Series Overview

Class dates will be every other Thursday at 12 pm –1 pm PT/2 pm – 3 pm CT/3 pm – 4 pm ET during the Spring Semester 2025, starting on Jan. 16, 2025. 

The six-month long series will provide an overview of the essential elements to understand and meet the needs of children/students with CVI from infancy through the school years. The series will be a virtual, “real time” experience with opportunities for participation and interaction.   

Each cohort will be limited to 15-20 participants.  Participants are expected to be present for the virtual classes.  One of the objectives of this experience is to build professional networks, so cameras are to be turned on so that members can become familiar with their colleagues.  

Each “conversation” will last for approximately 45 minutes with an additional 15 minutes for questions and answers.  Questions and comments on assignments can also be submitted prior to and/or after the conversation using the online learning management system.  These questions and comments will be addressed during each session.  

For more details and dates for the Spring, visit: /bridge-to-life/conversation-series-on-cvi-and-aac/

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If you are interested, complete the survey: /bridge-to-life/summer-survey/

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In previous webinars, we have talked about the impact of Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) on children with Complex Communication Needs (CCN), how to identify them, assess and accommodate the environment and the materials we use with them; and although we have talked about some interaction strategies, in this webinar, we want to highlight the importance of interaction strategies and how we can frame them around 5 key principles. Our decision-making processes are informed by the 10 CVI characteristics, the CVI Range assessments of our students, and insights gleaned from ongoing research at �鶹��. While offering practical classroom examples, we also underscore the adaptability of these principles for interventions in diverse environments. This presentation equips educators, therapists, and caregivers with actionable insights to empower children with CVI and CCN, fostering improved communication and learning outcomes. 

Participants will be able to: 

• List 3 key principles regarding interaction strategies they can use when working with children with CVI and CCN 
• Explain why interaction strategies will look differently from child to child and include the factors that need to be considered 
• Design individualized plans that incorporate the use of strategies that eliminate opportunity barriers 

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October is the official Communication Awareness month, but Communication Awareness at �鶹�� is EVERY month. We share a location with North Elementary School in Hillsborough and our students attend classes and events with North students and staff.  Recently two of our students, who are on the North School Student Council, gave a presentation to the entire student body on “How We Communicate” that was an overwhelming success. North students learned more about Ariany and Maddie personally,  as well as their use of augmentative and alternative communication systems.  Check out a recap of this event!  

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• Understand what they are saying. 
• Have them understand your messages.
• Use the communication methods that work best for you. 
• Access the supports you need to communicate with you and your staff, at meetings, public forums and over the telephone.
• Read and understand their written information.
• Sign their documents and complete their forms.

Although this is an open source document, Communication Disabilities Access Canada (CDAC) requires all logos and graphics are used as-is and are not changed, edited, or removed. You can add your own image/logo to the document. 

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• CVI Webinar #5 – Implementing CVI Strategies Into AAC Instruction – Panel Discussion with:  Gabriela Berlanga, Diego, and Gabriela (Gaby) Mangino, Diego’s Mother
• CVI Webinar #6 – The Significance of Self-Initiated Mobility Experiences for Children with CVI, Complex Communication and Physical Impairments with Christine Wright-Ott

You must register on our site to access all archived webinars.  If you registered for the live webinar via Zoom, you will still need to register on our site for the archives.  This will give you access to all archived webinars.  All webinars are captioned in English and Spanish. 

1.  Register for archived webinars at:  
2.  As you complete the registration form, you will create a username and password.  Use these credentials to login.

If you already have an account on our site, login at:  

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Our Oct 30th webinar on CVI and Its Impact on AAC:  Issues and Considerations – A Panel Discussion was a success! If you missed the live webinar, don’t worry! We have a recorded archived version available on our website and it is free to view. 

You must register on our site to access all archived webinars.  If you registered for the live webinar via Zoom, you will still need to register on our site for the archives.  This will give you access to all archived webinars and captions available in English and Spanish.

2. As you complete the registration form, you will create a username and password.  Use these credentials to login.

If you already have an account on our site, .

This webinar convenes an interprofessional panel to address key issues impacting professionals, children with CVI who require AAC strategies, tools and technologies and their families.

The panel will respond to questions and issues submitted by participants prior to the webinar as well as incorporate questions and concerns they feel are important related to current practice, the limited availability of research that informs practice and the importance of finding ways to improve outcomes for children with CVI across domains, specifically language development and communicative competencies using multi-modal AAC approaches.

ALL participants will be expected to be familiar with information Dr. Christine Roman Lantzy presented in two previous webinars related to CVI characteristics and the three Phases of CVI as measured by the CVI Range.  If you were unable to participate in these webinars, you can view the archives in the .

The panelists for this webinar are:

Aileen Arai, Director of Education, �鶹��.  Aileen holds the CVI Range Endorsement and has worked extensively in an educational program with children who have CVI.

Gabriela Berlanga, Director, , Teacher-In-Residence at �鶹��, ISAAC Executive Committee. Gabriela has many years of experience working with children and adults with CVI in her clinic in Mexico City. 

Sarah Blackstone, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Project Director, “Improving Outcomes for Children with Cortical Visual Impairment Who Rely on Augmentative and Alternative Communication”, �鶹��.  Sarah has an international reputation for her work in language and communication.  She is currently conducting research with �鶹�� on effective intervention practices with children who have CVI.

Krista Wilkinson, Ph.D. Professor, Pennsylvania State University, Department of  Communication Sciences and Disorders. Krista’s current research applies the tools of neuroscience, in particular automated eye tracking technologies, to understand visual and cognitive processing of individuals with severe disabilities who rely on AAC, including children with CVI.

For more information on CVI at �鶹��, visit:

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