Portland State University in Oregon has developed a program to train teachers of the visually handicapped in rural settings which emphasizes: (1) close working relationships with parents and community based programs; (2) strong advocacy training for visually impaired and blind learners; (3) excellent outreach and consultive skills to regular classroom teachers, teacher aides and others; (4) ongoing inservice training with parents, teachers and others from allied disciplines; (5) effective community communication; (6) personal and career development counseling. Existing personnel shortages in remote rural areas led to modification of the existing special education teacher preparation program to include a requirement of 8 hours of weekly contact time with a visually handicapped student and an associated seminar; restructuring the class on communicating with parents and paraprofessionals to stress organizing effective parent support groups; modification of the class, "Implications of Vision Problems," and infusion of microcomputer applications in the class, "Clinical Practicum I." Better preparation for providing outreach and consultive services should occur through greater emphasis on child advocacy, student teaching in a rural district, and inservice training of paraprofessionals, teacher aides, and volunteers. (DB)