SR4 Summary

• Hawaii Department of Education currently struggles to fill teacher positions for blind and visually impaired students, particularly those providing orientation and mobility services.

• The Hawaii Teacher Standards Board only accepts the Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist certification from the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals, limiting services to vision-centered approaches.

• The National Orientation and Mobility Certification (NOMC) from the National Blindness Professional Certification Board enables Structured Discovery Cane Travel services, which the Department of Education cannot currently provide.

• The Hawaii Division of Vocational Rehabilitation already accepts the NOMC from the National Blindness Professional Certification Board, and all current orientation and mobility service providers in that division are blind adults certified by the NBPCB.

• The resolution requests the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board accept the NOMC to enable the Department of Education to provide Structured Discovery Cane Travel and better serve blind children's orientation and mobility needs.