When
Mark your calendar for: August 10, 12, 17, 18 & 19, 2021 from 3:00 - 5:00 pm EST
Where
This is an online event.Contact
Cheri DowlingMaryland and DC Deaf-blind Project
443-277-8899
cheri.dowling@msd.edu
Virtual Summer Institute 2021
Cortical Visual Impairment: Communication, Literacy, and Related Skills
5-Part Series
- Participants will be able to describe the impact of CVI on the student’s ability to: gather visual information, gain access to materials presented in the educational and community settings, gain access to effective communication tools.
- Participants will be able to describe the components of anticipation, motivation, communication and confirmation as related to the individual’s learning
- Participants will gain knowledge and skill to better identify, assess and educate students who have or at risk for CVI
- Participants will be able to demonstrate knowledge of adaptations and CVI recommendations to better enhance communication strategies for students with CVI and complex communication needs or dual sensory loss
Space is limited Registration Fee $50.00 per person
Meet Your Presenters
Christine Roman-Lantzy, Ph.D.
Christine Roman was raised in Michigan and received degrees in Elementary Education and Special Education/Visual Impairment at Michigan State University. She worked as an itinerant teacher of the visually impaired in the greater Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area for 17 years prior to becoming a Research Assistant in the Vision Studies Program at the University of Pittsburgh. While at Pitt, she completed studies in Orientation & Mobility and received a Master’s Degree in Medically Fragile/High Risk Infants.
Her doctoral studies were also completed at Pitt where she completed a Ph.D. in 1996; her dissertation, Validation of an Interview Instrument to Identify Behaviors Characteristic of Cortical Visual Impairment in Infants revealed that caregivers of infants can reliably report regarding the presence or absence of the characteristics of CVI.
Dr. Roman is the Director of The Pediatric View Program at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA and a former Project Leader of the CVI Project at The American Printing House for the Blind in Louisville, KY.
She has lectured extensively regarding the CVI educational materials she has developed. These materials include: The CVI Range an assessment of functional vision, and The CVI Resolution Chart & CVI/O&M Resolution Chart used to plot and monitor progress both of which will be available in a book in press (working title, CVI: Identification, Assessment & Intervention) with The American Foundation for the Blind.
Christopher Russell, MS. Ed., TVI
Jennifer Willis, MS
Jennifer Willis has worked with children who have dual sensory impairment since 2003. While working on her teaching degree, she served as a 1-to-1 aide and intervener, working at the Maryland School for the Blind for five years. Once she earned her degree, she spent nine years teaching in the Family Education Department at the Maryland School for the Deaf, serving children in the birth-to-5 years population and their families, with a special focus on children with deafblindness and multiple disabilities. Jen earned her BS in Deaf Studies from Towson University, and her MS in Deaf Education from McDaniel College. She also holds a certification in special education and early childhood education, and has extensive training related to supporting children who are deaf or hard of hearing. In addition, she has many years of experience working with children who have cortical visual impairment and recently earned a Perkins/Roman CVI Range Endorsement. In her role as Project Coordinator for CBSS, Jen will work closely with the Project Director and other team members to achieve the outcomes targeted by the grant activities. Her specific role includes being responsible for coordinating the training and technical assistance components of grant activities to ensure both are delivered effectively and efficiently. She also shares responsibility for delivering training, technical assistance, and coaching to individuals receiving training to ensure that consumers of project services are better able to support their students with deafblindness achieve improved outcomes.
Program Schedule
August 10 & 12, 2021 3:00 - 5:00 pm EST
Communication Development for Children with CVI and Complex Communication Needs Including Deafblindness (Featuring the AAC/CVI Marix) (2 Parts)
Presenter: Christopher Russell & Jennifer Willis
These sessions will explore communication strategies for individuals who are deafblind and/or pre-linguistic communicators. The Augmentatie and Alternative Communication (AAC) Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) Matrix is an instrument designed for educational team and members and families of students with cortical visual impairment (CVI) and complex communication needs, including those with deafblindness, to assist in developing a "balanced" communiction plan.
August 17, 2021 3:00 - 5:00 pm EST
Moving Through 2-D
Presenter: Christine Roman-Lantzy
Individuals with CVI require a specialized approach to literacy. This session will cover the progression of interventions to support literacy as children move from photographs to sight words and abstract drawings, including the use of the Roman word bubbling technique.
August 18, 2021 3:00 - 5:00 pm EST
Social Skills
Presenter: Christine Roman-Lantzy
This session will discuss the effects of CVI on social learning and ways to support children in developing age-approopriate social behaviors and social interaction skills.
August 19, 2021 3:00 - 5:00 pm EST
Orientation and Mobility
Presenter: Christine Roman-Lantzy
The need for orientation to one's environment starts long before the child with CVI is mobile, and continues through independent travel in both familiar and novel environments. This session will cover orientation and mobility skills related to each Phase of CVI, and how teaching spatial and directional vocabulary can impact literacy development as well.