Project MAPVI: Multiculturally Adept Professionals in Visual Impairment Program

Project MAPVI is the Sowell Center's U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs grant (funded in 2024). The first cohort of students started in summer of 2025, and the second cohort will begin in summer of 2027. The grant is directed by Dr. Rona Pogrund, assisted by Dr. Nora Griffin-Shirley (co-principal investigator).

The Project MAPVI grant was created to recruit and train scholars from Texas and Mississippi who are new to the field of vision education to become certified teachers of students with visual impairments (TSVIs) or orientation and mobility (O&M) specialists with backgrounds and specialized expertise in multicultural and multilingual education. (See flyer for more details)

Recruitment files 

• Project MAPVI Application (.pdf)
• Project MAPVI Application (.docx)
• Recruitment Flyer

The two sensory impairment programs that a student can choose from to pursue in Project MAPVI are: 

• Certification in Orientation and Mobility (2.5-year program)
• Certification in Teachers of Students with Visual Impairment (2-year program)

Apply to Project MAPVI

If you are a Mississippi or Texas resident with an interest in cultural diversity and plan on working in a special education setting once you have completed the program, you can apply for Project MAPVI which is a competitive scholarship program that supports your entire certification program (TSVI or O&M) including: 

• the cost of tuition for all certification courses
• books & materials
• travel for course weekends or in-person classes
• conference travel
• other misc. expenses (living stipend, health and wellness, child support etc.)

Complete the Project MAPVI application here. To be eligible for consideration in Cohort 2, all documentation must be submitted to your state collaborative partner in Mississippi or Texas by January 11th, 2027. Cohort 2 scholars will be selected in Spring of 2027 to start coursework in June.

• Mississippi Applicants: Toni Hollingsworth - toni.hollingsworth@usm.edu
• Texas Applicants: Cecilia Robinson - robinsonc@tsbvi.edu