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CVI Awareness Month
Seeing Beyond Limits: Honoring CVI Awareness Month with Understanding and Hope
This CVI Awareness Month, we unite to shine a light on Cortical Visual Impairment — a leading cause of visual impairment in children. CVI affects how the brain processes what the eyes see, making it different from traditional vision loss. But with awareness, understanding, and support, children with CVI can learn, grow, and thrive. This month, we come together as families, educators, and advocates to build a world that sees every child’s potential clearly.
Understanding Cortical Visual Impairment
Cortical Visual Impairment, or CVI, is caused by damage to the visual pathways or processing areas of the brain. While the eyes may be healthy, the brain struggles to interpret visual information. Each person with CVI experiences it differently. Some may see movement better than still images, others may struggle with crowded spaces or bright lights. It’s not a problem with sight alone — it’s a difference in how the brain understands what the eyes see. Awareness helps us recognize these differences and respond with empathy and creativity.
The Power of Awareness
Awareness leads to understanding, and understanding leads to empowerment. Too often, CVI is misunderstood or misdiagnosed. Many children with CVI are labeled as having low vision, developmental delays, or behavioral challenges when in fact they are experiencing visual processing differences. This CVI Awareness Month, we raise our voices to educate parents, teachers, and healthcare professionals. When CVI is properly identified, children can receive the right interventions and support — and their world opens up. Awareness gives every child a better chance to succeed.
Supporting Children and Families
Families of children with CVI face daily challenges — but they also show incredible strength and love. They learn to adapt, to advocate, and to celebrate progress, no matter how small. With the right resources, children with CVI can learn to navigate their environments, develop visual skills, and express themselves in new ways. Support networks and organizations provide guidance, training, and encouragement to families who often feel alone in the early stages of diagnosis. This month, we honor every parent, caregiver, and educator who stands beside a child with CVI, offering patience, hope, and unconditional belief.
Building an Inclusive Community
Community awareness makes all the difference. Schools, healthcare systems, and advocacy groups play a crucial role in recognizing and supporting children with CVI. When teachers understand how to adapt learning environments — through contrast, light control, or simplified visuals — children can engage more fully. Inclusion means more than accessibility; it means belonging. This CVI Awareness Month, communities across the country are working to create inclusive spaces where every child, regardless of vision or ability, can flourish.
Hope Through Research and Innovation
Research continues to bring new insights into CVI and brain-based vision. Scientists and specialists are learning more about how the brain processes visual information and how tailored therapies can improve outcomes. Awareness drives funding, and funding fuels innovation. Each discovery brings us closer to better diagnosis, stronger support, and brighter futures for those living with CVI.
A Call to Awareness and Action
This CVI Awareness Month, let’s open our eyes to a different kind of vision — one that sees potential, not limitation. Learn about CVI. Share information. Support organizations working to advance research and inclusion.
Together, we can create a world that not only sees children with CVI but truly understands them. With awareness, compassion, and community, we can help every child experience the world in their own brilliant way — full of color, possibility, and hope.
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