In July, our Deputy Principal and Head of VI Services, Nic Smith, travelled to Boston, Massachusetts, to attend the Perkins School for the Blind’s 2026 CVI Conference, The Collective Power of Us.

Bringing together leading researchers, clinicians and practitioners from across the world, the three-day conference provided an opportunity to explore the latest thinking, research and practical approaches to supporting people with Cerebral Vision Impairment (CVI).

For InFocus, this is particularly relevant. CVI is a key area of expertise within our work, and we support many young people whose vision impairment is linked to how their brain processes visual information.

Understanding CVI

CVI is a brain-based visual impairment. Rather than being caused primarily by a problem with the eyes, it affects the way the brain receives, interprets and makes sense of visual information.

One of the key messages from the conference was that every person with CVI is unique. The way CVI presents can vary significantly from one individual to another, and a person’s ability to use vision can change from day to day – or even from moment to moment.

The conference reinforced several important principles:

• CVI is about visual processing, rather than simply eye health.
• Looking doesn’t necessarily mean understanding – someone may appear to be looking at an object without actually processing the visual information.
• Every individual is different, meaning support needs to be tailored to the person.
• Multiple disabilities can interact with CVI, making it important to understand the whole person rather than considering their vision in isolation.
• Assessment is ongoing, because visual processing and the ability to use vision can fluctuate.

For the young people we support, this understanding is crucial. Someone may not always be able to tell us when they are finding visual information difficult to process. It is therefore our responsibility to observe carefully, understand what we are seeing and adapt our approach accordingly.

A rapidly evolving area of expertise

Over the three days, Nic heard from experts from the Perkins School for the Blind, as well as researchers and ophthalmologists working at the forefront of CVI research and practice.

One of the most striking aspects of the conference was just how quickly knowledge about CVI is developing.

Research continues to grow, with new findings helping professionals to better understand how CVI affects individuals and, importantly, how we can adapt environments, teaching and support to meet their needs.

For specialist organisations such as InFocus, keeping up to date with this evolving evidence is an important part of ensuring that the support we provide remains informed, relevant and person-centred.

Learning across the Atlantic

A particular highlight of the trip was a tour of the Perkins School for the Blind campus.

Despite being thousands of miles from InFocus College, Nic found striking similarities between the two organisations – from the specialist environments and services to the shared ambition of helping young people with vision impairment achieve their potential.

The visit was a valuable reminder that, although specialist organisations may work in different countries and contexts, there is a shared commitment to learning from one another and improving outcomes for the people we support.

Bringing the learning home

For Nic, the biggest takeaway from the conference was the importance of continuing to learn, collaborate and refine our approach.

“CVI is a constantly evolving field, and conferences like this are a brilliant reminder that none of us are working on this alone. The collective power of shared knowledge, research and experience is what will continue to shape better outcomes for people with CVI.”

The learning from the Perkins CVI Conference will contribute to the ongoing development of our specialist practice at InFocus, helping us continue to understand each young person’s individual visual needs and find the approaches that enable them to learn, communicate and participate.

Because when we bring together research, specialist expertise and our understanding of each individual, we can help more people with visual impairments and complex needs discover what’s possible.