Setting the Standard: Two BLVS Programs Celebrate 30 Years of Excellence

am very aware of the high regard in which Salus graduates are held,” said Susan Olivio, executive director and chief executive officer of the Lavelle Fund for the Blind, a charitable grant-making foundation dedicated primarily to supporting programs that help individuals who are blind or visually impaired live independent and productive lives.

“Salus is consistently mentioned as the standard by which other programs are measured.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “more than seven million Americans have vision impairment, including one million who are blind. Another 93 million U.S. adults are at risk for severe vision loss. These numbers are expected to increase because of the aging population and increase in chronic diseases.”

That unfortunately coincides with the national shortage of BLVS professionals. It is imperative that the Salus BLVS programs continue producing competent experts who will impact the future of the profession.

“The clients we serve get to choose the level of independence they are most comfortable with and I get to empower them with knowledge and skills and resources to help them achieve that goal,” said Lachelle Smith, MS ’03, CVRT, VRT program director. “I’m not just helping them, I’m helping them help themselves. That’s the enlightening, empowerment and encouragement I enjoy passing on to our students. And, then when you do that, you see them pass that information along to others — that’s the best feeling.”

Amidst the national shortage, the VRT and O&M programs have been innovators in many respects – for example, both programs started as in-person but were among the first to go virtual, long before the pandemic forced that issue for many universities. The hybrid learning format makes the program accessible to students all over the world, and has helped grow its international reach.

“We’ve always been positioned as a department looking ahead and seeing how we can respond to the ever-changing environment and landscape,” said Jamie Maffit, MS ’06, COMS, CLVT, O&M program director.

Innovation has allowed both the programs and department to grow to become as highly respected as they are today, educating graduate students and offering a variety of interprofessional services directly to patients and those in need. It is this combination of theory and practice that allows these programs to stay current and agile, and respond to trends and needs in the profession.