Professional Development

By: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com
updated April 9, 2020
Taking initial coursework to become a vision professional is not enough to become or remain an effective vision professional. Part of professional practice is to remain a lifelong learner and staying current with developments in the field of visual impairments and also staying on top of current trends. This includes engaging in ongoing professional development to expand and develop your professional knowledge and skills. ​

Benefits of VI Professional Development

  • Involvement in vision-specific professional development provides you with instructional strategies and the latest in best practice to reflect on and incorporate into your instruction and share with teams on which you serve. 
  • Physically attending workshops and conferences allows you to network as well as share practices through dialogue, modeling, and demonstration.
  • Staying current in best practice allows you to be a better mentor, coach, and educate teams. 
  • Consistent involvement as a leader in VI activities allows you to contribute to a positive climate.

Professional Development Activities 

If you don't work at a school for the blind or organization that works primarily with individuals who are blind or visually impaired, it can be difficult to find professional development opportunities specific to instructing individuals with visual impairments. The following is a list of activities to help you continue to develop your professional skills and knowledge:
  • Attend local, state, regional and/or international conferences on the unique needs of individuals who are blind or visually impaired. 
  • Become a member of a professional organization such as the  Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired and the Division on Visual Impairments of the Council for Exceptional Children. Membership to AERBVI includes an electronic subscription to the  Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness.
  • Subscribe to professional list-serves on the internet to interact with colleagues.
  • Participate in workshops or webinars to maintain proficiency in braille and technology updates as well as to stay current on best practice.  I now offer on-demand webinars on this website. Additionally, the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired has a wealth of articles and is a go-to resource in the vision field. Perkins School for the Blind offers Perkins eLearning. Additionally, they have a Paths to Technology site with many AT resources. Many other schools for the blind offer professional development opportunities as do consumer groups and organizations. The American Council for the Blind, the American Foundation for the Blind and the National Federation for the Blind are just a few. Additionally, many vision specific vendors offer webinar opportunities to learn about the latest vision technology.
  • Conduct ongoing research of best practices and strategies through the internet, professional resource books, and professional journals.
  • Even if you can't attend a live conference or webinar, you can sometimes access the PowerPoint presentations that were presented which can provide you with some details and links to resources. 

Program Printables

Sign up for free membership to access the FREE downloadable handbooks and handouts on the Free Program Printables page along with access to the Goal Bank pages. Simply click on the Log In | Register link in the navigation bar. If you haven't joined yet, you will be prompted to create a password. ​​Below are just a few examples of the many free printable resources.

Tips to Being a "Physically Fit" TVI Webinar

Cover slide for Tips for Being a Physically Fit TVI
Itinerant teaching is very rewarding, but it can present many challenges as well. TVI’s must be able to work well with a variety of personalities to best support students and their teams. It is just as essential to be organized, flexible, reliable, and a team player as it is to be knowledgeable in your field. ​​This hour-long presentation is packed full of tips and strategies from Carmen Willings who has been a full time Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments for over 20 years. This webinar is perfect for TVI's just entering the field and for all TVI's as they start the new school year! 

Free Membership

Sign up for free membership to access the FREE downloadable handbooks and handouts on the Free Printables page along with access to the Goal Bank pages. Simply click on the Log In | Register link in the navigation bar. If you haven't joined yet, you will be prompted to create a password. ​

ECC Complete Set Bonus

Purchase the TVI's Guide to Teaching the ECC Complete Set and immediately unlock the pages within the ECC Complete Set Bonus including bonus printables, interactive sensory stories, interactive matching activities, interactive choice making activities, job task box activities and MORE! This is my way of continuing to support you and say "Thank you!" for choosing to purchase the Complete Set. 

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     I find that a great part of the information I have was acquired by looking up something and finding something else on the way." ​ ~Franklin P. Jones