The Virginia Murray Sowell Center for Research and Education in Sensory Disabilities

The Sowell Center promotes quality research to address the academic and social needs of school-age students with visual impairments and provides public service to assist local, national and international constituencies.

Student Information & Deadlines

• O&M Program Contacts: Ms. Anita Page (anita.page@ttu.edu) and Dr. Nora Griffin-Shirley (n.griffin-shirley@ttu.edu)
• TVI Program Contact: Dr. Rona Pogrund (rona.pogrund@ttu.edu)
• Reach Across Texas Contact: Stormy Phillips (stormy.phillips@ttu.edu)
• Deafblind Program Contact: Dr. Phoebe Okungu (phoebe.okungu@ttu.edu)
  • Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program Contacts: Dr. Leigh Kackley (leigh.kackley@ttu.edu) and Pam Lindell (pamela.j.lindell@ttu.edu)

EDSP 5093 Course fee

Attention students in the teacher of students with visual impairments' program and orientation and mobility specialist's program:

Effective Fall semester 2012, all students who register for EDSP 5093, Internship in Special Education, who are not covered by a grant, will pay a course fee of $750.00 in addition to the tuition cost of the course. This money will cover costs incurred by the university internship supervisor's expenses, who will observe you teach.

University Scholarships

Apply now for 2016-2017 Texas Tech University scholarships on our website at www.scholarships.ttu.edu. This application will get you considered for academic and need based scholarships, but your college or department is probably using this application too! Maximize your scholarship opportunities by completing the Current Student Scholarship Application.

Reach Across Texas Application Deadline

The deadline for returning the Reach Across Texas application is Nov. 1, 2017 to be considered for the Spring, 2018 semester and May 1, 2018 Summer term and June 1, 2018 for 2018-2019 academic year.

More information

Financial Aid for Students With Disabilities

OnlineSchools.org has compiled a list of financial aid options for students with disabilities. View the complete guide here.

News & Events

O&M for Independent Living

Dr. Nora Griffin-Shirley and Dr. Laura Bozeman's new book, O&M for Independent Living: Strategies for Teaching Orientation and Mobility to Older Adults is now available!

Published by AFB Press; this new book is a wealth of information for strategies, environmental modifications, daily living skills, techniques and new information concerning orientation and mobility for older adults, and adults new to vision loss. Drs. Griffin-Shirley and Bozeman offer guidance to professionals working with adults with vision loss, and provide insights from other experts in the field.

A webinar featuring Dr. Griffin-Shirley concerning Chapter 7 from this book will soon be available to view through the AFB website.

Contact Information

Virginia Murray Sowell Center for Research and Education in Sensory Disabilities
P.O. Box 41071
Lubbock, TX 79409
806-742-2320
806-742-2326 FAX