October 17, 2008
Dear colleagues,
It is our great pleasure to announce the beginning on October 1, 2008 of a five-year
West Virginia SenseAbilities Project (formerly known as The West Virginia Deafblind
Project, and the establishment of a new training initiative through this grant known as
“CVI (Cortical Visual Impairment) Partners”. This training will continue and expand
upon activities of the former CVI Multi--state Mentorship Project by focusing primarily on
training for teams serving young children in the area of identification, assessment, and
instructional program planning for children who experience Cortical Visual Impairment.
Our History
Recognizing that CVI is the leading cause of visual impairment among children and
cognizant of the need for highly qualified interventionists, four state deaf-blind projects
embarked on a five-year collaboration (10/03 through 9/08) known as the “Cortical
Visual Impairment Mentorship Project”. The Deaf-Blind Projects from Delaware,
Maryland, Vermont, and West Virginia developed and implemented an innovative and
successful professional development program which trained an interdisciplinary team of
“CVI Mentors” from each state in screening, assessment, program planning and
intervention under the skilled teaching of CVI expert, Dr. Christine Roman. These
mentors are among the nation’s first professionals to undergo training of this depth and
magnitude in this specialty area. Each has received certification of completion of the
entire training program and has successfully mastered CVI competencies established in
the program.
New Directions
The West Virginia SenseAbilities Project (10/08 through 9/13) enables us to build on the
skill and experience of the CVI Mentors and extend training to new target groups of
professionals in our state. This will involve the highly trained and experienced CVI
Mentors in supporting the training of new members of the educational community,
particularly those serving very young children. With continued teaching and guidance
from Dr. Roman, the deaf-blind project staff and CVI mentors will train and provide onsite coaching and technical assistance support to selected participants or “CVI Partners”
over two years (3/09 – 3/11). A second round of training will be offered to a new group
of CVI Partners later (9/11 through 9/13). Partners who are successful in completion of
the program will receive a certificate of completion and attained competencies.
Invitation
We’d like to extend to you an opportunity to become highly trained in the area of cortical
visual impairments (CVI) as a “CVI Partner”. Applications are now being accepted for
the first group of Partners. It is important to note that it is not required that CVI Partners
be teachers of the visually impaired. In order to assist you in your application decision,
we’d like to offer some information we feel is important to the success of this endeavor.
First, we have found it important to recognize the importance of certain qualities that we
believe are characteristic of the best CVI professionals. We are looking for applicants
who:
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Have a passion for children;
Believe that children who have disabilities have the right to an individually
designed, appropriate education and take action to address each child’s
individual needs and strengths in instructional program design;
Support and have positive experience in family-centered practices;
Respect the diverse cultures and values of families;
Recognize the importance of multidisciplinary representation in educational
teams by actively collaborating in service planning and service delivery;
Value the mentor model as a means of expanding access to specialized skills;
Have leadership and team building skills.
The training activities will include:
 Two-day annual conference with Dr. Roman held in western Maryland
 Two annual three-hour webinars
 Provision of training materials including a copy of Dr. Roman’s book
 Approximately three days of hands-on training with a CVI Mentor, observing
assessments, parent interviews, vision clinics, etc. conducted by the mentor
 Meal and mileage reimbursement and lodging when overnight stay is required
will be provided for CVI Partners.
 Reimbursement for substitutes will be provided to county systems.
Application Process
Interested in becoming a CVI Partner? If so, please carefully review the enclosed
materials. The Benefits and Responsibilities Fact Sheet outlines the required
expectations of the State Deaf-blind Projects, the Consultant, Dr. Christine Roman, the
mentors, and the sponsoring agency, if appropriate. Please note that not all partners
will have sponsoring agencies. Additionally, these Fact Sheets include the benefits to
your agency and clarifies the roles of all participants.
Please carefully the enclosed consider:
 Can you anticipate making a two-year commitment to receive training both instate and out-of-state for a minimum of 6 days or 40 hours annually. The
training will include CVI screening, assessment, program planning and
intervention.
 Are you interested in becoming a member of a state CVI Partners team providing
leadership in the development of services for individuals with Cortical Visual
Impairment?
To apply, please complete Part I of the following three-part application steps:
Part I:
 Complete the CVI Partner Candidate Consideration Form
 Seek preliminary approval from your agency
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Mail or e-mail completed form to:
Annette Carey, WVDE, OSE, Building 6
Room 304, 1900 Kanawha Blvd. E., Charleston, WV 25305,
acarey@access.k12.wv.us
The Candidate Consideration form must be received by November 12, 2008.
Part II:
 State Deaf-blind Projects and CVI Mentors will conduct screening and make
recommendations by November , 2008.
 Dr. Roman or other state Deaf-blind Project staff may be invited to participate
in the selection process.
Part III:
 State Deaf-blind Projects will provide notification of final selection decisions to
applicants by November 26, 2008.
 State Deaf-blind Projects and selected CVI Partners will formalize their
commitment by signing a Cooperative Agreement.
 Partners will secure commitment from agency, if needed.
I hope that you will consider becoming a CVI Partner for our state. The two-year
commitment to this endeavor will be returned ten-fold in the impact it will have on
children with cortical visual impairments, their families, and service providers as
expertise in this area expands. It is an opportunity for you to become a leader for West
Virginia in this area. If you have questions or concerns, please contact Annette Carey
or Ruth Ann King at: 1-800-642-8541.
Sincerely,
Annette Carey and Ruth Ann King
Enclosures:
Candidate Consideration Form
Benefits and Responsibilities Fact Sheets