[visionrehabtherapist] ACVREP Certification Policy Follow-Up Information

 
ANNOUNCEMENT 

Recommendations  to the ACVREP Board of Directors in Response to 
Collaborative Discussion between  ACVREP and Stakeholder Groups Regarding New 
Certification Policies    

March  12, 2009 

The  Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education 
Professionals  (ACVREP) and stakeholder representatives met at the Josephine L. 
Taylor Leadership Institute (JLTLI) on  March 5, 2009 to discuss various 
perspectives relating to new  certification policies designed to provide 
additional 
pathways to professional  certification.  Stakeholders  represented at the 
meeting 
included the American Council of the Blind (ACB), the  American Foundation 
for the Blind (AFB), the Association for Education and  Rehabilitation of the 
Blind and Visually Impaired (AER), the Council of Schools  for the Blind 
(COSB), 
the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Blind  Rehabilitation Services*, 
and VisionServe Alliance. All parties are natural  allies who share a common 
vision – providing quality vision rehabilitation and  education services by 
qualified personnel.  This vision serves to benefit not only  those individuals 
seeking and receiving such services, but their families and  the communities 
in which they live.   
Motivating  the proposed new certification and policies, in part, is a 
shortage of personnel  in the fields of Orientation and Mobility, Vision 
Rehabilitation Therapy, and  Low Vision Therapy and the impact of such a 
shortage on the 
provision of quality  services.  ACVREP maintains that all  individuals in 
need of such services should have full access to quality services  in a timely 
manner.       
It is  the role of ACVREP to serve as the gatekeeper to assure that consumers 
are  receiving services from those who meet rigorous national criteria and 
practice  with a foundation of identified competencies, and professional 
ethics. 
 After studying the issues, the ACVREP  representatives and its stakeholder 
representatives concurred that the  ACVREP representatives will strongly 
recommend to the full board the  following: 
·         ACVREP  rescind the proposed certification policies and  
procedures. 
·        ACVREP  develop and institute  a transparent process that seeks 
input from stakeholders whenever modifications  or changes in ACVREP 
professional 
competencies, certification criteria and/ or  the code of ethics are to be 
considered. 
·        ACVREP  will post all committees and the names and affiliations of 
all ACVREP committee  members on its website. 
In  response to the recommendations made by ACVREP representatives, all 
parties  pledged to work collaboratively to seek ways to address personnel 
shortages and  other challenges facing the field in order to broaden the 
provision of 
quality  services to include all individuals seeking and receiving services in 
a timely  and complete manner.      
ACVREP  wishes to thank the stakeholders in attendance at the meeting for 
their input  relative to this matter. Furthermore, ACVREP and its stakeholders 
wish to thank  Carl Augusto, CEO of the American Foundation for the Blind for 
hosting and  facilitating the discussion. 
Meeting  Participants:  
Academy  for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education 
Professionals  (ACVREP): 
John  Ford 
Garett  Holm  
Kathleen  Huebner  
Kenneth  Rosenthal  
Judy van  Naerssen  
American  Council of the Blind (ACB):  
Melanie  Brunson   
Penny  Reader 
Association  for Rehabilitation and Education of the Blind and Visually 
Impaired  (AER): 
Laura  Bozeman  
John  Kelly 
Pat  Leader  
Pat  Smith  
William  Wiener  
Grace  Ambrose -Zaken 
Council  of Schools for the Blind (COSB): 
Sally  Giittinger  
Blind  Rehabilitation Services, U.S. Department of Veterans  Affairs: 
Gale  Watson  
VisionServe  Alliance (VSA): 
David  Ekin 
Roxann  Mayros 
*  The contents of this document are the opinions and recommendations of the  
representatives attending the meeting and do not represent the policy or  
procedures of the U.S. Department of Veterans  Affairs.
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