Our Mission

The mission of PCVIS is to transform outcomes for children and youth with CVI by advocating for research, policy, education, practice, heightened awareness and understanding of this brain-based visual impairment.

Our mission will be fulfilled through the pursuit of the following goals:

1 Advance interdisciplinary education and research

2 Enhance dissemination of information and its communication among and between professionals, parents, government, and educational institutions, and other groups that impact children and youth with CVI

3 Advocate for the appropriate allocation of resources to allow for improved vision services for children and youth with CVI

4 Improve public and professional awareness of CVI in children and youth

5 Advocate for governmental policy that improves quality and quantity of vision services available to children and youth with CVI

6 Engage in fundraising activities that will allow for advancement of the mission and the goals of PCVIS

Who are we?

Teachers of Students with Visual Impairment — are specifically trained and educated to teach students with visual impairment how to use their vision or adapt their environment to best learn. They teach specialized areas of direct instruction, make classroom accommodations, and connect students with assistive technology to enhance their educational experience.

Orientation and Mobility Specialists — are specifically trained and educated to teach students and adults with visual impairment and blindness how to safely and effectively navigate their environment, so that they can independently engage the world beyond their immediate surroundings.

Occupational, Physical, and Speech Therapists — are specially trained and educated professionals who provide therapies to improve outcomes in fine motor, gross motor, activities of daily living, and receptive/expressive language. They are concerned with how a child with CVI integrates his/her visual experience with the world around him/her.

Optometrists — are vision professionals concerned with how an individual gathers visual information from their environment. They examine fine visual motor abilities, which include fixation, visual tracking, visual scanning, focusing, and binocular (eye teaming) function. They consider how vision integrates with other sensory systems and how the brain perceives, interprets, and processes sensory input. Optometrists assess these functions and maximize visual function with corrective lenses, prisms, and visual therapies. They can make the diagnosis of CVI.

Ophthalmologists — are medical doctors who specialize in the medical and surgical treatment of disorders of the eye and visual system. They can make the diagnosis of CVI. Ophthalmologists conduct eye surgery for ocular conditions such as misalignment, cataracts, and glaucoma.

Parents and Caregivers — are the relentless advocates for their children (and all children) with CVI. They raise public awareness of CVI, expand their knowledge of CVI, and raise funds to support PCVIS.