Vision Rehabilitation Therapy
Vision rehabilitation therapists offer adults who are blind or visually impaired information and resources they need to lead successful, productive and independent lives. They provide specialized methods or adaptive techniques for communication and coping with the demands of daily living.
The broad sphere of communication includes Braille, computers, handwriting, listening and recording technology, low-vision technology, mathematical calculation and keyboarding. Instruction in daily living skills includes food preparation, personal management, home management, home mechanics, leisure and recreation activities, and orientation and movement in familiar indoor environments.
Services are primarily provided in two major settings: rehabilitation centers designed to serve groups of people and in people's homes. Therapists work with individual students or small groups.
Vision rehabilitation therapists also work with other rehabilitation team members to help students identify the services they need. Because they establish close working relationships, therapists often help students adjust and adapt successfully to blindness.
Online or face-to-face
In addition to WMU’s main campus in Kalamazoo, Michigan, the vision rehabilitation therapy program is also available online. While the requirements are the same, online courses from WMU offer a great deal of flexibility to students beyond Kalamazoo. Distance education programs in the Department of Blindness and Low Vision Studies follow a hybrid model. While the majority of credits are taken online, students are required to attend a 6-week summer session on Western Michigan University's campus in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in advance of starting the internship experience. This 6-week summer session typically runs from the later part of June to the first week of August and is essential in preparing our students with the hands-on practice required to prepare you for your professional field experience and future career. Check course listings for more information.
Contact us
For more information about Western Michigan University’s vision rehabilitation therapy program, contact Dr. Elyse Connors at elyse.m.connors@wmich.edu or (269) 387-3450 or Kelcie Douglas at kelcie.s.douglas@wmich.edu or (269) 387-3448.
Curriculum
- BLS 5840: Adapted Computer Technology (four credits)
- BLS 5870: Individuals with Complex and Diverse Needs (two credits)
- BLS 5900: Physiology and Function of the Eye (two credits)
- BLS 5910: Braille and Other Tactual Communication Systems (three credits)
- BLS 5930: Methods of Teaching Adaptive Communication (three credits)
- BLS 5970: Principles of Low Vision (two credits)
- BLS 6010: Small 'N' Research: Design and Analysis (three credits)
- BLS 6030: Development Through the Lifespan (three credits)
- BLS 6050: Practice in Low Vision (one credit)
- BLS 6100 or 7100: Assisted or Independent Research (two credits)
- BLS 6360: Teaching for Independent Living (four credits)
- BLS 6640: Principles of Rehabilitation Teaching (three credits)
- BLS 6910: Practicum in Rehabilitation Teaching (two credits)
- BLS 7120: Professional Field Experience (six credits)
In this program, you will enroll in core courses and specialized courses in vision rehabilitation therapy. You will receive 40 credit hours of instruction, including a professional field experience. You can complete the program in three to four semesters, after which you will have earned your master's degree.
Courses for the vision rehabilitation therapy program are listed to the left. You can read descriptions in the course catalog.