By BRIAN TYNES

Staff Writer

Two master's degrees programs offered by the university focus on giving graduates the skills they need to teach blind people.

Ron Gardner, director of professional development and the research institute on blindness, said the first is in education and is for students wishing to become teachers of blind children. The second is in educational psychology with a concentration on orientation and mobility, navigating using a cane.

Pam Allen, director of Louisiana Center for the Blind, said blindness should not be viewed as negative.

"Most people in society think of blindness as a tragedy," Allen said. "We're working to educate the public that blindness doesn't have to hold you back from completing your goals."

Gardner also said blindness is not to be viewed as a handicap.

"Blindness is an inconvenience," Gardner said. "Blind people still participate in the same activities as sighted people; we just use different techniques."

Gardner uses himself as a prime example. He said despite being born blind, he attended law school and practiced law for 24 years before coming to Tech.

Gardner said he came to Tech because it is the best program in the United States.

"The reason our program is the number one program in the country is because graduates are trained by the experts at the Louisiana Center for the Blind," Gardner said. "LCB is the best training facility in the country for the blind."

Gardner gives credit to Tech's orientation and mobility program as the main reason for being the best.

"We are the only university that regularly certifies blind [orientation and mobility] instructors," Gardner said. "Other universities may certify some, but for them it is an exception."

Vicki McDaniel, a graduate student in educational psychology, said Tech's program does more than just teach students how to instruct blind people.

"It's good because anyone that's interested in working with the blind or has ever thought about working in the blindness field will not only be here to get their degree but also to learn the attitudes and philosophies of blindness," McDaniel said.

"The program provides instructors with the skills to teach blind people to become productive and successful living in the community."

Gardner said those studying to teach orientation and mobility are supported by a $500,000 Rehabilitation Services Administration grant that covers tuition, books, all university fees and additional expense money.

Gardner said a main reason for receiving this grant is there is a huge shortage of orientation and mobility instructors, and Tech has a near 100 percent job placement rate. Gardner said even though Tech's program is the newest in the country, he believes it is the best because of the teaching strategies.

"We teach our blind students problem-solving skills," Gardner said. "The blind person is responsible for encountering their environment and making their own decisions."

Allen said Tech is leading the way in blindness instructor production.

"Tech has been instrumental in improving the quality of teachers in the state of Louisiana to help blind people," Allen said.