About the program
Applicants from PNWCVE member states (Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Idaho, Alaska, and Montana) receive priority admissions and federal grant funding when available. Applicants from nonmember states are welcome to apply and are accepted on a space-available basis.
Our graduates
The O&M program launched its first cohort in fall 2017. Our students are already having an impact, promoting progress, and supporting student goals in a diverse range of schools, universities, rehabilitation settings, and community organizations. These include the Columbia Regional Service Center, the Oregon Commission for the Blind, and the Washington State School for the Blind. Others work in similar organizations in Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, and Montana, and across the country.
Why PSU?
Portland is known as a leader in accessibility discussions, and PSU supports this by offering the only O&M program in the Pacific Northwest. PSU also is host to the Pacific and Northwest Consortium for Vision Education (PNWCVE). PSU is supported by diverse regional partners. This offers O&M students a highly networked experience. You become collaborators in regional opportunities. O&M will assist you in building competencies through projects with partners. The program also teaches innovative ways to address service needs in rural and geographically remote regions. We believe that within our differences lie individual strengths. For that, we foster generous self-respect and relentlessly support one another toward maximal contribution and impact.