Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) is the leading cause of visual impairment in children in the United States, which naturally makes it a high priority subject for educators of current and future practitioners. “It’s huge and growing. CVI is a national health crisis
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 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 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 moreNIU Visual Disabilities Program awarded $1.25 million federal grant
(This story originally appeared on NIU Today) Want a challenging and rewarding career with guaranteed employment and free tuition? Thanks to a five-year $1.25 million grant recently awarded to NIU by the U.S. Department of Education, the Visual Disabilities Program of the
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