The Hunter College Master’s Degree Program in Rehabilitation Teaching (RT) prepares professionals in vision rehabilitation therapy (VRT) to work with individuals with visual impairments. Students may also enroll in the combined program in Rehabilitation Teaching with Orientation and Mobility sequence. Upon completion of the program, candidates will be eligible for national certification from the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals as vision rehabilitation therapists (VRTs). Those completing the combined program are eligible to O&M specialists. Hunter also has a free-standing Orientation and Mobility advanced certificate program.

Students complete all Fall and Spring courses via on-line learning methods. Classes are held in the late afternoon, evenings and on weekends. Participation in the blindfold/low vision skill labs requires students to attend courses on-campus for two weeks during the Summer semesters. Internship hours are also met during the work day.

This program is a collaboration among vision rehabilitation therapists (VRTs), orientation and mobility specialists (O&M specialists), and vision rehabilitation and education professionals in the preparation of graduate students. The aim is to prepare O&M specialists who seek to improve the quality of travel and rehabilitation opportunities for learners with visual impairments. The focus is on development of competencies in coursework and internship in the following areas:

•    Foundations of Vision Rehabilitation and Special Education
•    Assessment of Learners with Visual Impairments including those with Additional Disabilities
•    Implications of Visual Impairments and other Medical Disorders on Instructional Strategies
•    Psychological Adjustment to Visual Impairment
•    Enhancement of Functional Vision for Activities of Daily Living
•    Implications of Visual Impairment on Acquisition and Performance of Daily Living Skills
•    Adaptive Equipment and Assistive Technology for Learners with Visual Impairments
•    Collaborative Teaming
•    Effective Partnerships with Families