Cortical/Cerebral Visual Impairment Expertise
What is CVI?
- CVI is a brain based visual processing impairment that can present with or without ocular involvement.
- It can be congenital or acquired.
- CVI is the number one cause of visual impairment in developed countries due to improved medical intervention and outcomes for newborns.
- 30-40% of children with visual impairments have CVI.
- 10.5% of all children with developmental disabilities have CVI.
- Margaret Sullivan completed the UMass professional certification in CVI, a 1.5 year program, including visual processing and the brain, specialized assessment, promising practices and teaching methods, and consultation and collaboration with teams.
Teachers
Garet Sullivan, M.Ed, TVI, CVI
Garet has been teaching for over 30 years. She is experienced with infants and toddlers through high school aged students. With a masters degree in special education focused on teaching students with visual impairments and a professional certification in cortical/cerebral visual impairments, she is uniquely qualified to meet the needs of your children and students with visual impairments.
Services
Family Centered Early Supports & Services
From birth through transition to school based services, we are here to help support infants, toddlers, and their families as they learn how to get the most out of every day. Using a coaching based model, in-home and remote services provide strategies, techniques, and resources to build confidence and relationships that create a solid foundation for success.
Initial Consultation and Observation
If you aren't sure if your child or student needs vision services we are available to complete a record review, parent/teacher interview, and a 2 hr. observation to help determine if a full evaluation is in your students best interest.
Evaluation
A complete evaluation, including a functional vision evaluation, learning media assessment, and, if necessary, a cortical/cerebral visual impairment assessment helps us understand how your child or student uses their vision in the home, community, and school environment. From there we can recommend the most appropriate accommodations, modifications, and services for your student.
Direct Instruction and Ongoing Consultation
Once a complete evaluation is done and services are approved we will follow through the process to provide direct coaching, instruction, material preparation, team trainings, and regularly scheduled consultation with the team to ensure consistency and ease of access for your student.