A Practical Guide to Low Vision Rehabilitation Webinar

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Please read the syllabus for course objectives, instructional methodology, hours fees, and accessibility information.

This webinar tutorial includes 21 one-hour sessions, usually one per week that accompanies the 26-chapter self-study that accompanies the book: Whittaker, SG, Scheiman, M, Sokol-McKay, D.Low Vision Rehabilitation: A Practical Guide for Occupational Therapists. Slack; Thorofare, NJ, 2016. Webinars are not lectures but small-interactive tutorials where the instructor challenges the attendees to apply assigned material to real clinical problems. This program was developed for training new low vision therapists for the Canadian Vision Loss Rehabilitation ( https://visionlossrehab.ca ) under a transdisciplinary model where all specialists share a common core knowledge base and overlapping scope of practice, allowing for more efficient service delivery in less densely populated areas. Virtual service delivery and a special section on the use of consumer electronics are now included. 

For each session, usually one per week, the participant reads a chapter, passes each of the assigned chapter tests (retakes are possible), and prepares for the 1-hour webinar using the assigned webinar guide.  We strongly recommend that you complete the course "Introduction to Low Vision First Response Interventions" which is included in this course of study.  The Intro courses will enable you immediately start applying the material clinically as you further develop your clinical skills as part of this webinar.  There is flexibility in scheduling to accommodate multiple time zones. 

This course of study involves small interactive webinars and is sufficient to meet the category 2 education requirements for ACVREP certification as a low vision therapist, CLVT (www.acvrep.org).  For ACVREP certification an additional 350 hours of supervised clinical work is required.

For ACVREP certification an additional 350 hours of supervised clinical work is required. A mentor/ clinical supervisor can be enrolled with you at no additional charge. 

Cost $2000/ 21-23 week course.  The costs of the required textbook and approximately $US100 of materials are additional. 

 

Syllabus - Low Vision Webinar Tutorial Spring 2021.pdfSyllabus - Low Vision Webinar Tutorial Spring 2021.pdf

The Virtual Clinic

This contains real clinical cases in a virtual clinical setting for practice with evaluation. 

Enhanced Low Vision Therapy


 It scheduled to open 1/26/2021 for pre-registered participants.

This course is designed for practicing low vision therapists. 

Success Oriented Approach (SOA) and Setting Performance Goals:  Development of a care plan is centred around client's performance goals, capacity, and resources.  A staged approach starts with successful performance of a high valued goal without costly and discouraging trial and error and then on to instruction using reverse chaining and problem solving therapy.   This progressive approach allows for individualized accommodation for cognitive disability and depression and supports compliance and independence. Development and achievement of objective performance goals with measurable performance outcomes  is central to the rehabilitation plan and required for concluding service.  We present an enhanced evidence-based functional visual evaluation that predicts the device, magnification, and other visual modifications that will result in success on the first trial. 

Environmental Modifications and Non optical interventions:  Contrast, Lighting, Environmental assessment, and adaptations.  Evaluating and observing performance in the home enables the therapist to teach a blend of visual and non-visual environmental modifications, and adaptive technique to reduce falls and maximize safety.  Within the scope of practice of an ACVREP certified low vision therapist, we teach how to introduce the client to a blend of visual and non visual adaptive strategies and devices that enable performance of .Activities of Daily Living (ADL) sufficient to keep a person living independently, and when to refer the client to vision rehabilitation therapist or orientation and mobility specialist and technology specialists for advanced ADL, mobility and vocational rehabilitation. 

Strategies for supporting clients with brain injury including stroke.   Using videos of people with brain injury, we demonstrate a functional visual evaluation that differentiates field loss from spatial neglect and visual from perceptual impairments.  Our evaluation indicates appropriate adaptations and treatments that have been adapted to cognitive impairments associated with brain injury.   Our approach includes family caregiver support in evaluation and treatment that addresses not only the performance goals of the client but needs of caregivers as well.   

Use of a personal computer, Ipad or Iphone as an assistive device and for virtual low vision care. Starting with the very basics we teach therapists how to teach a client how to setup and use the Iphone, Ipad and Windows computer for virtual sessions and as assistive devices.  The specific settings are similar but differ in some details from Android devices and MAC personal computers described in printed handouts.  The handouts provided in this section serve as step-by-step reminders to the therapist, client and caregivers on how to setup and use very basic operations such as clicking on a link for a virtual session, text messaging and email, use of reminder, clock and calendar for medication management and doctor appointments as well as the telephone feature.  There are hundreds of possible setups that compensate for visual impairments- not only magnification but also color, contrast and text-to-speech.  Even people without cognitive disability or depression but are intimidated by technology are discouraged by a time consuming trial and error method of setting up the visual enhancements in these devices.   The functional vision evaluation that we teach predicts the the  setup of these devices that will work the first time you try them. 

The course involves weekly reading, an asynchronous presentation and test, an assignment where you apply the information to cases from our virtual clinic and a scheduled 1 1/2 hr webinar where we review the cases.  An asynchronous self-study version is available, but the webinar version is recommended. Please contact visionedseminars@verizon.net for further information and pricing.