Overview
Cortical/Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI) is the leading cause of visual impairment in much of the world now. It is neurological or brain-based and the strategies for teaching are specific to an individual child’s level of vision. Do you know how to adapt books and other literacy materials for children with CVI?
Build your expertise in the leading cause of childhood blindness, Cerebral/Cortical Visual Impairment, with The Perkins CVI Certificate Program.
Learn about the impact of CVI, how to use The Perkins CVI Protocol to assess students, and equip yourself with the intervention strategies and instructional planning practices used in classrooms at Perkins School for the Blind and by Perkins-trained teachers all over the world.
The 4-course certificate program starts in January 2025.
Before selecting literacy materials for children with CVI, it’s important to begin with an assessment. Children with different levels of visual functioning will need different materials. Do you know how to modify or create the most appropriate materials for a particular child with CVI? What are the major factors to consider?
Children with CVI may have difficulty with simultaneous looking and touching or reaching towards something. This is a critical skill for everyday functional activities, such as reaching for a spoon or cup. Visually-guided reach is also used for pointing to or tactilely engaging with objects and concrete symbols to communicate. What are some considerations for supporting visually-guided reach?
For students in Phase III of the CVI range, an instructional focus is to provide materials that help integrate developing visual skills into functional contexts. Use of overlaps allow modifications centered on the child’s CVI characteristics that can change as the children’s skills evolve. Do you know how to address CVI characteristics for academic students?
Itinerant TVIs often have to modify materials quickly on the fly as they move from classroom to classroom, school to school, district to district. Make your life easier by putting together some tools to have on hand!
