The CVI Range Proficiency

Pediatric VIEW is offering a CVI Range Proficiency Credential for teachers and practitioners working with children who have CVI. 

The CVI Range Proficiency is a credential for educators and practitioners indicating competence in using The CVI Range for assessment and intervention.

 

Who is the CVI Range Proficiency for?

The CVI Range Proficiency is open to all professionals who work with students with CVI.

This includes:

• Teachers of the Visually Impaired
• Orientation and Mobility Specialists
• Special Education Teachers
• Regular Education Teachers
• Special Education Case Managers
• Physical Therapists
• Occupational Therapists
• Speech Language Pathologists
• Feeding therapists
• Literacy Specialists
• Transition coordinators
• Behavioral support professionals
• Other professionals who develop programming for students with CVI

The CVI Range Proficiency is designed to accommodate a wide range of backgrounds, and allows professionals to demonstrate their ability to assess students and provide visual access through the lens of their discipline.

Objectives of the CVI Range Proficiency

1. Ensure The CVI Range is administered and completed accurately.

2. Address the recognized need for increased competency in assessing the vision of children with CVI.

3. Increase practitioners’ competency to interpret the results of The CVI Range.

4. Apply the results of The CVI Range to program planning.

5. Improve the quality of service and access to education provided to children with CVI.

6. Recognize and empower professionals who have developed CVI-specific skills to work effectively with children with CVI.

7. Contribute to standards of practice in developing special education curriculum that supports visual access and is also developmentally appropriate.

8. Support collaboration between practitioners across disciplines seeking to support visual access and development for children with CVI.

 

What is the CVI Range Proficiency?

The CVI Range Proficiency is a portfolio-based credential that gives educators and related service providers an opportunity to demonstrate and assert their competence in using The CVI Range.

Applicants seeking to achieve the Proficiency work to create and submit materials featuring their work with students who are already part of their caseload, showing their ability to conduct The CVI Range, and/or develop interventions for their students based on the results of The CVI Range.

A Proficiency Certificate is provided upon completion and individuals are added to a national registry.

What are the benefits of achieving the CVI Range Proficiency? 

Those who have achieved the CVI Range Proficiency are recognized for their demonstration of knowledge and skill, and their commitment to serving children with CVI effectively. Additional benefits include:

  • Ability to join the CVI Range Proficiency public registry listing
  •  A certificate documenting the accomplishment
  • Granting the CVI Proficiency credentials (CVIR-AP, CVIR-SP)
  • A lapel pin, to signify the achievement
  • Ongoing opportunities for mentorship and support through Pediatric VIEW

SUBMIT APPLICATION FORM

 

Two versions of the CVI Range Proficiency are offered.

These tracks largely differ based on whether a professional will
directly conduct The CVI Range, or whether they will work to support students who have received a CVI Range score.
Professionals can select the pathway that best fits their work with individuals who have CVI.

Designed as a marker of competence for those who perform the CVI Range assessment, including Teachers of the Visually Impaired, Orientation and Mobility specialists, and other Related Service Providers who have learned to administer The CVI Range.

Those who seek to complete the CVIR-AP will demonstrate the ability to perform the CVI Range accurately with children who score in multiple phases. In addition, they will also demonstrate the ability to develop appropriate interventions and accommodations based on a child’s CVI Range score.

  1. Submit an initial application with:
    a. Completed Application form
    b. Updated CV or Resume
    c. $50 application fee
  2. Complete an Assessment Portfolio focusing on two students, that includes:
    a. Video samples of CVI Range assessments
    b. Completed CVI Range score sheets
    c. Written reports detailing the results
    d. CVI Schedules for each student developed from the assessments
    e. $315 Proficiency fee.
  3. Receive feedback on the portfolio, and Proficiency certificate.

Designed for professionals who do not conduct The CVI Range as part of their professional duties but who may incorporate information gleaned from The CVI Range into their practice. This credential requires an understanding of the ten visual characteristics of CVI, their impact on visual function, and the practitioner’s ability to accommodate the activities that are part of their regular practice to meet the needs of children with CVI.
  1. Submit an initial application with:
    a. Completed Application form
    b. Updated CV or Resume
    c. $50 application fee
  2. Complete a Service Portfolio focusing on two students, that includes:
    a. Video lessons featuring activities adapted to their CVI Range score.
    b. Student Activity Profiles, documenting the rationale for developing each activity
    c. CVI Schedules for each student developed from a recent assessments
    d. $315 Proficiency fee.
  3. Receive feedback on the portfolio, and Proficiency certificate.

FAQs

Applicants to the CVI Range Proficiency program should have considerable familiarity with The CVI Range, and experience working with students who score across all three Phases of the Range. They should have a strong understanding of the ten characteristics of CVI, and their impact on vision across a number of settings.

We recommend applicants have the following experience:

  • Full time employment in their field for three years
  • Completion of structured coursework or guided study on cortical visual impairment and The CVI Range
  • Two years of experience working directly with students with CVI
  • If applying for the Assessment Proficiency, experience conducting The CVI Range on students in multiple Phases

If a potential applicant has questions about qualifications or experience, please feel free to reach out to CVIRange@chomepgh.org.

An individual who attains The CVI Range Assessment Proficiency can demonstrate that they:

  • understand current principles behind the use of The CVI Range in the educational, clinical, or home setting
  • the ten characteristics of CVI, and their impact on vision in typical general and special education environments
  • are familiar with all aspects of conducting The CVI Range for students across multiple phases( conducting an effective interview, completing observations of the student, designing a direct assessment that explores the impact of the CVI characteristics)and
  • can accurately score The CVI Range accurately based on the findings.
  • are comfortable creating modifications and accommodations that are academically and developmentally appropriate for students who score across multiple Phases of The CVI Range, based on each student’s individual score
  • can effectively support individuals with CVI in the classroom as part of an interdisciplinary team
  • have experience documenting the impact of CVI characteristics in the IEP or IFSP through present levels of function, accommodations, and goal writing.
  • are open to collaborating with other team members about approaches to visually accessible programming relative to CVI

Both tracks of the CVI Range Proficiency require a thorough background in the ten characteristics of CVI that serve as the foundation of The CVI Range. Applicants should have experience with a number of students who score across multiple Phases of The CVI Range, for whom they have successfully adapted materials and activities, and developed interventions using information gathered through the assessment. Christine Roman-Lantzy has written and edited two books to guide practitioners working with students with CVI:

– Cortical Visual Impairment: Assessment and Intervention, 2nd edition (2018, AFB Press)
– Cortical Visual Impairment: Advanced Principles (2019, APH Press)

Trainings on conducting The CVI Range are offered semi-regularly through regional vision organizations, such as Perkins School for the Blind, Connections Beyond Sight and Sound, Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, The Bridge School, West Virginia Department of Education, and others.

A professional who holds the CVI Range Proficiency demonstrates to others that they have significant and effective experience working with students with CVI through the lens of the CVI Range and the ten characteristics. There have never been prerequisites to complete The CVI Range, and anyone is welcome to learn the process. The CVI Range Proficiency does not create a requirement; it aims to recognize those who have honed their skills to a high degree.

The application and review process may be completed in as little as 4 to 6 weeks. Applicants have as much time as they need to develop and submit materials in the portfolio.

The CVI Range Proficiency is active for 4 years, and may be renewed.

Please feel free to contact the Pediatric View team by email at CVIRange@chomepgh.org

SUBMIT APPLICATION FORM

At this time, we have not developed a track for parents of children with CVI, though we can consider this in the future. Eligible applicants should be active providers in education and therapy disciplines, such as Teachers of the Visually Impaired, Orientation and Mobility Specialists, Special Education Teachers, Regular Education Teachers, 0Special Education Case Managers, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech Language Pathologists, Feeding therapists, Literacy Specialists, Transition coordinators, Behavioral support professionals, other professionals who develop programming for children with CVI.

At this time, the CVI Range Proficiency does not include a training component but instead, is designed to reflect knowledge, skills and abilities already acquired in using The CVI Range. Additional options for training and resources include webinars and courses available through Perkins School for the Blind, The Bridge School, Connections Beyond Sight and Sound, Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, West Virginia Department of Education, Paths to Literacy, Pediatric Cortical Visual Impairment Society, and others. If you have specific questions about training options, please reach out to CVIRange@chomepgh.org.