The rehabilitation counseling/teaching program is a 76 hour program co-sponsored by the Department of Blind and Low Vision Studies and the Department of Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology at Western Michigan University. It prepares graduates to provide a full range of vocational rehabilitation counseling services to individuals with cognitive, physical, psychiatric and sensory disabilities.

Typically, rehabilitation counselors/teachers:

Provide training in specialized methods or adaptive techniques for communications, activities of daily living and recreation.
Facilitate training and access to assistive technologies.
Assist consumers with career development and choices.
Foster acquisition of work-related skills.
Modify jobs.
Develop jobs.
Facilitate placement into employment.

Rehabilitation counseling/teaching graduates receive two Master of Arts degrees:

Counselor education in rehabilitation counseling
Counselor education in vision rehabilitation therapy Mission

It is the mission of the Western Michigan University Rehabilitation Counseling (CERM)/Teaching (RCTM) Programs to promote quality rehabilitation services for, and with, individuals with disabilities by preparing qualified rehabilitation counseling personnel through:

Applying an Evidence-Based Practice training approach
Focusing clinical preparation on well-established and promising practices
Fostering a culturally competent and globally engaged client/consumer/employer centered perspective
Promoting student oriented mentorship and leadership opportunities
Conducting discovery oriented employment, disability, and rehabilitation research to advance the profession
Providing professional, student-centered, and consultation services to rehabilitation agencies, facilities, and associations Objectives

The Rehabilitation Counseling (CERM) and Rehabilitation Counseling Teaching (RCTM) Programs objectives supporting the RC/RCT Program Mission are to:

Prepare rehabilitation counselor (CERM)/teachers (RCTM) who subscribe to the basic philosophical tenets of rehabilitation, including the value and worth of all individuals, a belief in human dignity, the right of all individuals to live as independently as possible, to engage in gainful employment, and to have full participation in society.
Prepare competent professionals in rehabilitation counseling (CERM)/teaching (RCTM) with skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary for delivering rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities.
Prepare rehabilitation counselors (CERM)/teachers (RCTM) who embrace professionalism by:
a) adhering to the Codes of Ethics for Rehabilitation Counselors and Teachers
b) engaging in activities that foster the advancement of the rehabilitation counseling (CERM)/teaching (RCTM) profession
c) updating/maintaining skills through life long learning and service to the rehabilitation profession
Prepare rehabilitation counselors (CERM) with expertise in blindness or low vision services (RCTM).
Utilize experiential and innovative instructional strategies to maintain high quality personnel preparation programs in rehabilitation counseling (CERM)/teaching (RCTM).
Facilitate a diverse learning environment through recruitment of representative populations within each cohort of students.
Emphasize diversity and multicultural issues in CERM/RCTM program offerings.
Engage in ongoing program evaluation and improvement to respond to the ever-changing evolution of applicant, student, legislative, profession, employer, and consumer demands.