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Visual Access is a Right: How CViConnect Supports Children with CVI in Today’s Educational Landscape

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When your child is diagnosed with Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI), you’re often left wondering what comes next.
Will their vision improve? What can we do at home? How will they succeed in school?

There are no guaranteed medical treatments for CVI, but there are research-backed strategies to support your child’s ability to see, learn, and participate. CViConnect was designed to help families and educators do just that—not by curing vision, but by unlocking access to it.

And in 2024, that mission gained powerful legal reinforcement.

What the Supreme Court Says About Access

In A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of a student whose school delayed providing AAC supports. The court confirmed what families and educators have long understood:

Access to communication and learning tools is not optional. It’s a legal obligation.

For students with CVI, this ruling is especially relevant. Many require visual accommodations to engage with materials, recognize symbols, and make meaningful use of AAC. Without those supports, they’re not just undeserved—they’re denied their right to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).

What the Research Says About Supporting CVI

CVI is a brain-based visual impairment—not a problem with the eyes. It affects how a child processes visual information, particularly in complex or unfamiliar environments.

Chang and Borchert (2020) explain, “careful assessment of a child’s visual deficits may inform environmental modifications to promote visual functioning.” Research supports the use of simplified environments, high-contrast visuals, and motion to support recognition—principles that directly inform how CViConnect activities are designed.

This is echoed across articles in the Perkins CVI Research Library, which emphasizes that:

  • Children with CVI may not consistently respond to visual stimuli unless the environment is adapted
  • Reducing visual complexity, highlighting movement or preferred colors, and ensuring simplicity can significantly impact how a child uses their vision
  • Functional vision can change over time, particularly when supports are responsive and individualized

These findings don’t promise a “cure”—they point toward a path to access.

How CViConnect Helps

CViConnect was built on these same principles:
That access begins with understanding how a child sees, and that learning environments should adapt to fit the learner—not the other way around.

With CViConnect PRO, families and educators can:

  • Present activities aligned with CVI characteristics and Phases (as defined by Christine Roman-Lantzy, Ph.D)
  • Customize visual stimuli for contrast, movement, color, and complexity
  • Track visual responses using look detection data
  • Note potential distractions such as ambient room volume
  • Monitor child’s ability to look and reach
  • Document changes in visual attention to inform IEP teams

CViConnect is not a therapy or diagnostic tool. But it is a secure, research-informed system that helps teams align their interventions with what the child actually sees.

Why This Matters Now More Than Ever

The A.J.T. ruling reaffirmed that:

  • Delaying essential tools like AAC or assistive tech is a denial of FAPE
  • Parent advocacy and clinical expertise must be taken seriously
  • Schools are responsible for timely, individualized action

For students with CVI, that means tools like CViConnect PRO could help districts meet that responsibility—by removing guesswork and making visual responses visible

Final Thoughts

CViConnect was built to help families and educators do what research and law both tell us is right:
Give every child the chance to be seen—and to see.
Not by waiting for vision to change, but by changing the way we teach, support, and respond.

Resources

Perkins CVI Research Library
https://www.perkins.org/resource/cvi-research-library/

A curated collection of peer-reviewed articles organized by topic, including prevalence, functional evaluations, compensatory skills, and CVI visual behaviors.

Legal Context
A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools, U.S. Supreme Court Ruling, 2024
Case summary – Wrightslaw

Reaffirms student rights to timely access to assistive technologies under IDEA and Section 504. Relevant to CVI learners using AAC or visually adapted materials.

Meet APH: American Printing House for the Blind

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When navigating life with a challenge like blindness, it is comforting to know there are organizations that provide valuable resources that can help. American Printing House For The Blind (APH) is one such organization, providing resources and support to sight-impaired individuals.

For over 150 years, APH has proudly served the blind and visually impaired community by creating educational and functionalAmerican Printing House for the Blind living products for those that suffer from visual impairment. It is now the largest non-profit organization in the world that serves this community.

Tracing its roots back to 1858, APH was founded when it first saw a need to assist blind students. After the opening of the first schools for blind children in the 1830’s, it was clear that teachers had precious few books and educational resources. Funds were raised and locations discussed. Finally, in 1858, the General Assembly of Kentucky passed an Act to establish The American Printing House For The Blind. In 1860, a press was purchased, and, after disruption by the Civil War, the first book was produced by APH in 1866.

Since then, APH has worked tirelessly to provide products to the blind and visually impaired community. In 1879, under the Federal Act to Promote the Education of the Blind, APH became the official supplier of educational materials for visually impaired students. The funding for this Act benefitting blind and visually impaired students continues today through the Federal Quota Program. Funds from each state are used to purchase educational materials for blind and visually impaired students.

As both a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and a manufacturing company, American Printing House for the Blind serves a unique and important public role, but is also able to manufacture and offer incredible products to the individual consumer. Browsing their shop shows an array of:

  • Braille textbooks, magazines, custom braille
  • Large print textbooks, custom large print
  • Talking Books on a contract basis
  • Accessible tests
  • Educational kits, tools, and supplies
  • Talking software and hardware
  • Independent living products such as talking color identifiers

APH and CVI

American Printing House for the Blind is a leading resource for the Cortical Visual Impairment community. APH understands the importance of education for CVI.

“Those working with children diagnosed (and many who remain undiagnosed)  with CVI understand that the more we learn about this neurological visual impairment the more complicated the conversation becomes.”

To this end, they have numerous educational resources and posts on their website http://tech.aph.org/cvi/.

Dr. Christine Roman-Lantzy notes that CVI “is the leading cause of visual impairment in children today”.  At CViConnect, we are happy to see the commitment from APH to the CVI community. Please visit http://www.aph.org/ to see their vast educational resources and products that support the blind and visually impaired community.

The Future of CVI – Why CViConnect is Excited About Recent Advances

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It is heartening when a challenge is solved with a solution that just makes sense. If you are a parent that has a child with Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI), you understand the challenges related to that diagnosis very acutely.

How could you not? But while the healthcare system in the United States can be frustrating for families with uncommon diagnoses, there is a silver lining. That system creates opportunities for innovative businesses to fill the gap by creating amazing solutions that solve real problems.

CViConnect is one of those solutions. This state-of-the-art ipad app is a new and powerful tool to assist children with CVI. Its intelligent software captures data behind the scenes to allow CViConnect Support Professionals to enrich the experience of the ipad app by creating additional activities. CViConnect also has created an active forum where users of the app can get their questions answered and discuss ideas in a community setting.

What makes the CViConnect iPad app different? If you’re a CVI parent, or someone who has worked with CVI patients, you may have seen other apps targeting CVI. The apps aim to assist individuals with CVI by showing visual queues, working to stimulate the areas of the brain that control visual processing and the visual pathways of the brain.

But the CViConnect iPad app is different.CViConnect Activity Screenshot

First, the CViConnect app is smart. It reacts to the experience of the user, stores the data about how a user responds to a particular activity and then presents that data back to the parent or TVI. Capturing this data allows parents and TVIs to create follow-on activities based on how the user responds.

Second, not all users are the same, so there has to be something that allows the technology to make sure they are presented exercises that are good fit for them. The CVI Range Score, developed by Dr. Christine Roman-Lantzy, is what allows users of the CViConnect iPad app to have an experience that is tailored to them. Pretty neat.

One of the hot topics in technology is something called “big data.” It is a nebulous term, but essentially it means that all software being built is creating a huge amount of data. This begs the question, “What can we do with all this data to help improve processes?”

The CViConnect app is not just displaying visual targets to users. By using the camera on the iPad, the app is “observing” and recording a number of things:

  • when an individual is looking at the screen
  • how long they are looking at the screen
  • if they touch the screen
  • and much more.

By capturing all that data, CViConnect can use it to help TVIs both refine future activity sets, while also enhancing the functionality of the app itself. The more usage of the app, the more “big data” is available and the more refinements can be made. CViConnect is very excited about leveraging these cutting edge tactics to enhance our technology and help individuals with CVI improve their eyesight.

The CViConnect Forum

But, CViConnect wants your help to make the technology even better.

The CViConnect forum is available for CViConnect app users to discuss ideas, ask questions and just talk to other individuals affected by CVI. There’s a good chance that if you have a question about the app, someone else has either already asked that question or will ask it in the future. The forum also allows you to ask questions that will be answered by CViConnect staff. The dialog around your question is then logged in the forum and made available for the next person who has that question.

CViConnect knows there are many groups of people who care deeply about CVI and those affected by it.  The CViConnect Forum is an ideal place to discuss ideas and ask questions with other CVI-minded individuals – parents, teachers, professionals and CViConnect staff. If you or a family member is involved with CVI or has a CVI child, please spread the word (click here to share the forum to Facebook) and help make the CViConnect Forum the comprehensive hub for all CVI related conversations. CViConnect is committed to making it your community.

CViConnect Blog

CViConnect will not just work to continually enhance its technology; it will also provide consistent, valuable content to the CVI Connect community. The CViConnect blog contains the latest CVI news, recent updates to the iPad app, and CVI events across the country. There is also app-specific content posted to our blog – things like tutorials, getting started guides and new feature updates. The blog will also share any other important information that is valuable to the CViConnect community. Finally, CViConnect sends out a monthly newsletter with the latest articles and CViConnect news. Click here to subscribe to our newsletter and get great content sent straight to your inbox.

CViConnect is focused on the opportunity to positively affect the lives of individuals with CVI. It has an amazing team that works hard everyday to provide the best technology and service possible.

CViConnect sees a world where CVI patients have better tools at their disposal, where the CVI community is more connected, and where families and professionals have great information available to make better decisions in their journey with CVI.

CViConnect invites you to join with us and help improve the lives of those affected by CVI.