NIU Visual Disabilities program awarded full AER accreditation through April 2031

DEKALB, IL - The Northern Illinois University College of Education's Visual Disabilities program received full accreditation April 21 from the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER).

NIU's programs for Teachers of Visually Impaired and in Assistive Technology, which prepare professionals serving people living with blindness or low vision, are in full compliance with the standards set forth in the AER Accreditation Program for excellence in management policies and practices.

"Earning full AER accreditation reflects our ongoing commitment to preparing highly qualified professionals who are ready to serve individuals with visual impairments with skill and innovation," said Stacy Kelly, professor in the NIU Department of Special and Early Education and coordinator of the Visual Disabilities Program.

"This recognition reinforces the quality of our program," Kelly adds, "and the important role NIU plays in addressing the long-standing and severe shortage of teachers of students with visual impairments (TVIs) and assistive technology instructional specialists for people who are visually impaired."

AER's accreditation program continues the commitment made in 1962 by the Commission on Standards and Accreditation of Services to the Blind as a direct response to heightened federal attention to consumer rights in general and to the need for the highest quality of services by the growing numbers of people living with vision loss.

Specialized rehabilitation and education for adults and children with blindness or low vision, is facing critical shortages; opportunities abound throughout the U.S. and even worldwide. Current statistics for the United States project an increase of 118% to 25 million people by the year 2050 needing these services.

Media Contact: Mark McGowan

About NIU

Northern Illinois University is a student-centered, nationally recognized public research university, with expertise that benefits its region and spans the globe in a wide variety of fields, including the sciences, humanities, arts, business, engineering, education, health and law. The Wall Street Journal and CollegeNET recognize NIU as a leading institution for social mobility, or helping its students climb the socioeconomic ladder. Through its main campus in DeKalb, Illinois, and education centers for students and working professionals in Chicago, Naperville and Rockford, NIU offers more than 100 areas of study while serving a diverse and international student body.