Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness 2024 Special Issue on Evidence-Based Interventions for CVI

Guest editors

Amanda Lueck, Ph.D., Professor Emerita, San Francisco State University
Corinna Bauer, Ph.D., Investigator, Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear; Instructor of Ophthalmology, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School

Deadline for Submissions

February 29, 2024 (Note that late submissions may be considered for inclusion in the issue)

Projected Publication Date

November-December 2024

Cerebral visual impairment (also called brain-based visual impairment, cortical visual impairment, neurologic visual impairment—termed CVI for this special issue) is a major cause of visual impairment across the lifespan in individuals around the world. The condition is particularly observed in children who are born preterm or with brain damage or both, as well as in adults with acquired brain injuries. Genetic disorders or mutations may also contribute to CVI. As a relatively new field of inquiry, CVI research and practice has focused most intensely on identification, diagnosis, and assessment, since these areas lay the groundwork for successful interventions to improve performance, self-determination, and overall quality of life in individuals with this condition.

As investigations and practices have progressed, more research is now being focused on evidence-based interventions for people with CVI that address the many potential consequences of the condition. Questions have arisen about the extent and content of interventions that are effective for people with CVI at various life stages, as well as which specific manifestations of CVI are amenable to intervention. This special issue, therefore, invites innovative research, descriptions of effective practices, conceptual papers, and short reports that discuss evidence-based interventions as they relate to CVI. Studies that use quantitative or qualitative methods, case studies, mixed methods, and randomized trials are encouraged. International contributions are welcome.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Identification of manifestations of CVI across the lifespan that are amenable to explicit training and those that are not likely to respond to training according to available evidence
  • Methods of direct training that improve visual skills and behaviors across the lifespan for individuals with CVI
  • Effect of direct instruction versus instruction infused into daily tasks or routines to promote vision skills and behaviors for those with CVI across the lifespan
  • Differences in progress in the acquisition of visual skills and behaviors for those with early- versus later-onset CVI
  • Consideration in intervention programs of the holistic effects of CVI that go beyond visual performance
  • Novel approaches to meet the intervention needs of people who have CVI across the lifespan
  • Infusing effective interventions into community, home, work, and school environments
  • Literacy and mathematics interventions for people who have CVI
  • Identification of effective interventions for people who have CVI and the presence or absence of additional disabilities
  • Addressing access technology needs and overall accessibility concerns of individuals who have CVI
  • Methods to promote self-determination for people who have CVI
  • Effective strategies that individuals with CVI can use to raise the awareness of family members, professionals, and peers about the ways in which CVI can affect them on a daily basis
  • Methods for increasing participation and activity level—according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) framework—in individuals with CVI across the lifespan
  • Methods for addressing quality of life and mental health issues in individuals with CVI and their caregivers
  • Addressing concerns pertaining to the transition to adulthood of students with CVI
  • Effective strategies for returning to and participating in the workforce in the case of adult-onset CVI
  • Identification of targeted orientation and mobility evaluations, assessments, and habilitation strategies that are effective in individuals with CVI (with or without comorbid motor impairments)

Papers may be submitted to the journal's Editor in Chief Sandra Lewis, EdD, Florida State University, at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jvib. Submitted manuscripts will undergo standard peer review. Guidelines for contributors are available from the American Foundation for the Blind website; e-mail: jvib@afb.org.