Cerebral visual impairment (CVI) is the most common cause of visual impairment affecting children in the developed world. For her doctoral research, to help meet the needs of children with CVI, Nicola proposed a practice framework that can be used within an education or rehabilitation context. Nicola’s framework was based on her experience of developing a successful rehabilitation programme to improve her own visual and overall functioning, following a late CVI diagnosis. Nicola identified three main components that led to her improvements, including: developing an individual CVI profile, creating an individualised programme, and empowerment through increasing knowledge and understanding of her condition. Her research on each component of the framework, and on the framework as a whole, showed that it may be an effective approach for supporting children with CVI.

Dr. Nicola McDowell, Massey University, New Zealand