CViConnect is the leading iPad application for parents with children with cortical visual impairment (CVI)

Our iPad App is Now Available

CViConnect has launched an iPad application for use by families, educators, medical professionals and others in support of children with Cortical Visual Impairment.

Watch the Overview Video

Sign Up for CViConnect Today

CViCONNECT’s MISSION

Provide visually accessible educational materials for learners with Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI), to provide customizable Activities to meet each learner’s individual vision needs, and to create secure technology that provides insightful look detection data to their assigned CVI educators.

OUR PURPOSE

CViConnect is a community of professionals and technology that offer hope and confidence in the form of personalized education, training and support for children with Cortical Visual Impairment.

At CViConnect, we strive to advance the CVI field by participating in research opportunities and informing the community as new research becomes available.

The Team

The CViConnect team consists of caring people who are dedicated to the education, training and support of children with CVI. The team includes teachers of the visually impaired, technical staff and Christine Roman-Lantzy.

Dr. Roman-Lantzy is a world leader in furthering understanding, assessment, and intervention strategies for Cortical Vision Impairment. On the basis of more than 30 years’ experience in working with hundreds of children with CVI, Christine has developed a set of unique assessment tools and systematic, targeted protocols, whose use has helped children improve their vision.

Technology

By leveraging new technologies, LifeScience Technologies has developed a new and innovative iPad-based software system, designed for use with children with CVI.

CViConnect uses the camera inside of the iPad to detect whether or not the child / student is looking at or away from the Activity being presented. This information is correlated with what is displayed on the screen to help the Professional or TVI better understand what is providing the best visual attention for the child / student.

Education

The CViConnect team looks to further the learning process of the child, parent, teacher and medical professional. We will distribute information through social media and other available sources.

Listed here are other resources and websites for additional information regarding CVI:

American Foundation for the Blind at http://www.afb.org/default.aspx
American Printing House for the Blind at http://www.aph.org/
CViConnect social media links: Facebook, Twitter, Blog, etc.

For those who want to

Learn more about CVI

Cortical visual impairment (CVI), and cerebral visual impairment (CVI), are terms often used to describe visual impairment that occurs because of injury or damage to the brain. CVI is a neurological visual disorder. It is the fastest growing visual impairment diagnosis today. Approximately 30%-40% of children with visual impairments have CVI, which represents somewhere between 15,000 and 30,000 children in the U.S.

What is

CViCONNECT

CViConnect is a new and innovative iPad-based software system, designed for use with children with CVI.

For families, the CViConnect app offers the ability to work with the child at home. Families can present activities to the child, monitor results, and consult with CViConnect Support Professionals.

CViConnect allows a teacher to formally plan activities for the student and deliver those activities for use in the classroom or while the student is at home. The system captures statistical data about the interactions of the student during a session, which can then be used by the teacher to improve their follow-on activities and approach to working with the specific student.

CViConnect provides tools for monitoring and charting the progress of the student as they work towards their goals. CViConnect uses the camera inside of the iPad to detect whether or not the child is looking at or away from the activity. This information is correlated with what is being displayed on the screen to help the family or teacher understand what is providing the best visual stimulation for the student.

The 3 Components of CViConnect

Activity Designer

The first component is the Activity Designer. This component allows a CViConnect Support Professional or a Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI) to create visually stimulating Activities based on the needs of the child / student.

Activity Monitor

The second component is the Activity Monitor. This component monitors the use of any Activity and automatically captures statistics regarding the child’s / student’s performance in working with the Activity.

External Monitor

A third component is the External Monitor. This component allows a teacher to augment the statistics being gathered by the Activity Monitor with important information gained by watching the student’s performance with an Activity.

Here is a good look at

CViCONNECT IN ACTION

The App Activity

Below is an example of a CViConnect activity that a parent or teacher will complete with a child.

Real World Object

This is a picture of a real-world object that the CViConnect app helped a child identify.

Video Proof

Here is a child working with a TVI, while applying the skills they learned using the CViConnect app.

How To Get Started

Step 1.

Register

Step 2.

Download the iPad App

Step 3.

Watch the Getting Started video

Step 4.

Use the App with Your Child

Step 5.

Get Your Questions Answered In the Support Forum

Take a look at

The CViConnect team

Steve Hendrix

Managing Partner

Dr. Roman-Lantzy

Consultant Partner

Brent Kevern

Research & Development

Travis Spire-Sweet

iOS Development

Stephanie Steffer

CViConnect Support Professional, TVI

Aryn Koch

CViConnect Support

FAQ

How Do I Sign Up?

To sign up, simply go to the Register page where you will create your account and purchase your subscription to the CViConnect Parent Service Pack. After your account is created, you will receive instructions via email that will help you get started using the CViConnect app and get you familiar with what’s available in the CViConnect community.

What Should My Expectations Be?

Please read this post that explains what a parent’s expectations should be for the Early Adopter Program.

Do I Need A CVI Range Score?

Yes. One, way to get a score for your child is to purchase Dr. Roman-Lantzy’s book, which walks you through performing a CVI Range Score assessment. Christine Roman’s program, Pediatric View at The Children’s Home of Pittsburgh also offers a variety of services including a virtual CVI Range Assessment.

Do I Need My Own iPad?

Yes. Currently the CViConnect app is only available in the iPad App Store. We plan on building an Android version in the future.

What are the app requirements?

It is less about version of iPad that you are using and more about the version of iOS you are running. You must be running iOS 9 or later to be able to download and run the CViConnect iPad app.

Stay Up to Date with the CViConnect Newsletter

Click Here to Subscribe