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 sensory disabilities 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: Anita Page (anita.page@ttu.edu) and Gabriella Davis (gabriella.davis@ttu.edu)
- Deafblind Program Contact: Dr. Phoebe Okungu (phoebe.okungu@ttu.edu)
- Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program Contact: Pam Lindell (pamela.j.lindell@ttu.edu)
Graduation and Employment Statistics (.docx)
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 Texas Tech University scholarships 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 Information
Learn more about the Reach Across Texas program.
Project MAPVI Application Information
Learn more about Project MAPVI here
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
The Seeing Eye Trip-January 2025
On January 15th through 17th, 2025, The Seeing Eye, Inc. sponsored a trip to their facility in Morristown, NJ for graduate students in the O&M Certification Program from Texas Tech University to attend a seminar about guide dogs. For over a decade, this seminar has taken place on the TTU campus during the summer cane classes. Nine students from our program attended this very busy and information packed event. The Seeing Eye provided flights, hotel, and rental vehicles to transport students to and from the airport, hotel, and The Seeing Eye campus. Students were immersed in the history and evolution of guide dog schools, the training process of the dogs beginning with the breeding and puppy raisers. As part of the seminar students put on a blindfold and were allowed to experience what it is like to be led by a guide dog as they are paired with a dog and walked through Morristown. For more information about guide dogs please visit The Seeing Eye’s website at seeingeye.org.
International Council for Education for Visually Impaired 2024
Drs. Phoebe Okungu, Devender Banda and Nora Griffin-Shirley presented the following presentations at the International Council for Education for Visually Impaired (ICEVI) on November 15, 2024 in Ahmedabad, India. Dr. Banda also presented a session on ABA at NIEPID, Secunderabad, India on November 7, 2024:
- Okungu, P. & Griffin-Shirley, N. (2024, November). Strategies, Techniques and Accommodations Used in Providing Orientation and Mobility Services to Individuals who are Deafblind: A Systemic Review
- Griffin-Shirley, N. & Banda, D. (2024, November). Using Single-Subject Designs in the Field of O&M for Children with Visual Impairment and Autism.
- Banda, D. R. (2024, November). Applied behavior analysis: Children with Autism & other developmental disabilities [Interactive Session & Presentation]. National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (NIEPID), Secunderabad, India.
Community Outreach Activities
Members of the Sowell Center wrapping holiday presents at the Lubbock Supportive Living Center
Contact Information
Director:
Nora Griffin-Shirley
n.griffin-shirley@ttu.edu
806-834-0225
General Contact:
Virginia Murray Sowell Center for Research and Education in Sensory Disabilities
P.O. Box 41071
Lubbock, TX 79409
806-742-2320
The Virginia Murray Sowell Center for Research and Education in Sensory Disabilities
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Address
Texas Tech University, College of Education, 3002 18th Street Lubbock, TX 79409 -
Phone
(806) 742-2377 -
Email
educ.webmaster@ttu.edu