillo, won a scholarship from our professional organization's O&M Division. Beth, we are so proud of you! Well deserved!
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DbC1KjDv4/

06/05/2026

We continue to celebrate our graduates! Wonderful to see you pursue both an endorsement in vision and an O&M graduate certificate, Tina! 🍎👩‍🦯

🎓✨ Graduate Spotlight: Tina Meier-Nowell, Graduate Certificate '26 ✨ 🎓

Tina is ready to pivot from administration back to teaching! This month, she is earning her Orientation and Mobility graduate certificate along with a Visually Impaired Learners endorsement.

With two decades of experience in the field of autism and special education — including the last 10 years in administration — Tina can’t wait to return to the classroom with a new field of expertise. It’s never too late, she says.

“You are never ‘stuck’ in a career. Joy and satisfaction can come from the academic pursuit of knowledge and from getting back to what is important to you — which for me was teaching and 1:1 student relationships!”

As an orientation and mobility specialist, she will bring her extensive background to support students who are blind or have low vision, including those with co-occurring conditions.

Her advice to future students looking to follow in her footsteps: “This program is rigorous and will prepare you well! Be ready to work! It will be worth it!”

Congratulations, Tina! 👏

06/05/2026

We are having a party with our graduates this Spring! Today, we celebrate Amy Neils who passed her COMS exam! Amy is a Teacher of the Blind from MN who has added a graduate certificate in O&M to better serve her students. Amy is a white female with short white hair, glasses and a bright smile. In one picture she is on a carpeted floor petting a guide dog puppy.

06/03/2026

More happiness! You ready? Virginia Thompson passed her COMS exam! Virginia is a Caucasian female with silver white long hair, glasses and silver hoop earrings. In the next picture she is using APH's tactile town with an off camera student to review street crossing procedures. Huzzah for Virginia!