[visionrehabtherapist] Letter/Petition to ACVREP
- From: Patty Arnold- Rutkoff <parnold@xxxxxxxx>
- To: aer vision rehab therapist listserve <visionrehabtherapist@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 24 Jan 2009 12:30:29 -0700
Hi all,
Below is a post from the O and M listserve. Some of us who are not
currently O and M Specialists and agree with the below are adding our
name to a list that Dona Sauerburger is generating. Per below, if
you wish to do this also, follow her instructions and send the
requested info. to sauerburger@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Thanks,
Patty Arnold, CVRT, CVLT
-------Original Message--------
From: sauerburger@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [OandM] ACVREP letter -- want to add your name?
Date: January 23, 2009 5:08:52 PM MST
To: oandm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, aernet@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hi everyone! It's been less than an hour since I sent messages to
you folks about our letter to ACVREP, but already several people have
asked to be added to the list of signatures.
It hadn't occurred to me to consider this a petition, but why not?
I've heard that some ACVREP board members think that the people who
are dismayed at the new standards are a minority -- I'll be glad to
keep a list of people who want to be included in that "minority."
So if you want your name in the list of people who support the effort
to have ACVREP drop the proposed changes in their standards and
follow the guidelines that require their decision-making process to
be transparent and include stakeholders, send me:
1. your name and email address
2. any certification you may have
3. are you a professional, a consumer, or an employer of COMS?
4. affiliation and job title (optional)
5. geographical location (city and state or province / country).
I am NOT taking a survey to get your opinion of the changes (you can
contact ACVREP to give your opinion). I am just collecting names of
people who want to be in the list of those who are in favor of ACVREP
rescinding the changes in standards and following decision-making
procedures that are transparent and include all the stakeholders.
Thanks!
--Dona
---------------------------------------------------------
Dona Sauerburger, COMS®
Orientation and Mobility Specialist
<sauerburger@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
301-858-0138 (V/TTY)
1606 Huntcliff Way
Gambrills, Maryland 21054 USA
http://www.sauerburger.org/dona
---------------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: Dona Sauerburger
To: aernet@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Friday, January 23, 2009 5:58 PM
Subject: [AERNet] ACVREP letter and history of changes in standards
Hi everyone! As you know, a letter was just sent to the ACVREP
Board. In case you cannot access the letter in an attachment, I will
copy it, with all 90 signatures, in the message below.
For an article that Dr. Bill Wiener wrote explaining the history
of this issue, "Proposed Changes to ACVREP Certification," see http://
www.sauerburger.org/dona/wiener
Following is a copy of the letter:
----------------------------
ACVREP Board
Judy van Naerssen, President
3333 N. Campbell Ave., Suite 11
Tucson, AZ 85719
January 23, 2009
Dear Ms. van Naerssen and ACVREP Board Members:
Thank you for meeting with some of us January 14. The meeting
helped gain insight and clarity regarding the process and rationale
of the Board in making its October, 2008 decision to change the
standards of certification.
The process used by the Board to change the standards was contrary
to recommended guidelines as well as the ACVREP bylaws as conceived
and written by the ACVREP founders. Attempting to address a
personnel shortage by making changes in the standards through a
decision-making process that is kept confidential and does not
involve the stakeholders or appropriately represent the certificants
is counter to NCCA and NOCA guidelines. It is also counter to the
mission of ACVREP as outlined in the bylaws.
Transparency and involvement of stakeholders:
Regarding the process for selecting certification standards, the
National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA, 1996, p. 152)
said:
"Those who hold a stake in the outcomes of the credentialing
decisions made via a credentialing program should be identified and
then systematically included in the formulation, design, and
implementation of the policy underlying the establishment of
credentialing performance standards.
"In general, to the extent that a selection policy has a
significant impact (economic, physical well-being, status, and/or
class membership) on the stakeholders affected by that policy (the
public, members of the profession, educational institutions,
foundations), stakeholders will demand evidence that the selection
policy is reasonable, rational, fair, and based on scientific
principles. Moreover, the greater the impact of the credentialing
decision on stakeholders, the greater the potential for challenges to
the selection policy, and, therefore, the more rigorous the evidence
required in support of the policy."
To follow these NOCA guidelines, the ACVREP board should
systematically include all stakeholders when formulating policy
regarding standards of certification. Also, the decision-making
process for selecting or changing certification standards must be
transparent and the evidence supporting the decision open to
scrutiny. Lastly, stakeholders must have opportunities to provide
input before any decision is finalized. An environment of secrecy
regarding the decision-making is not acceptable as professional
behavior for a certification body.
The mission and purpose of ACVREP:
The primary mission of ACVREP is "supporting and promoting quality
services to individuals who are blind or visually impaired through
standards of excellence for persons involved in vision rehabilitation
and education" (emphasis is added). This means that the primary (if
not the only) mission for ACVREP is to support and promote quality
services through standards of excellence. Reducing those standards
in order to address other purposes is contrary to the stated mission
of ACVREP, and addressing broad professional issues such as personnel
shortages is not the mission of ACVREP.
According to the bylaws, ACVREP purposes include the following:
(a) identifying the standards common to employees in the vision
rehabilitation and education professions, including the body of
knowledge and work experience;
(b) identifying the standards across specialized areas of vision
rehabilitation and education professions.
The term "identify" was used by the founders of ACVREP because it
was their intent that ACVREP would not establish standards. Rather,
it would identify standards through a review and consideration of
standards common to the professions it certifies, in order to
maintain those standards as a minimum for certification of those
professionals.
The National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) encourages
the board to avoid changing the standards in response to pressure to
change the number of certificants.
"Pressure to adjust certification standards either to limit the
number of certificants or to reduce or elevate the established
standard by changing requirements could interfere with the
maintenance of standards established for a given
certification." (NCCA, page 5)
This means that the ACVREP Board should avoid succumbing to
pressure to change the certification standards in order to increase
the number of certificants. Standards should be changed only to
reflect concern about the quality of the certified professionals.
Selection of Board members:
The board that makes decisions regarding the certification of
professionals should have appropriate representation of those
professionals. NCCA (2004, p. 5) says:
"For entities offering more than one certification program, a
system must be in place through which all certified populations are
represented, with voting rights, on the certification board or
governing committee."
More than 70% of the ACVREP certificants are COMS, yet less than
20% of the certified board members are COMS (10% of the Board). In
order to comply with NCCA guidelines, it is recommended that
procedures be followed that provide for a selection of Board Members
who represent the certified populations appropriately.
Conclusion:
At its October, 2008 meeting, the ACVREP Board changed the
standards for Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialists to
require no supervised experience, and less discipline-specific /
university training than should be required of an O&M Assistant,
according to the model approved by the AER O&M Division (2004).
The Board has postponed putting these new standards into effect,
but is still considering implementing them. If implemented, the new
standards would eventually change the status of the Certified O&M
Specialist to that of a paraprofessional, and render the ACVREP
certification useless to O&M professionals and their employers and
consumers. As this letter explains, the decision to change the
standards was made without appropriate representation of the
certificant populations, and the process for making the decision was
contrary to NCCA and NOCA guidelines as well as the mission and
purpose of ACVREP as stated in its bylaws.
We, the undersigned, therefore ask the Board to immediately
rescind the proposed new standards.
References:
AER O&M Division, 2004. Model Program for Use of Orientation and
Mobility Assistants. http://www.aerbvi.org/modules.php?
name=News&file=article&sid=1034
National Commission for Certifying Agencies, 2004 (revised
December 2007) Standards for the Accreditation of Certification
Programs http://74.125.47.132/search?
q=cache:KRbwTlQGsTAJ:www.noca.org/portals/0/Standards%2520-%
2520Updated%2520December%25202006.pdf+Standards+for+the+Accreditation
+of+Certification+Programs&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us
National Organization for Competency Assurance, 1996 (Browning,
A.H., Bugbee, A.C..and Mullins, M.A, editors). Certification: A NOCA
Handbook
------------------------------------------------
Signatures:
------------------------------------------------
Robin Adler, COMS
Pennsylvania
Dr. Grace Ambrose-Zaken, COMS,
Project Coordinator RT/O&M Program, Department of Special Education
Hunter College CUNY, New York, New York
Jason E. Armstrong, COMS
Willis, Texas
Janet M. Barlow, COMS
Accessible Design for the Blind, Asheville, North Carolina
Sheila M. Beasley, COMS, TVI
Outreach Consultant
The Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired
Bruce B. Blasch, Ph.D., COMS
CEO and Co-Owner: Bear Consultants, Inc.
Eldre Boggs, COMS
Resource teacher for students who are blind or visually impaired
Anne Arundel County Public Schools, Maryland
Dr. Eugene Bourquin, COMS, CLVT
Bourquin Consulting, New York
Laura Bozeman, Ph.D., COMS, CLVT
Associate Professor/Director: Vision Studies
University of Massachusetts-Boston
Bob Bryant, COMS, Professor
Orientation and Mobility Program
Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas
Marybeth Cleveland, COMS
Orientation and Mobility Specialist, Maryland
Elyse Connors, COMS, CVRT
Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency, Michigan
Sharon Coutu MA, TVI, COMS
Division for the Visually Impaired, State of Delaware
Audrey A. Dannenberg, COMS, CVRT, TVI
Charlottesville, Virginia
Bonnie Dodson-Burk, COMS, TVI
Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania
Brigid Doherty, COMS
Falls Church, Virginia
Heather S. Dougherty, COMS
DVI, The State of Delaware
Becky Eagle, COMS
Deer Park ISD, Texas
Jodie Eakin, COMS
Texas
Jan Elder, COMS
Invision Services, Inc., Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Carol Evans, Ph.D.
School Psychologist
Chair, AER Psychosocial Services Division
Salt Lake City, Utah
Alice M. Galvan, M.A. COMS
Orientation and Mobility Specialist
Metrolina Association for the Blind, Charlotte, North Carolina
Micha Grunska, M.S., COMS, CRC
East Texas Regional Director
The Visionaries of Texas, LTD.
David Guth, Ph.D., COMS, Professor
Department of Blindness and Low Vision Studies
Western Michigan University
Rod Haneline COMS
COO Leader Dogs for the Blind
Rochester, Michigan
Julie Hapeman, COMS, CVRT
Milwaukee Public Schools
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Belinda Bruce Hawkins, PhD, COMS, CVRT
California
Maria A. Hayda, MA, TVI, COMS
Ossining, New York
Venetia Hayden, COMS
Arizona State Schools for the Blind
Sarah Heinrich, MSEd, CVRT, COMS
VRT Supervisor
Metrolina Association for the Blind, Charlotte, North Carolina
John Higgins, COMS
Director of Services
Invision Services, Inc., Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Cathy Holden, COMS
Director of Rehabilitation
Oklahoma League for the Blind
Charla Rose Houston, MA, CVRT
Metrolina Association for the Blind, Inc., Charlotte, North Carolina
Melanie Hughes, M.S., COMS
Orientation and Mobility Specialist
Virginia Dept for the Blind and Vision Impaired
William H. Jacobson, Ed.D. COMS
Professor and Coordinator
Orientation and Mobility Program
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Jacquelyn A. Jaikins, M.A., COMS
Orientation & Mobility Specialist
Metrolina Association for the Blind, Charlotte, North Carolina
Tracy Jerke, COMS
Texas
James W. Kadlecek, OTR, COMS
Plano Independent School District
Shiloh Center, Plano, Texas
John Kelly, M.Ed, CAS, COMS, TVI, Sp.Ed.
John J Kelly Vision Consulting, LLC
Lakeland Central School District
Chester & Shrub Oak, New York
Dae Kim, COMS, CLVT
Western Michigan University
Lori King M.Ed., COMS, TVI
Goliad Special Education Co-op, Goliad, Texas
Joanne Laurent, COMS
Owner: Highest Expectations Travel & Adaptive Skills Instruction
for the Blind
Ariel, Washington
Richard G. Long, COMS, Ph.D.
Associate Dean, College of Health and Human Services
Western Michigan University
Karyl Loux
Orientation and Mobility Specialist
Amy R. McKenzie, Ed.D.
Deafblind Specialist and Teacher of the Visually Impaired
Assistant Professor, Program in Visual Impairments
College of Education, Florida State University
Desiree McKey, COMS
Orientation and Mobility Specialist, Garland Texas ISD
Barbara McMaster, COMS
Pennsylvania
Rhonda Miller, COMS
Arlington, Texas
Sarah Moore, COMS
The Visionaries of Texas, Ltd.
David Morrison
Orientation and Mobility Instructor (in process of applying for
OMS certification)
Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School
Denise H. Munz, COMS
Invision Services Inc., Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Joan Myers, COMS
Prince George's County Public Schools, Maryland
Laura Park-Leach, COMS
VP, Personal Adjustment and Rehabilitation
Metrolina Association for the Blind, Charlotte, North Carolina
William M. Penrod, Ed.D., TVI, COMS
Assistant Professor
University of Louisville
Fabiana Perla, Ed.D, COMS
College of Education & Rehabilitation
Salus University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Sherri Price, COMS
Pennsylvania
Craig L. Phillips, MS Ed. COMS
Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist and Teacher of the
Blind and Visually Impaired
Shawnee Mission School District, Kansas
Sandra Rosen, Ph.D., COMS
San Francisco State University
David Rumer, COMS
Orientation and Mobility Specialist, Portland, Oregon
Dona Sauerburger, M.A., COMS
Orientation and Mobility Specialist, Gambrills, Maryland
Wendy Sapp, Ph.D., COMS
Visual Impairment Education Services, Georgia
Tressie Schindler, COMS, CVRT
Kingwood Park High School, Texas
Jennifer Shull, M.A., CVRT, CLVT
Metrolina Association for the Blind, Charlotte, North Carolina
Eileen Siffermann, COMS
Orientation and Mobility Specialist, Tucson, Arizona
Past President of ACVREP
Annette C. Skellenger, Ed.D., COMS, TCVI
Western Michigan University
David Ian Smith, COMS
Metrolina Association for the Blind, Charlotte, North Carolina
Jodi Sticken, COMS
Director of Orientation and Mobility
Department of Teaching and Learning
Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois
Mary Tellefson, M.A., M.S., COMS
Statewide Outreach Consultant
Orientation & Mobility Specialist
Wisconsin Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired
Ronald Texley, COMS
Intermediate Low Vision Clinic
VA Hudson Valley Healthcare System
Montrose, New York
George Tully, COMS
Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired
Alvin E. Vopata, COMS
Sedgwick County Area Educational Cooperative, Kansas
Robert Wall Emerson, COMS, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Western Michigan University
Richard L. Welsh Ph.D.
President, Pittsburgh Vision Services, Retired
Jenny Westman-Minnig, M.A., COMS
Orientation and Mobility Specialist
The Maryland School for the Blind
Melanie White, COMS
Orientation and Mobility Specialist, Weatherford, Texas
William Wiener, COMS, CRC, Ph.D.
Vice Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School
Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Erica A. Wood
Vision Rehabilitation Therapist (in process of applying for VRT
certification)
Metrolina Association for the Blind, Charlotte, North Carolina
Marjorie Wood, COMS, M.Ed., TVI
Chair-elect, O&M Division AER
Practitioner, Austin Independent School District, Texas
Kathy Yale, Ed.D., COMS, NBCT, ITDS
Yale Education/Rehabilitation Services, LLC
Private practitioner, Florida
George J. Zimmerman, PhD, COMS
University of Pittsburgh
You are subscribed to the AER OandM Listserv, administered by The
Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and
Visually Impaired.
To unsubscribe from this list, go to http://lists.aerbvi.org/mailman/
listinfo/oandm_lists.aerbvi.org and follow the instructions to
unsubscribe.
________________________________________
OandM mailing list
OandM@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://lists.aerbvi.org/mailman/listinfo/oandm_lists.aerbvi.org
Other related posts:
- » [visionrehabtherapist] Letter/Petition to ACVREP - Patty Arnold- Rutkoff
