About the Authors

Series Navigation

<< Previous: Nemeth Braille Code CurriculumNext: Acknowledgements and Bibliography >>

Tina Herzberg, Ph.D.

Dr. Tina Herzberg is Professor and Director of the Visual Impairment Education Program at the University of South Carolina Upstate. She is responsible for teaching graduate courses, including both braille courses. She has also served as a member of the Braille Formats Technical Committee for the Braille Authority of North America since 2014.

Prior to her arrival at USC Upstate in 2007, she served as a general education math and English teacher, an itinerant teacher of students with visual impairment, and specialist/ team leader for a regional service center in Texas.

She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics and English with secondary teaching certification from Angelo State University in 1990 and her Master of Education degree in Special Education with a Specialization in the Education of the Visually Impaired from Texas Tech University in 1994. She also holds a Ph.D. (2006) in Special Education Leadership and Interagency Collaboration from Texas A&M University.

Tina is also a co-author of Learning and Teaching the Nemeth Code within UEB Contexts: A Step-by-Step Guide and Project INSPIRE: Increasing the STEM Potential of Individuals Who Read Braille Through Self-Paced Free Courses for Professionals.

Tina is also the recipient of numerous awards including: the 2012 Douglas F. Dent Award, South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind, the 2016 Annual Service Award, USC Upstate, and the 2023 Distinguished Service Award, National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina.

Susan Osterhaus

Susan Osterhaus taught secondary mathematics for 29 years at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired before becoming the Statewide Mathematics Consultant in their Outreach Program in 2007. She has a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, a master’s degree in Mathematics Education, and certifications in Secondary Math, Secondary English, and Grades PK – 12 Teaching the Visually Impaired from the University of Texas at Austin. Susan has taught or consulted with VI students from grades pre-k through college.

Susan has refined teaching strategies related to math content to enhance the understanding of visually impaired students. She shares this level of experience freely with colleagues at TSBVI, throughout Texas, nationally, and internationally through presentations, workshops, videos, publications, and curriculum development. She is also involved in technological research and development as a consultant, field tester, and net worker.

She was appointed a member of the BANA Nemeth Code Technical Committee (1998) and the Tactile Graphics Technical Committee (2004) of the Braille Authority of North America (BANA) and continues to serve. She is also a co-author of Nemeth at a Glance: A Math Resource, Grade-Level Chart, and Evaluation Tool; Learning and Teaching the Nemeth Code within UEB Contexts: A Step-by-Step Guide; and Project INSPIRE: Increasing the STEM Potential of Individuals Who Read Braille Through Self-Paced Free Courses for Professionals.

Susan is also the recipient of numerous awards including: the 2006 Teacher of the Year Award, Council for Exceptional Children, Division on Visual Impairments, the 2007 Clarissa Hug Teacher of the Year Award, Council for Exceptional Children, and most recently the 2022 Mary K. Bauman Award, Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Sara Larkin

Sara Larkin taught high school mathematics classes for 18 years, before becoming the Statewide Mathematics Consultant for the Iowa Educational Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired in 2007. In her current role, she provides support to teachers of the visually impaired, classroom teachers, and paraeducators across the state who work with students who are blind or visually impaired from birth through college.

She has provided numerous workshops and classes including those related to the abacus, Nemeth code, tactile graphics, math related technology specific to visual impairment, and methods for teaching math to students who are blind or visually impaired. Sara has also presented at conferences throughout the state of Iowa and nationally. She has developed videos that have been posted on the web related to using the abacus, using Duxbury Braille Translation software to transcribe math materials, and teaching math related concepts to students who are blind or visually impaired. Sara received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Secondary Math from the University of Northern Iowa in 1989 and her Master of Arts degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Concordia University in 1994.

Sara was appointed a member of the BANA Ad Hoc Committee on Standardized Tests (2022) and continues to serve. She is also a co-author of Learning and Teaching the Nemeth Code within UEB Contexts: A Step-by-Step Guide and Project INSPIRE: Increasing the STEM Potential of Individuals Who Read Braille Through Self-Paced Free Courses for Professionals.

Sara is also the recipient of several awards including: the 2010 Iowa Board of Regents Faculty Excellence Award for the Iowa Braille School and the 2015 Council of Schools and Services for the Blind Outstanding Provider of Outreach Services.

Carolyn Mason

Carolyn Mason has been teaching students with visual impairments for more than 30 years. She is a National Board certified teacher in the Early Childhood to Young Adult, Exceptional Needs Specialist/Visual Impairment strand. She was also honored by the National Braille Institute as the prestigious Braille Challenge Teacher of the Year for Excellence in Braille Instruction in 2009. She also received the National Federation of the Blind Distinguished Educator of Blind Students Award in 2018.

She has a Bachelor of Science in Education and a Masters of Education from the University of Texas at Austin. She has certifications in Elementary Grades 1-8; Elementary Music Grades 1-8; Generic Special Education Grades PK-12; and Visually Impaired Grades PK-12.

Return to Nemeth Braille Code Curriculum homepage.