Vision 2023 Denver - Hosted by Anchor Center for Blind Children & University of Colorado Department of Ophthalmology

Vision 2023 Denver, a global conference created by International Society for Low Vision Research and Rehabilitation (ISLRR), offers a unique experience to connect low vision professionals with multidisciplinary specialities to collaborate on new therapies under one roof.

Dates: July 24-27, 2023

Location: Sheraton Denver Downtown, 1550 Court Pl, Denver, CO 80202

Agenda: Click here to view the 4 day agenda

Registration: Click here to register for the event.

ANCHOR CENTER’S, DR. CATHY SMYTH PRESENTING AT VISION 2023
Dr. Cathy Smyth – Director of Research will be presenting in the following sessions:

Supporting Young Children with Brain-Based Visual Impairment in Clinical and Educational Settings with Dr. Lauren Mehner
Wednesday, July 26 from 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Learning Objectives:
1. Participants will understand the challenges that brain-based visual impairment poses for young children ages birth to six.
2. Participants will experience visual simulators to understand brain-based visual impairment when attempting targeted tasks.
3. Participants will discuss research and a protocol to recognize and diagnose brain-based visual impairment in a clinical setting.

Making It Easier: Using Simple Phrases to Improve Educational and Clinical Services for Families
Tuesday, July 25 from 8:15 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Discussion:
This service delivery presentation will describe the achievements and challenges experienced by an organization that provides clinical and educational services for young children with visual impairment and their families. In an attempt to look closely at the use of internal language throughout our facility, we have discovered strengths and needs to address quality in our services.

ANCHOR CENTER’S TRANSDISCIPLINARY TEAM PRESENTING AT VISION 2023

Our Anchor Center Panel includes:

Kathryn Tower, MA CCC-SLP
Mindy Doyle-McCall, PT
Alicia Knoll, PT
Gina Higbie, MS, OTR/L
Laura Ganguli, MT
Kelly Mitchell, HT

Using a Transdisciplinary Approach to Support a Student with Low Vision in a Preschool Environment
Thursday, July 27 from 9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.

Learning Objective: Participants will learn strategies that can be used to support the educational needs of young children with low vision in the classroom. -Participants will have a stronger understanding of how a transdisciplinary model benefits a young student with low vision in a preschool setting.

Elise Darrow – Anchor Center’s CVI Manager & Teacher of Students with Visual Impairment, will be presenting at the following session:

Bridging the Divide: Clinical and Educational Services for Children with CVI (Co-Authers: Cathy Smyth, Ph.D. and Melody Furze, Ph.D.)
Tuesday, July 25 from 8:00 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.

Discussion:
When visual challenges are identified early and both treatment and specialized interventions are implemented, children have better outcomes (Bardin, 2004; Lueck & Dutton, 2015). TSVIs administer functional vision and CVI-specific assessments. These assessments are done consistently by highly specialized staff and provide educators, families, and clinicians with important information about the child’s vision-specific challenges and abilities. This holistic approach also allows for comprehensive educational and skill-building program development. The hope for this project is to provide holistic services, information, and follow-up supports to the children and families that we serve. We also hope this results in both the clinical professionals and educational practitioners benefiting from this collaborative experience. Qualitative data has been gathered over the past year from our TSVIs providing insight into their experiences working within the clinical settings. Through this creation of a bridge between medicine and education, we hope to provide more comprehensive support for children and families and serve as a model for similar sites across the country.