# CVI Explained > Plain-language help for families and teachers of children with CVI (cortical or cerebral visual impairment), a visual impairment that starts in the brain, not the eyes. Made by a parent. Every factual claim is tied to a named source such as the US National Eye Institute or Perkins School for the Blind. Key facts: the eyes can be healthy while the brain has trouble making sense of what they send. Glasses alone do not fix CVI. It is different for every person. The site gives general information, not medical or legal advice, and it does not diagnose. Every page is also available as Markdown: request it with "Accept: text/markdown", or use the links below. ## Guides ## Media - [The film, about five minutes (MP4)](https://cviexplained.com/media/cvi-720.mp4): follows Maya, a composite eight-year-old with CVI, through one day - [The three-minute teacher cut (MP4)](https://cviexplained.com/media/cvi-teacher-720.mp4) - [Your student has CVI, one-page guide (PDF)](https://cviexplained.com/media/your-student-has-cvi.pdf) ## About - [About this site, and its sources](https://cviexplained.com/md/about.md): Who made CVI Explained, how the information is checked, and the limits of the film and pictures. - [Privacy](https://cviexplained.com/md/privacy.md): What CVI Explained collects, what it never keeps, and how the parent helper handles what you paste. - [Terms of use](https://cviexplained.com/md/terms.md): The terms that apply when you use CVI Explained, including the parent helper. - [What is CVI?](https://cviexplained.com/md/what-is-cvi.md): CVI (cortical or cerebral visual impairment) is a visual impairment that starts in the brain, not the eyes. A plain-language explanation with a short film. - [Something is off: signs it could be CVI](https://cviexplained.com/md/signs.md): Your child's eye exam is normal, but they still do not seem to see well. The signs of CVI in plain words, and what to ask the doctor. - [CVI glossary](https://cviexplained.com/md/glossary.md): Plain-English meanings for the words you'll hear from doctors and schools when your child has CVI, from TVI and O&M to IEP, FVA and the CVI Range. - [What is CVI? The film](https://cviexplained.com/md/film.md): A short animated film that shows what CVI can feel like, following Maya through one day. Free to watch and share, with a full transcript. - [Parents: start here](https://cviexplained.com/md/parents.md): You are often the only CVI expert in the room. Words, one-page handouts and a free helper for school meetings, emails and explaining CVI to family. - [Just diagnosed: your first week](https://cviexplained.com/md/just-diagnosed.md): Your child was just diagnosed with CVI. What it means in two sentences, five things to do this week, what can wait, and who to call. - [CVI at home](https://cviexplained.com/md/at-home.md): What to change and what to say at meals, play, getting dressed, reading, screens and bedtime when your child has CVI. Printable checklists. - [Out and about with CVI](https://cviexplained.com/md/out-and-about.md): Stores, playgrounds, stairs, curbs, crowds, restaurants, new places and travel with a child who has CVI. What to do and exactly what to say. - [Could this be CVI? What to bring to the doctor](https://cviexplained.com/md/doctor-visit.md): Heading to an appointment about your child's vision? The exact question to ask, which doctors are involved, what to bring, and a printable log. - [School plans in plain English](https://cviexplained.com/md/iep-basics.md): What an IEP and a 504 plan are, how a child with CVI gets one, who sits on the team, which vision evaluations to ask for, and what to do if you disagree. - [Supports to ask for at school](https://cviexplained.com/md/iep-accommodations.md): A menu of CVI supports for an IEP or 504 plan, sorted by what your child struggles with, each written the way it could go into the plan. - [Before the school meeting](https://cviexplained.com/md/iep-meeting-prep.md): A printable checklist for an IEP or 504 meeting about a child with CVI, with what to do the week before, the day before, in the room and the day after. - [Letters and emails you can copy](https://cviexplained.com/md/letters-and-emails.md): Six short, polite, firm templates for parents of a child with CVI, for asking for an evaluation, a meeting, a written decision and more. - [Questions to ask the school](https://cviexplained.com/md/questions-for-the-school.md): Plain questions a parent of a child with CVI can read aloud at a school meeting or tour, about the vision teacher, the classroom, getting around, tests and staff training. - [Explain CVI to grandparents and family](https://cviexplained.com/md/explain-to-family.md): A one-page handout for grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. What CVI is, five things to do with the child, and three things not to say. - [For the babysitter](https://cviexplained.com/md/for-the-sitter.md): A one-page sheet for a babysitter caring for a child with CVI. The five things that matter tonight, play, meals, stairs, bedtime, and notes from the parent. - [For brothers and sisters](https://cviexplained.com/md/for-siblings.md): For kids about 8 to 14 whose brother or sister has CVI. What it is, why they can't always find things or look at you, what you can do, and how you might feel. - [How to explain your CVI](https://cviexplained.com/md/for-kids-and-teens.md): For kids and teens with CVI. Short, ready-to-use words to explain CVI to a friend, a teacher, a coach or a new adult, and what to say when things get hard. - [For adults with CVI](https://cviexplained.com/md/for-adults-with-cvi.md): For adults with CVI, including people diagnosed late. Where to find each other, how to explain it, tools that help, and getting assessed as an adult. - [Your student has CVI](https://cviexplained.com/md/teachers.md): A three-minute film and a one-page guide for classroom teachers, aides and therapists who have a student with CVI and no training in it. - [Classroom checklist for a student with CVI](https://cviexplained.com/md/classroom-checklist.md): A one-page checklist for teachers with a student with CVI. Set up the room, materials and school day, and leave the right note for a substitute. - [Worksheets, books and screens](https://cviexplained.com/md/adapting-materials.md): How to adapt worksheets, books, the board and tablets for a student with CVI. Before-and-after examples and a two-minute fix list for teachers. - [For aides and paraprofessionals](https://cviexplained.com/md/for-aides.md): One page for aides who work with a student with CVI. Ten habits from arrival to dismissal, what to say, and how to tell tired vision from refusal. - [For speech, occupational and physical therapists](https://cviexplained.com/md/for-therapists.md): Practical starting points for SLPs, OTs and PTs with a student with CVI. Room setup, presentation, wait time, reaching, AAC and working with the TVI. - [Hallways, stairs, cafeteria, PE and recess](https://cviexplained.com/md/around-the-school.md): Where CVI is hardest outside the classroom, and simple fixes for hallways, stairs, lunch, PE, recess, assemblies, fire drills and the bus. - [Where to find real help for CVI](https://cviexplained.com/md/find-help.md): A short, checked list of where to go for CVI help. Diagnosis, free services, other parents and trusted reading, with who each one suits and what it costs. - [CVI books, apps and tools](https://cviexplained.com/md/books-apps-tools.md): The main CVI books, apps made for children with CVI, free CVI-friendly tools, and everyday apps adults with CVI use. Prices checked October 2026. - [Take action on CVI this month](https://cviexplained.com/md/take-action.md): Three real things to do this month for kids with CVI. Write your senators about the Cogswell-Macy Act, share a teacher film, tell your pediatrician. - [Recursos en español sobre la CVI](https://cviexplained.com/md/en-espanol.md): Para padres que hablan español. Qué es la discapacidad visual cerebral o cortical (CVI), páginas confiables en español y consejos para la casa. ## Optional - [Home page](https://cviexplained.com/md/index.md): the overview and the most common questions