Since its inception in 1987, The Bridge School staff has dedicated themselves to helping children with severe physical and speech impairments become active participants in their communities through education and communication.  One of the many challenges we faced in this process was how to structure an intervention that would address those children who also had Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI).  Following conventional practices at the time did not produce the results we hoped to achieve.  In 2012, we were introduced to the work of Dr. Christine Roman-Lantzy.  Her approach provided us an assessment/measurement tool, a structure for instruction and a sound research-based approach for intervention.  The results with our students have been a resounding success and, in keeping with the vision and mission of The Bridge School, we want to share what we have learned through our experience and our research.  This webinar series is just one avenue for meeting the goal of disseminating what we have found to be effective.

Our goal is to work with you in ways that positively impact the lives of children with CVI who require the use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tools, technologies and strategies. Children we know and care about. The content of each webinar reflects both our day-to-day experiences over many years and our recent research findings.

The CVI/AAC Webinar Series is part of a larger campaign, funded in part by Ability Central Philanthropy, to take action to address the significant gaps that exist today between the needs of children with CVI who use AAC and the clinical/educational services available to them and their families. 

We begin with the first webinar, Characteristics of CVI.  This helps lay the foundation for the series as it is important to know about CVI and CVI characteristics before embarking on AAC assessment and intervention approaches. The more a team knows, the more a particular child, student, client is likely to benefit. Future webinar topics include:

• Understanding the Phases Associated with the CVI Range
• CVI and Literacy
• The Impact of CVI on Mobility
• CVI in an Inclusion Setting
• CVI Considerations for Displays on Speech Generating Devices
• A Case Study: From Assessment to Intervention

*Topics are subject to change. Please check below for the updated schedule, topics and date/time information.

Vision is critical to all learning, language development and to effective communication. AAC tools and technologies rely heavily on vision. Professionals and family members report that most children with CVI who use AAC rely primarily on non-linguistic methods rather than using AAC tools or technologies. That’s the problem. 

The solution? You won’t hear about “cookie cutter,” “out-of-the box,” “easy one and done” solutions. None of these children are alike. A constant theme you will hear is that as functional vision improves, each child’s access and use of AAC approaches increases. There are many steps along that path to explore. 

A Certificate of Participation is available for download and printing. This is a self-certification document. Fill out the certificate with your name, date attended and your signature.

Webinar 1: Visual & Behavioral Characteristics Associated with CVI Self-Certify [PDF, 3 MB]

Webinar 2: Understanding the Phases Associated with the CVI Range [PDF, 2.8MB]

Webinar 3: CVI and Its Impact on AAC:  Issues and Considerations – A Panel Discussion [PDF, 2.8 MB]

Webinar 4: Implementing CVI Strategies Into AAC Instruction – A Case Study [PDF, 2.8MB]

Webinar 5: Implementing CVI Strategies Into AAC Instruction – A Panel Discussion [PDF, 2,8MB]

Webinar 6: The Significance of Self-Initiated Mobility Experiences for Children with CVI, Complex Communication and Physical Impairments [PDF, 2.8MB]

Webinar 7: Self-Determination & CVI: A Guiding Principle to Integrating Vision, Language, Learning, and Communication, Part 1 of 2 [PDF, 2.8MB]

Webinar 8: Self-Determination & CVI: A Guiding Principle to Integrating Vision, Language, Learning, and Communication, Part 2 of 2 [PDF, 2.8MB]