Hi Katie,
I am a TVI in the DOE in NYC with students ages 5-22 but also work in early intervention as well afterschool. I find it challenging to bring up the possibility of cortical visual impairment with parents, especially when their child’s doctors have not mentioned it—often because many doctors are unfamiliar with this condition. I’m curious how you or your school have navigated conversations with parents about this. Thanks for sharing any insight on this.
Hi Katherine! I’m Vicki, and I collaborate closely with SLPs to support my students. I really enjoy working together to adapt AAC devices to meet the unique visual needs of each student. I believe it’s essential for all students to have a way to communicate, and I’ve truly appreciated the opportunity to learn more about AAC through my partnerships with SLPs over the years.
Hi Vicki-
Great question! Yes, it can certainly be challenging to bring this up, but because it is so essential for children to get the services they need as early as possible, we do mention it. We also try to provide resources to families.
It used to be that the number of children with hearing loss was declining due to measles no longer being prevalent. Measles during infancy or rubella when the mom was pregnant was the leading cause. I worry about the current attitude regarding vaccinations. I have been teaching 40 years and started working with the rubella students in the high school school for the deaf. Most had multiple disabilities.
Hello to a fellow Midwesterner!
• Hello everyone, my name is Lydia Moreno!
• In my Professional Role, I work as Makerspace & Mobile STEM Unit Coordinator at Kansas State School f/t Blind. While I am not certified as a TVI or O&M, I am heading back to school this Fall to get my CATIS certificate. (Fingers Crossed)
• I am born and raised in Kansas City, KS and that’s where our school’s campus has been for 150 years. I do get to take a Mobile Van out to other students we serve throughout the state too!
• In my role, I focus on the ECC Assistive Technology Domain in the Makerspace & Mobile STEM programs. I get to work with students throughout our entire range of classes, from 1st to Transition age students, plus other groups like our dormitory students, Early Childhood, and others! Some of our students are Deaf/Blind, have multiple impairments, and physical disabilities alongside their vision impairment. I’ve learned SO much about SPED over the past 4 years here and I’m excited to learn more from this course about students who have CVI. Many of our kiddos here do and though I’ve gained some tips & tricks, I still feel clueless on how to support them or adapt materials for our staff to support them!
• I’m excited to learn more about how I can use our Makerspace mediums to adapt for students with VI this summer!
Hey Emily !!! I am so glad you are here 
• Crystal Patrick
• IDEA Consultant for Visual Impairment
• Charlotte, NC
• PreK-XG
• Gathering more information from this course and combining it with the best practices from Perkins to serve students with Neurological Visual Impairments
Hey Amy !! I am so happy to be here I look forward to all the wonderful resources you have developed or procured for this session.
• Name: Erica Holmes Clark
• Professional Role: Business Education Teacher
• Location: Little Rock, AR
• A brief description of the students you serve: I serve students who are blind and visually impaired
• What are you excited to learn this summer? Anything new to help me better serve my students
Hi Crystal 
My students are in different schools in the same school district. It’s easier when I have a couple at the school that can share a lot of the same materials.
You work at an amazing place! When I was taking my coursework to add TVI certification, I had to do observation hours. My daughter lived in Austin at the time, so I traveled from NY to TX and observed during the day at TBVI and visited with my daughter in the evenings during the evenings during my February break. Good thing, It was Feb 2020, the rest of the class had to complete their observations online..I was in awe of the resources and expertise you have there!
Thank you! Once we have the poster finished we can share - my colleague, Melissa Kenderes, is also part of this cohort - you might see her posts.
Hello Diane! Yes it would be awesome to connect after this course to find a way to share what we learn with our colleagues. So glad to be in this cohort with you 
I am Faye Thomas, one of 2 CVI’s in Killeen Texas. I have 40 students. Quite a bit of my students has CVI with multiple other disabilities and five are braille students. One has enough vision to read print letters but unable to read. Short of him being an auditory learner or learning braille, I want to see what else can be done. I am looking forward to learning current research so I can better serve my students with this condition.
Faye Thomas
Vicky preparing a box of CVI materials for the next school year is an excellent idea. Thanks
Howdy Ms. Kelly,
Love seeing so many bees from MSB! I can’t wait to be able to learn more and continue to collaborate with our awesome AT department.
SMG
Hi! I’m Melissa Kenderes, a TVI/COMs in the Pittsburgh area. I work with school age students. I’m am excited to be a part of this cohort and learn from other professionals about their experiences with CVI.
Hi Robyn!
I’ve found teaching and assessing O&M skills to Students with CVI really makes us think outside of the box. It will be great to hear your thoughts and experiences!
Melissa