PATRICIA MARIE BUSSEN SMITH

 

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois; Ed.D.: Adult Continuing Education

Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan; M.A.: Rehabilitation Teaching of the Blind

Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois; B.S.: Special Education with emphasis in Visual

Impairment, Elementary Education

[Certified braille transcriber]

 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas

Tenured Professor and Chairperson in the Department of Counseling, Adult and Rehabilitation Education.  Coordinator of the Rehabilitation Teaching of the Blind graduate program.

Dates of employment: 1984 - present. (Chairperson: 1992-present)

Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois

Instructor and Project Director of the master's degree program in Rehabilitation Teaching of the Adult Blind.

Dates of employment: 1978 - 1984.

Association for the Blind and for Sight Conservation, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Teacher/Supervisor of the Rehabilitation Teaching Department, Manager of the adaptive devices non-profit store, trainer and coordinator of the volunteer braille transcribers.

Dates of employment: 1973 - 1978.

Battle Creek Public Schools, Battle Creek, Michigan Teacher of students with impaired vision K-12.  Dates of employment: 1967 - 1972.

 

SERVICE

Service has been provided to the blindness field through: 1. providing presentations, workshops, and post employment training, 2. serving on peer review panels for grants and professional journals, on-site teams for accreditation, and national task forces representing rehabilitation teaching 3. serving as an officer, advisory board member and committee member on local, regional, and national professional organizations, with primary service on the Board of Directors of the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals.  International presentations, workshops, or courses have been provided in Manila, Philippines; Monterray, Mexico; Changchun, China; Parrysound, Ontario; Warsaw, Poland; and Vancouver, British Columbia.

 

*  Josephine L. Taylor Award for "dedication and outstanding leadership in personnel

preparation" AER Division 17, 2001.*  UALR College of Education Faculty Excellence Award in Service, 1996.

*  Bruce McKenzie Award for "outstanding contributions to the field of rehabilitation

teaching". AER-Division XI, 1994.

*J. Max Woolly Superior Service Award for "outstanding contributions in the field of

blindness", Arkansas AER, 1994.

*  Charlyn Allen Award for "outstanding achievement, dedication, leadership, and innovation in

the field of rehabilitation teaching, MACRT, 1991.