Blog, The Way I See It

It's almost 2019.  What a year this has been.  There have been so many things to reflect upon both personal and professional.  I am going to indulge myself a bit. The year started with the usual suspects.  Promises to get fit (ish), to find more quiet time to knit, or walk in the woods, or watch the birds (yes, I am a nerd).  But the little spiral book that is my calendar preempted many of those plans.  I'm not sorry-I love my work...every bit of it.  But, I do wonder about my inability to quiet my thoughts and to follow those occasional instincts for calm.  Nevermind that,…

In July 2018, AER passed Resolution 2018-001.  This Resolution included content that potentially limited the use of The CVI Range as an assessment of functional vision in students who have CVI.  The following is my response to the Resolution.  My statement provides an explanation of my point of view regarding AER's Resolution 2018-001.  The Resolution was removed from AER's website in September, 2018.       August 24, 2018 To whom it May Concern, I am enclosing my comments to your Resolution (AER-2018-00).  Many of the statements in your document are misleading, incomplete, or inaccurate.  I find the purpose of your Resolution very much in question as…

No.  Of course not.  Please don't get me wrong, improving functional vision is really quite important.  I talk about it all the time.  I think it is critical.  In fact, every provider who works with children who have CVI should have an expectation of improving vision.  Not a wish or a hope or a notion, but an expectation of improving functional vision. For a number of years, I described improving vision into high Phase III as the endpoint.  I would emphasize the need for CVI Range scores to continually improve until every child with CVI ultimately attains Phase III CVI status.  A lofty goal, yes, but one that I believed…

I get the question all the time, "Is there some place I should live so my child can get a teacher who knows CVI?".  Well, that is a difficult question.  It is obvious that most of the intense training based on The CVI Range has hovered around the east coast.  But there is no guarantee that moving to Connecticut or Massachusetts will result in your child being properly educated. None the less, parents certainly try this tactic.  It is not uncommon for families to maintain two addresses or uproot completely in pursuit of the teacher who embraces their child's complex needs and actually knows how to teach…

Hello and welcome.  Over the years I have had the honor of learning so much from the children, families, and providers I have encountered.  In my long history in the field of education, I have provided instructional sessions about the principles of CVI.  I have taught methods for conducting The CVI Range.  I have shown videos and photos of interventions for individuals with CVI.  But, I almost never feel that it is appropriate for me to give my unfiltered opinion.  Until now. This blog will provide me with the opportunity to write about topics that stir something in me.  The subjects I select and the points of view will be…

In the 1990s I worked at The University of Pittsburgh in the Vision Studies Program.  I had the responsibility of planning and providing instruction for future teachers of the visually impaired. Every spring the students were provided an opportunity to visit some of the major agencies associated with our field.  One of the stops was The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), an organization founded in 1921 and the one to which Helen Keller devoted much of her life. My Pitt grad students had the honor of sitting at a conference table with Susan Spungin who was the associate executive director and vice president of AFB.  For…

Parents often ask me to look at their children's IEPs or IFSPs.  It is inappropriate for me to write goals or objectives for any child because in my role at Pediatric VIEW or as a consultant, I am not a member of the IEP team. Decisions related to the content of the IEP are left to the members of that team of administrators, educators, therapists and of course, parents who are charged with educating the child.  However, it is appropriate, when asked, to provide an opinion on certain elements of the IEP.  For example, if I have evaluated a child at pediatric VIEW and have confidence in…