Blindness is a unique low-incidence disability, and those who are blind or have severe low vision need to acquire specialized compensatory skills to achieve productive, meaningful lives. The development of these skills is best achieved when the individual has the opportunity to receive education and vocational rehabilitation services from qualified specialists. There is a national shortage of such specialists. However, graduate-level fellowships and stipends are available to assist in the recruitment and training of such professionals.
This is a listing of major non-medical blindness-related professions and their qualifications. Visit the website of the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) for a list of university training programs that support these professions, along with a list of current job openings at AER’s Career Connection.
Assistive/Access Technology (AT) Specialist
Basic Job Description: Assistive Technology is defined as "any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities." [20 U.S.C. Chapter 33, Section 1401 (25)]. Assistive Technology services provided by an AT specialist include:
- Evaluating the access technology needs of an individual with a disability, including a functional evaluation of the individual in the individual's customary environment; purchasing, leasing, or otherwise providing for the acquisition of assistive technology devices by individuals with disabilities;
- selecting, designing, fitting, customizing, adapting, applying, maintaining, repairing, or replacing of assistive technology devices or services;
- coordinating and using other therapies, interventions, or services with assistive technology devices, such as those associated with existing education and rehabilitation plans and programs;
- training or technical assistance for individuals with disabilities, or, where appropriate, the family of an individual with a disability; and
- training or technical assistance for professionals (including individuals providing educational and rehabilitation services), employers, or other individuals who provide services to, employ, or are otherwise substantially involved in the major life functions of individuals with disabilities.
Educational Requirements: A bachelor’s or master’s degree in education, computer technology, Vision Rehabilitation Therapy, or a related area. In addition, familiarity with computer access technology for persons with vision-related needs, specifically braille, speech, and large print, is usually required.
Certification Requirements: AT Specialists may pursue certification such as Certified Assistive Technology Instructional Specialist for People with Visual Impairments (CATIS) offered by the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals (ACVREP) as well as National Certification in Access Technology for the Blind (NCATB), offered by the National Blindness Professionals Certification Board (NBPCB).
Deafblind Specialist
Basic Job Description: A Deafblind Specialist may specialize in working with either children or adults. Those who work with children are responsible for assessment, instructional planning, teaching communication and orientation and mobility skills, as well as language and concept acquisition. Those working with adults concentrate on communication skills, activities of daily living, job skills, supportive employment, and leisure activities. Some of those working with persons who are deafblind are Vision Rehabilitation Therapists, Rehabilitation Counselors, and O&M Instructors who have enhanced their skills to include knowledge of manual communication and deafblindness.
Educational Requirements: Deafblind Specialists usually have a master's degree in rehabilitation, special education, or a related field and are fluent in sign language and various forms of manual communication. Currently there are a few programs that have majors in deafblindness, in education, or a certificate in adult services although many students will double major in sensory disabilities or take interpreter training in addition to their educational program. Some have educational backgrounds in O&M, Vision Rehabilitation Therapy, Job Placement, Teacher of the Visually Impaired, multiple disabilities, Sensory Disabilities, Rehabilitation Counseling, or a related major. One additional area of expertise is that of an Intervener or Interpreter which is an educational Interpreter specializing in deafblindness. Most Interveners have a bachelor's degree in a related field.
Employment Settings: Deafblind Specialists working with children may be employed in Early Intervention Programs that require working with families in their home or in preschool settings. Those working with school age children may work as Itinerant Teachers or in a centralized school setting. Those working with transition age students may have an emphasis on supportive employment and community based instructional programs. Those working with adults may be employed with state agencies, private agencies, Councils on Developmental Disabilities, or the Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youth and Adults.
Certification Requirements: Depending upon the particular position, Deafblind Specialists are required to have fluency in sign language or certification as teachers, or have a related area of knowledge. There are currently few certification requirements apart from a few State Departments of Education. Interpreters and Intervenors, and some instructional staff may be required to be certified through the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) or a State Screening Board.
Low Vision Therapist
Basic Job Description: A Low Vision Therapist (LVT) works closely with eye care professionals to conduct functional vision evaluations and provide training to assist persons with vision loss to maximize remaining vision through the use of optical and non-optical aids.
Employment Settings: Low Vision Therapists are usually affiliated with a Low Vision Clinic under the supervision of either an Ophthalmologist or an Optometrist. They sometimes travel to the homes or employment of individuals to provide training, and they are sometimes located in rehabilitation centers. Some Vision Rehabilitation Therapists and O&M Specialists will also have certification in Low Vision and use those skills to enhance their area of instruction.
Educational Requirements: A bachelor's or master’s degree or graduate certificate in low vision therapy is required, with some experience with persons with low vision. For this reason, many blindness professionals will add the required certification on to their credentials. There are often Occupational Therapists who add on certification as well.
Certification Requirements: Certification is usually essential to be employed as a Low Vision Therapist. This certification is available through ACVREP. Learn more about becoming a Certified Low Vision Therapist (CLVT).
Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Specialist
Basic Job Description: An O&M Specialist works with persons of all ages who are blind or have low vision to assist them in learning to travel safely and confidently through the environment. They provide assessments, develop instructional programs, and provide basic instruction, as well as assist people in learning community transportation systems. The primary emphasis is on techniques of safe travel which may involve teaching the proper use of a white cane, orientation to unfamiliar areas, including community orientation for dog guide users, or safety techniques for moving around in familiar areas.
Employment Settings: O&M Specialists work in schools, agencies for the blind, and sometimes as freelance instructors. Instruction is almost always one-on-one and involves walking and traveling in the out of doors in all weather conditions. Some instructors are employed in school systems as dual O&M Specialists/Teachers of the visually impaired.
Educational Requirements: An O&M Specialist is usually required to have a bachelor's or master's degree in Orientation and Mobility from an accredited college or approved program.
Certification Requirements: Certification is critical for O&M Specialists because of the liability in teaching someone to travel safely. In order to be protected with liability insurance, O&M Specialists are required to be certified. Some O&M Specialists are dually certified as Teachers of the Visually Impaired. Learn more about becoming a Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist (COMS) through ACVREP or obtaining National Orientation and Mobility Certification (NOMC) from NBPCB.
Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Counselor
Basic Job Description: A Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor works with adults with disabilities, including those with vision-related needs, who are seeking vocational advice, training, and job placement services. Responsibilities of the VR counselor include the provision of case management services such as evaluation of vocational goals, counseling in adjustment to blindness and career counseling, development of rehabilitation plans, supervising the financial provision of services, and job placement.
Employment Settings: As part of a state’s Vocational Rehabilitation Program, VR counselors are responsible for providing services that culminate in the employment of persons who are blind. Although actual counseling is often a minor part of the job, VR counselors are involved in helping individuals with disabilities return to active and productive lives. Some states have separate VR services for persons who are blind, other states integrate services for individuals who are blind into services for persons with other disabilities. Within these programs, VR counselors may have caseloads made up only of individuals with vision loss, or they may have cross-disability caseloads. Other less common settings for employing a VR counselor includes private insurance programs or for-profit agencies as well as non-profit rehabilitation agencies for the blind. In the latter setting, counselors are usually more involved in adjustment counseling for persons with vision loss.
Educational Requirements: Rehabilitation Counseling requires counseling skills, and most employers prefer someone with a master's in Rehabilitation Counseling or a related field. Some agencies will hire persons with a bachelor's degree in Counseling or Psychology.
Certification Requirements: Credentialing as a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) is available through the Commission on Rehabilitation Counseling Certification. It requires a master's degree in Rehabilitation Counseling or a related field, along with passing a written exam.
There is no blindness specialty in the certification process. However, candidates are required to be knowledgeable of all disability areas.
Vision Rehabilitation Therapist (VRT)
Basic Job Description: A Vision Rehabilitation Therapist (VRT) is a person who teaches adults who are blind or have low vision the compensatory life skills to confidently manage life with vision loss. The VRT is responsible for evaluation of training needs, the development of training needs, teaching in individual and/or group settings, and community education about blindness and low vision. VRTs work with newly blinded individuals and those who have grown up with vision-related needs. Many individuals with vision loss are older adults. Thus, VRTs frequently work with this population, unless they serve a specialized age group.
Specific areas of instruction taught by VRTs include Communication (braille, handwriting, operation of Assistive Technology and Computer Access Technology, etc.); Personal Management (grooming, hygiene, clothing organization, and identification, etc.); Activities of Daily Living (cooking, cleaning, shopping, safety, money organization and management, etc.); Leisure and Recreation (hobbies, woodworking, crafts, sports, etc.); and Adjustment to Blindness Counseling.
Employment Settings: VRTs can be employed in rehabilitation centers where they usually teach in one specific area such as braille or activities of daily living. They may also be employed as Itinerant Vision Rehabilitation Therapists where they teach primarily in homes or community settings of their students. Itinerant VRTs usually teach one-on-one and cover all areas of instruction. Sometimes they are involved in training people in new work settings or in working with college students on study skills. Most VRTs are employed in public or private agencies serving adults who are blind or have low vision.
Educational Requirements: There are colleges and universities that provide both bachelor's and master's degrees in Rehabilitation Teaching / Vision Rehabilitation Therapy. These programs are only able to meet a small percentage of the need, so many VRTs are employed who majored in related professions such as Education, Social work, and other health-related fields. Employment usually requires that VRTs are college graduates. Many persons with vision loss find this a rewarding career area.
Certification Requirements: Learn more about becoming a Certified Vision Rehabilitation Therapist (CVRT) through ACVREP and National Certification in Rehabilitation Teaching for the Blind (NCRTB) from NBPCB.
Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI)
Basic Job Description: Most TVIs work as itinerant teachers serving children who are blind or have low vision in mainstreamed school settings. TVIs also work with infants and preschool children in home and/or school settings. The primary focus of instruction is on teaching compensatory skills including pre-braille and braille instruction, communication skills, and study skills, along with other areas of the expanded core curriculum.” In addition, TVIs consult with regular classroom teachers on methods that enhance the acquisition of knowledge usually acquired from visual means. TVIs provide functional vision evaluations and other educational assessments, write educational plans, work with families and insure the acquisition of educational materials in accessible media.
Educational Requirements: TVIs are required to have a bachelor's and/or master's degree and appropriate teaching credentials.
Employment Settings: Most itinerant teachers are employed by public school systems and serve students placed in a variety of school placements. Some TVIs are employed as early intervention specialists and work with families in their own homes or preschool settings. In addition, some are employed by state residential schools for the blind where there would be a concentration of students in one geographical area. Those with Orientation and Mobility certification may also do some private contract work during the summer.
Certification Requirements: TVIs are certified through state Departments of Education in the state in which they are located. Certification includes a test and educational requirements.
Vocational Evaluator
Basic Job Description: A Vocational Evaluator is responsible for the assessment of knowledge, skills and aptitude of persons who are blind or have low vision, and for working with individuals to determine vocational goals. This is usually done through the administration of a variety of tests, and coordinated with a Rehabilitation Counselor. Most Vocational Evaluators are knowledgeable in all areas of disability and can specialize in vision-related areas. However, there is no degree specifically in vision-related assessment.
Educational Requirements: A Vocational Evaluator must have the knowledge of psychometric tests and evaluation procedures. Most positions usually require a master's degree in Vocational Evaluation.
Certification Requirements: There are no certification standards specific to blindness and low vision; however, there are general Vocational Evaluation certifications based on examinations and educational background.
