Friends of TVI and O&M

Welcome to the Friends of TVI and O&M website and thank you for taking the time to learn more about our group. We are dedicated to supporting the outstanding programs that prepare Teachers of the Visually Impaired (TVI) and Orientation and Mobility (O&M) specialists at San Francisco State University. These two programs are among the top rated both nationally and internationally! "Friends" was created to help ensure that both programs continue to be outstanding.

Friends wants you to be involved! We need your help in assisting the Programs to offer continuing education seminars, recruitment workshops, visiting speaker opportunities, and student scholarships. We need people to contribute stories for our website, give input about new ideas or inventions, help with social functions, etc. We also need an improved mailing list, and help in maintaining a blog where people can ask questions, offer suggestions and find answers. The list will grow as we grow.

Be in on the ground floor of a cause worthy of your support!

Here's how you can help:

Let us know about what is important to you in our field and give us your suggestions.
Contribute a story for our website.
Volunteer. Let us know how you would like to be involved.
Donate. Gifts to Friends of TVI and O&M directly benefit these programs and students.

Send us your contact information for our mailing list so that you can participate in Friends of TVI and O&M activities and watch us grow.

Gone are the days of generous support from the State of California for program development, “full ride” fellowships for graduate students and plentiful work-study programs.

Please consider making a tax deductible donation in support of the programs and their students.

Click Here to give to the Friends of TVI and O&M Programs Funds - you can choose to donate to either the program or scholarship fund, or both!

To Make a Donation by Mail

Please make your donation check payable to the University Corporation San Francisco State and designate either “Friends of TVI and O&M Programs” or “Friends of TVI and OM Scholarship” or both on the check’s memo line. Please mail your donation check to:

Yvonne Bui, Ph.D.
Dept. of Special Education
San Francisco State University
1600 Holloway Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94132

For more information on making a donation, please contact:

Yvonne Bui Co-Director, Friends of TVI and O&M, at ybui@sfsu.edu or
Adam Graves, Co-Director, Friends of TVI and O&M, at 415-338-1080 or adamgraves@sfsu.edu, or
David Fierberg, Director of Development, at (415) 405-3966 or davfier@sfsu.edu

Elinor Clark (2023)

Elinor Clark is a student in the TVI program.

Elinor says: Dear Friends of TVIs and O&M, I want to express my deepest gratitude for being selected as a recipient of this wonderful scholarship. Your generosity has made a significant impact on my academic journey, and I am truly humbled and appreciative of your support. Juggling college alongside my eldest, and with my youngest on the brink of starting his own college adventure, every bit of assistance holds immense significance for me. I have had the pleasure of working as an intern TVI while being in the program, and should start student teaching fall of ‘24. Your support has not only lightened my financial load but has also fueled my commitment to making a positive impact in the lives of my students. Thank you for being a vital part of my journey and for helping me to continue making a difference.

Alecia Barnes (2023)

Alecia Barnes is a student in the O&M program.

Alecia says: I want to thank the “Friends of TVI and O&M” for the scholarship I received in Fall 2022. Scholarships like the one I received allowed me to continue in the Orientation and Mobility program without financial hardship due to student loan debt.

In addition, your scholarship was a tremendous help by allowing me to invest in equipment and supplies - all necessary tools that support my efforts to become an efficient Orientation and Mobility specialist once I graduate and begin practicing in this exciting field.

I cannot begin to express the extent of my gratitude to the Friends of TVI and O&M for their support. I look forward to an inspiring career in a wonderful field, and I could not have achieved this without your support.

Please continue to do what you do - it truly makes all the difference for individuals like me, who made the scary career decision to start over later in life and choose a field we ultimately love.

Kayla Chen (2023)

Kayla Chen is a student in the O&M program.

Kayla says: I am extremely grateful to be a recipient of the Friends of TVI and O&M Scholarship. Thank you for your generosity in supporting students like me as I complete my graduate studies to enter an exciting, fulfilling career serving people with visual impairments. At San Francisco State University, the Orientation & Mobility program offers a Low Vision Therapy track. As someone who didn't have prior experience working with people with visual impairments in special education and vision rehabilitation, I took this opportunity to broaden my knowledge and to become a more well-rounded professional in the field. This scholarship allowed me to afford textbooks for both low vision therapy and O&M. I referenced these books daily during my internships at the Palo Alto VA, now as a prepare for my Master's exam, and will be utilizing them throughout my career. Thank you again for the scholarship and your unwavering support!

Additional Scholarship Recipients 2023

Diego Gutierrez

Michal Jackson

Caley Soury

James Torney