Last month, a few members of CCVI’s Leadership attended the AER International Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, where CCVI was recognized as an industry leading presenter.  

CCVI’s presentation detailed its impact on the field of vision through the lens of three categories: collaboration, menu of service, and community education. The presentation was titled, A Village for Vision.  

“To be selected to share our mission on an international scale is a huge honor,” says Kerry Boehm, Executive Director. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to share about how essential childhood services are.”  

Collaboration at CCVI focused on both internal and external partnerships, such as cross-training therapists in vision diagnoses and partnering with medical professionals to ensure children get referred.  

CCVI’s Menu of Services offered a variety of options, including in-home, in-center, or in-district delivery. This variety meets children where they are in the community to ensure their needs are met.  

Community Education is vital to the operations of CCVI. Team members present to community partners upwards of twice a month. In addition to those presentations, CCVI educates major front facing organizations, such as hotels and museums to ensure they are accessible for blind and visually impaired guests.  

The Association for Education & Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) is an organization dedicated to professionals who provide services to individuals with vision loss. AER promotes and supports professions, like CCVI, by advocating for evidence-based practices, high-quality standards, value-added resources, and giving voice to issues of critical importance. As one of the largest conferences within the field, hosting international audiences, for CCVI, attending this conference puts our organization at the forefront of topics and strategies for student success being discussed.  

This international audience of diverse and like-minded professionals is also an opportunity for CCVI to be recognized as a National Leader in the development of best practices and as a center that provides the best instruction and support to families and districts that the field has to offer. Alex Olson, Director of Vision Services, reflected on her takeaways: 

• The vision world is forever adapting and changing. It was nice to see the incorporation of a more holistic approach to the education of students with VI and looking at building a strong educational foundation. 

• I enjoyed the collaborative aspects of many of the presentations. Weaving in music, theater, art, etc. Many different ways to include students with VI. 

• There are many individuals within the field that are committed to building it up, recruiting new teachers and ensuring that the future is bright 

This conference allows us to develop new ways of thinking and bring back new strategies, not only for instruction, but for all areas of CCVI. 

You can view CCVI’s presentation, A Village For Vision, below: