LOW VISION REHABILITATION
Treatment of the Older Person With Vision Loss
INSTRUCTOR: MARY WARREN PhD, OTR/L, SCLV, FAOTA
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This practical workshop provides therapists with the skills to evaluate and treat adults with reduced visual function. The course focuses on visual impairment associated with age related diseases including macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. Course emphasis is on teaching therapists evaluations to identify and determine the extent of the individual’s visual impairment and effective intervention strategies to improve independence and safety in completing daily occupations. Appropriate documentation for insurance reimbursement will be addressed along with information on starting a low vision rehabilitation program. The workshop is appropriate for O.T.R.s and O.T.A.s who work with older persons in hospitals, rehabilitation units, residential care facilities, day and community programs, and home health.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
The course is specifically designed for occupational therapy practitioners. Physical therapists and certified assistants and speech language pathologists also will find the information applicable to practice.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
  • Describe common medical conditions causing low vision in adults
  • Describe changes that occur in visual function from low vision conditions and their affect on occupational performance.
  • Select appropriate tools to assess visual function and identify limitations in occupational performance resulting from vision loss.
  • Describe the components needed to establish a low vision rehab program and the unique issues associated with provision of low vision rehabilitation including documentation.
  • Design interventions to enable clients to use remaining vision more effectively to complete daily activities.
  • Manipulate features to achieve an optimum person/environment fit.
  • Effectively collaborate with ophthalmologists, optometrists and other rehab specialists.
Low Vision Rehabilitation Graduate Certificate
The curriculum is designed for the working clinician. The courses are paced to enable our students to handle multiple roles as student, employee, parent, care provider and volunteer.
Speaker Information:
Mary Warren PhD, OTR/L, SCLV, FAOTA is Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy and Director of the Graduate Certificate in Low Vision Rehabilitationat the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). She was previously Director of Occupational Therapy for the Visual Independence Program, one of the first outpatient programs to receive Medicare reimbursement for low vision rehabilitation services. She is the editor of the Self Paced Clinical Study: Low Vision: Occupational Therapy Intervention with the Older Adult, published by the American Occupational Therapy Association in 2008 and authored the Occupational Therapy Guidelines for Adults with Low Vision for AOTA. Her research has been published in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy and she has contributed chapters to several rehabilitation textbooks. She is the chair of the AOTASB panel developing low vision certification of OTs. Her awards include the Cordelia Myer's Writer's Award from the American Occupational Therapy Association, the Award of Clinical Excellence from the Kansas Occupational Therapy Association, Outstanding Educator Award from the Missouri Occupational Therapy Association and the Healthsouth Rehabilitation Award for Clinical Excellence in Occupational Therapy from the American Occupational Therapy Foundation, the Elsie McKibben Lectureship from the Alabama Occupational Therapy Association and the President's Award for Excellence in Teaching for the School of Health Professions from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Course Locations:
visABILITIES is the exclusive sponsor of this course, unless otherwise noted.
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COURSE HOURS:
8:00 am Registration
8:30 am - 4:30 pm Day One
8:30 am - 2:30 pm Day Two
11:30 am - 12:30 pm Lunch (on own)
COURSE CHANGES:
The course hours may be subject to modification. We reserve the right to cancel the course and refund full tuition for due cause. Use caution when purchasing non-refundable airfares. Airfares will not be reimbursed.
REFUNDS:
Registration fee, less a $50 administration charge, is refundable if written cancellation is received two weeks prior to the program date. No refunds will be made within two weeks of the program date. Full credit in the amount of tuition may be applied to future courses, subject to availability.
TUITION:
Tuition includes all course materials, morning and break refreshments. Lunch is not included. Save by enrolling early and get a discount off the regular tuition. This allows us to plan better and save you or your department CE funds.
DISCOUNTS:
visABILITIES registrants will receive a $50 voucher to attend future visABILITIES courses. Any facility with three or more registrants can discount each registration by $50, saving $150+.
SPONSORSHIP:
visABILITIES is the exclusive provider of these courses. If you would like to have one of these courses come to your location contact visABILITIES.
DEPOSITS:
A $50 deposit will hold your space in these courses. All balance due amounts must be postmarked two weeks prior to the course date to guarantee a spot. Balance due notices will not be mailed.
CONFIRMATION:
A letter of confirmation with updated info/details (if needed) & map will be sent following receipt of registration.
STUDENT RATE:
$95 undergraduate or level II field-work student rate for two-day courses and $125 rate for the three-day course, subject to availability. Please indicate school in employer space on registration form. CE units will not be awarded with the student rate.
C.E. UNITS:
visABILITIES is a recognized AOTA approved provider and AOTA CEUs will be provided. A certificate of completion documenting 12 contact hours for the two-day courses and 18 contact hours for the three-day course will be sent to participants following completion of the required CEU documentation (ie:  sign in/out each day and complete a learner evaluation survey). Partial credit is not awarded with these courses. “The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA.”
ACCESSIBLE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT POLICY:
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