The Perkins CVI Protocol℠

The Perkins CVI Protocol^℠ can be used on students of any age, 0-22 years old. However, it should be noted that some components of The Perkins CVI Protocol^℠ might not be applicable to very young children whose vision is still developing. For example, questions pertaining to recognizing photographs and images would not be appropriate for a newborn. If you’re completing The Perkins CVI Protocol^℠ with a child between the ages of zero and two years old, consider visual development and note that some questions might need to be skipped.

The Perkins CVI Protocol^℠ can be used for a student who is: diagnosed with CVI, medically suspected of having CVI, suspected of having CVI by an educational team member, or suspected of having CVI by the student’s parent/guardian(s). 

The Perkins CVI Protocol℠ includes a template for a doctor letter. This is a short document that outlines the student’s functional vision. This optional report can then be shared with the student’s medical provider to help obtain a referral for TVI services, and/or help to determine if a diagnosis of CVI is appropriate.

The Perkins CVI Protocol^℠ is an expert evaluation tool designed to help you create robust, individualized recommendations for children with CVI. You should plan to spend 10-12 hours from start to finish, beginning first with two hours of preparation to familiarize yourself with the 16 Visual Behaviors and compensatory strategies. Completing a File Review,  conducting interviews, observations, direct assessment, and writing the CVI Evaluation Report, will take approximately 10 hours. This time can vary slightly depending on how familiar you are with the student, and how familiar you are with The Perkins CVI Protocol^℠. 

For more information, including schedule planning sheets and suggested workflows, please refer to the ‘Overview’ section of Part I in The Perkins CVI Protocol℠ Workbook. 

Feedback from trials of an initial digital version of The Perkins CVI Protocol^℠ demonstrated that usability and navigation of the tool were limiting the ability of TVIs to conduct a CVI assessment. So, we made the pivotal decision to pause the development of a digital version of The Protocol and create a new format: The Perkins CVI Protocol^℠ Workbook. This Workbook is a downloadable version of the Perkins CVI Protocol^℠ with all the expert content, steps, and resources educators need to assess children with CVI.  Implementing user feedback from the CVI community is critical to the success of The Protocol; we continue to develop a digital version of The Perkins CVI Protocol^℠using ongoing trials with vision professionals experienced with CVI. Meanwhile, we’re pleased to be able to offer this downloadable Workbook version now while we continue to develop the best digital version of The Protocol. The Workbook version will continue to be available even when the digital version is launched as well.

The Perkins CVI Protocol^℠ will help you create a robust CVI Evaluation Report with individualized recommendations. 
The Perkins CVI Protocol^℠ does not assign a number or any kind of label to children with CVI. This was intentional because we know that every individual with CVI is different and we can’t compare one student with CVI to another student with CVI. 

We designed and trialed two components of The Perkins CVI Protocol^℠ over three trials in conjunction with EdCount, independent consultants focused on research design, validity, and reliability. We compiled a research library with more than 120 articles informing the design of The Protocol. We used The Protocol to conduct 115 assessments of children with CVI, vetted The Protocol with eight leading medical researchers, and worked with TVIs from 11 states to trial the parent interview of The Perkins CVI Protocol℠, All of this work led us to find a high degree of reliability (84 percent), regardless of an individual’s prior knowledge of CVI. These three trials with EdCount allowed us to attain validity and reliability for the Parent Interview (V) of The Perkins CVI Protocol℠. 

The Perkins CVI Protocol℠ is intended to be conducted by a teacher of students with visual impairments (TVI), ideally with a familiarization with and/or understanding of CVI. As we strive to increase awareness and education around CVI, we recognize that an assessor with this background may not always be readily available for a student who needs a CVI assessment. 
For more information on who can use The Perkins CVI Protocol℠, please refer to the ‘Overview’ section of Part I in The Perkins CVI Protocol^℠ Workbook.

As a community of educators, we all know how complex CVI (Cerebral/Cortical Visual Impairment) is, and that each child with CVI has their own unique experience. The Perkins CVI Protocol^℠ was developed carefully and intentionally with this in mind. From 2022 to 2024, seven different trials were conducted with TVIs around the world to test content, usability, and the assessment process. As we continued to update The Protocol based on user feedback as well as our ever-evolving understanding of CVI and its unique manifestations, it became clear that the requirements for a comprehensive CVI assessment tool had changed. The CVI Center team at Perkins quickly realized that the initial vision for an assessment tool that we could release in a short timespan was no longer going to meet the needs of the CVI community. As such, The Perkins CVI Protocol^℠ Workbook has been in development for several years because we have been committed to developing an assessment tool that is robust and inclusive enough to meet these needs.

The instructions might vary slightly depending on the type of device you are using. It is recommended that you download The Perkins CVI Protocol^℠ on your computer.

For Windows:

• Open File Explorer
• Double-click the zip file in File Explorer to view the contents. 
• select Extract All in the top-right corner to open all the files
• Click ‘Next’ and then click ‘Browse’ and choose your preferred location to save the files
• Click ‘Next’ and then click ‘Finish’  

For Mac:

• Double-click the zip file in the Finder to open it. You can view the contents by highlighting the files and pressing Command+Y. You can also right-click the zip file and select Extract All from the drop-down menu.

For other questions related to The Perkins CVI Protocol^℠, please reach out to: [email protected]