CVI for Classroom Teachers and Special Educators

Written by: Nicole Homerin, M.Ed

What is CVI?

Cerebral/cortical visual impairment (CVI) is a brain-based visual impairment caused by damage or interruption to the visual processing areas of the brain. With CVI, the brain has difficulty recognizing and making sense of the visual world. CVI impacts every aspect of life. The CVI visual behaviors are a framework for understanding the impact of CVI on access and is rooted in current CVI research.

CVI is the leading cause of childhood blindness and low vision, but it is alarmingly underdiagnosed. Less than 20% of kids in the US have a CVI diagnosis. CVI often co-occurs with neurological, neurodevelopmental, or genetic conditions. Those with healthy eyes and without other conditions can still have CVI.

How might CVI impact students in the classroom setting?

CVI is complex and affects each student differently. Some students may demonstrate visual fatigue throughout the day. Students may also experience visual or sensory overload when working in a busy or cluttered classroom environment. Students may face challenges navigating the classroom environment or locating materials in the environment. Some may show disinterest in learning tasks or group activities that are not accessible. Some may struggle with reading and math. Some might outwardly show they appear okay, but they are using every ounce of energy to mask the struggles caused by their CVI.

When might you suspect a student has CVI within your work as a teacher?

CVI has diverse manifestations, and no two individuals with CVI are exactly alike. Here some examples of indicators and observations that might lead to suspecting CVI.

Zach and his sister Abby walk on pavement away from the camera with backpacks on.

Frequently closes their eyes or struggles to visually attend to materials
Difficulty navigating the school and classroom environment (easily trips, bumps into items/furniture, difficulty finding way around school)
Demonstrates various ways of visually examining materials (i.e. looks out the side of the eye, demonstrates a side preferential, holds objects very close to examine, etc)
Gets easily overwhelmed when the classroom is loud or there’s too much busy movement
Stays at the perimeter of the school playground or during gym class
Shows difficulty with reading and math skills
Has unexplained behaviors that the school team is having a hard time supporting

Learn more about when to suspect CVI.

What strategies and interventions might be helpful when working with students with CVI?

All interventions, instructional approaches, and accommodations must be driven by comprehensive assessment that meet the student’s individual needs to access learning and the environment. Below are a few ideas to inspire inquiry.

Instructional adaptations

Allow students opportunities to use compensatory strategies and skills for learning. These strategies are just as valuable as learning through vision. Multimodal instruction enhances learning and engagement. Many with CVI are dual media learners and require an instructional approach that uses multiple sensory channels (auditory, tactile, vision).
Adapt worksheets and other educational materials to eliminate visual clutter (i.e. wordy directions, unnecessary pictures/graphics). For many with CVI, worksheet learning is inaccessible. Work with your student’s TVI to determine the most appropriate text size, font, and number of problems on a page, make the worksheet digital to add accessibility tools and backlighting, create a tactile version of the learning task, or incorporate auditory access for your student with CVI. Consult with the TVI and ask for feedback from the student to determine the best seating arrangement in the classroom (i.e. front of classroom, specific side to optimize best visual field usage).
Implement an accessible calendar system to build in predictability, routine, and agency for the student.
Bring learning materials and instruction happening at a distance close to the student. Work with the student’s TVI to use the tools, assistive technology, and learning materials needed during whole class instruction.
Always identify yourself before speaking with your student with CVI and let them know if you are walking away from them or leaving the room. Narrate actions and instructions that students may frequently use visual cues to understand
Consider the impact of color. Many with CVI use color-coding skills to track an unrecognizable visual world. Intentionally use color to help students track components of a text or math equation. Use real colored photographs instead of abstract black and white drawings. Work with the student’s TVI and team to determine how color may impact your student and how they might use it for access to learning materials.

Girl touches wall outside classroom door — Nora touches a tangible symbol in the doorway of her classroom.

Environmental adaptations

Create spaces in the classroom with little to no visual clutter. These spaces may include a corner with bare walls, covering a space with a black curtain, or placing a divider to block visual clutter.
Keep the environment organized and labeled to support students being able to find and locate materials. Consider intentionally using color to help students access certain areas, bins, or personal space in the classroom.
Consider the impact of lighting. Some students may benefit from bright lighting, such as an overhead light, whereas other students may benefit from dimmer light sources, such as from a lamp. Consider incorporating multiple lighting options in your classroom environment to meet a variety of visual needs, as they can also fluctuate throughout the day.
Consider ways to reduce noise in the classroom, such as tennis balls on the bottom of chair legs on uncarpeted floors and sharpening pencils only at specific times.

Find more ideas for classroom adaptations.

Collaboration ideas

Collaborate with TVIs on academic assessments: Conduct academic assessments in partnership with the TVI or consult the TVI when completing academic assessments to ensure assessments are conducted with materials and in an environment that allows the student to fully participate and access the assessment. It’s important that assessments capture the student’s abilities rather than inaccurately capture results due to a lack of access.
Find time to gather feedback from your student(s) with CVI: As a classroom teacher or special education teacher, you may have varying amounts of opportunities for 1:1 work with students. Consider finding a time to meet individually with your student(s) with CVI to learn more about their first-hand experience of their condition (if applicable). What supports do they feel benefit them? What are their current struggles/challenges? How can you, as their teacher, adapt or modify the learning materials, environment, or schedule, to support their learning?
Collaborate with the student’s family. They have the most long term observational data of your student across environments. Mine this gold to help you better understand how they use their vision and their compensatory skills, and what strategies work best.

Resources on CVI

Note to readers: This article is meant as an overview and brief introduction to CVI, a deep and complex condition with diverse manifestions. It is important to remember that all children with CVI have different needs. The recommendations and suggestions are ideas for a starting point. There is not one size fits all approach for CVI, and interventions and strategies must be match to the student’s individualized needs and comprehensive assessment results.

Explore CVI overviews for various disciplines in our CVI Educator Toolbox.
Visit the CVI Now Educator Hub.

Nicole Homerin, M.Ed

Nicole Homerin, M.Ed. (she/her) is the Director of CVI Education in The CVI Center at Perkins School for the Blind. Nicole formerly served as a special education teacher for students with a variety of disabilities, including CVI, in both Boston and Los Angeles. Nicole is passionate about disability advocacy and making learning accessible and equitable for students and teachers alike. She was named the 2023 Steve Bartlett Award recipient by RespectAbility for her work in disability advocacy, leadership, and empowerment. She was also named the recipient of the 2023 Trailblazer Award from Boston University Wheelock School of Education and Human Development for her exemplary leadership in the fields of education and disability advocacy. Nicole holds a Master’s Degree in Special Education from Boston College and a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from Boston University.