Elizabeth Hipskind stood in front of a room full of TVIs – teachers of the visually impaired – wearing an apron and prepared with a plastic tub of moist baby-wipes. Hipskind had come to the February conference of the Illinois Association for
Read moreVisual Disabilities alumna Kateri Gullifor discovers joy, national acclaim in teaching
Kateri Gullifor laughs now when she thinks about the big red flag she wisely ignored on the way to her career. “I’ve never been one to be super well-oriented,” says Gullifor, a Teacher of the Visually Impaired and the only Orientation and
Read moreWayfinding: CATIS students navigate campus with latest assistive technology
Modern assistive technology that helps people who are blind to navigate the world is nothing short of amazing. But it’s not perfect – yet. Try traversing a college campus, for example, through the web of winding sidewalks and grassy expanses. Even the
Read moreVision Program graduate student earns prestigious Donald Blasch Scholarship
Michael Foster, a Vision Program graduate student working toward a master’s degree in Orientation and Mobility, is one of two recipients of the prestigious Donald Blasch Scholarship. Sponsored by the O&M division of the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and
Read moreProject VITALL group explores Consumer Electronics Show
Stacy Kelly wants a robot. The associate professor in the NIU College of Education’s Vision Program came to that realization after she and a trio of graduate students in the Project VITALL master’s degree program spent three days at the annual Consumer
Read morePeople with visual impairments might score romance on Tinder, SEED researchers discover
Men with visual disabilities are more likely to find dates on Tinder than are women with visual disabilities, according to a study by professors and their graduate research assistants in the NIU Department of Special and Early Education. Published in the July-August
Read moreVision Program alum rekindles love of ice skating with Chicago Blackhawks Blind Hockey team
Kevin Allison had spent most of his young life on the ice in pursuit of one dream. “I was always a figure skater. I was always training. I was getting my degree at the same time – my undergraduate degree – but
Read moreCollege welcomes 2017 group of Dean’s Achievement Scholars
Some have known forever. “I couldn’t imagine doing anything else,” says Halley Fogerty, a pre-Elementary Education major from Wheaton. “I like the consistency of school. I like going to classes, taking notes, doing homework. It’s not just learning; it’s a lot of
Read moreVisual Impairments grad student hopes to improve lives, system
When Lizzy Koster graduated from Hendrix College in Arkansas, she took a job as an assistant at a political consulting firm. It didn’t last long. “Politics wasn’t what I imagined it would be,” says Koster, an NIU College of Education graduate student
Read moreStacy Kelly presents, collaborates in Scotland
For Stacy Kelly, a trip to Scotland to share best practices on the training of pre-service professionals in the field of visual impairments proved an eye-opening experience. During her well-received conference presentations at Scotland’s Royal National Institute for the Blind and her
Read moreSilicon Valley social entrepreneur to receive honorary NIU doctorate
NIU will confer an honorary doctorate degree this fall to James Fruchterman, who has devoted his career to bringing “Silicon Valley’s technology innovations to all of humanity, not just the richest 5 percent.” The CEO and founder of Benetech will receive his
Read moreTrailblazing
Craig Phillips, M.S.Ed. ’95, is completing a groundbreaking project with the National Park Service. Phillips, a certified orientation and mobility specialist and teacher of the blind and visually impaired, has led a project to make all 40-plus miles of trails in the
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