PSU - Visually Impaired Learner and Orientation & Mobility Programs

10/16/2026

So proud of a recent alum of our O&M program at PSU! Bravo Zach Schafer! It is indeed a wonderful Friday! Zach passed his COMS exam today!!! HUZZAH!

10/10/2026

We enjoyed connecting with our alums and mentors at the Oregon ECC conference in Bend. Images of colleagues presenting, networking, exploring 3-D printed bridge models.

09/27/2026

PSU mourns the passing of a beautiful teacher in our field, Barbara Miles. Thank you for teaching us about the power of conversations with our students. Rest in peace.

Today, we remember Barbara Miles, a groundbreaking expert and educator in the field of deafblindness. 💙

As a Perkins educator, Barbara leaves a lasting legacy. Across more than 30 years, she served in various roles in our Deafblind School, including as a training and program consultant working with students and educators in Indonesia.

She taught us, in so many ways, about how people who are deafblind use their hands as a window to the world: to feel, touch, explore and communicate. From the hand-under-hand technique to her focus on mutual tactile attention, her approach always emphasized respect and equality, imparting the reverence that human contact deserves.

Barbara’s publication, “Talking the Language of the Hands to the Hands” is a key resource for educators and families around the world, and has been translated into multiple languages. She also worked with the late Marianne Riggio to publish “Remarkable Conversations,” a seminal work on communication development for children who are deafblind that is used globally to train teachers.

This is a tremendous loss for our community, but the impact of Barbara’s work will continue to be felt by generations of students and educators around the world for years to come.

Helen Keller said, "What do I consider a teacher should be? One who breathes life into knowledge so that it takes new form in progress and civilization."

Thank you, Barbara, for breathing life into knowledge – and for helping so many children with disabilities find their place in the world.

09/24/2026

Happy news! Tina Meier-Nowell passed her COMS exam today! Here is a picture of Tina in her master’s robe at graduation with flowers around her cap. Amy is pictured next to her smiling in her doctoral robe. She’s a TBLV and a COMS!

09/21/2026

So proud of our Hawaiʻi colleagues and alums working with leaders in the community to explore transit with confidence.

They practiced using passenger assistance intercoms, elevators, stairways and fare vending equipment, along with obtaining and using a HOLO card.

09/11/2026

What guide dogs are prepared to do... a reminder as we honor those who died and rejoice with those who survived. Cheers Roselle!

Michael Hingson, blind since birth, was able to escape from the 78th story of the north tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, thanks to some quick thinking and his guide dog, Roselle

09/10/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Sandy Rosen for her well-deserved Josephine L. Taylor award, 2026 from AER's Division 17! We appreciate you, Sandy, for enriching our program at PSU with your expertise and support.

09/08/2026

Join us!

For 50 years, federal legislation has helped advance access, inclusion, and educational success for students with disabilities.

On September 23 at 7:00 p.m. ET, join AFB for IDEA at 50: Celebrating Progress in the Blindness Field and Beyond, a special Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness (JVIB) webinar.

Led by JVIB Associate Editor Stacy M. Kelly of Northern Illinois University, JVIB authors will reflect on the decades of collaboration, advocacy, and action that helped pave the way for this progress and discuss what the future holds for students with disabilities, their families, and the professionals who serve them.

Dr. Kelly will be joined by Holly Lawson and Amy T. Parker of Portland State University; Frances Mary D’Andrea of the University of Pittsburgh; Lanya Elsa of Silence and Light Consulting; and Sean Tikkun of North Carolina Central University.

The panel will also discuss how to stay informed and take action to support the disability community during this time of transition.

Register: https://afb.org/research-and-initiatives/research/webinar-series/jvib-idea-50

09/06/2026

Congratulations to Krystal Johnston for passing the COMS exam! Thanks to her mentors through her clinical practicum, Kerri and Ginny, for supporting her in the field! It takes a team! (ID: Krystal, Kerri, and Ginny stand near a sign that reads No Loitering, No Panhandling. Krystal walks backward down a school hallway, holding pool noodles in a v shape on the floor so her blind student can feel the position of his cane arc. Ginny, her mentor films the students arc from behind and records Krystal’s teaching to offer her feedback. Finally Kerri, Ginny and Krystal, 3 caucasian women wearing casual clothes, stand together, arm in arm, smiling at the camera.)