# Take action on CVI this month > You don't need to start a campaign. Do three small things. Ask your two US senators to support the Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act (S. 4676), which names brain-based visual impairment. Send the three-minute teacher film to one school. And tell your child's pediatrician about CVI, in three sentences. Updated 2026-10-04. Canonical: https://cviexplained.com/take-action/ ## 1. Write to your senators about S. 4676 The **Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act** is a Senate bill, S. 4676. It was introduced on June 3, 2026, by Sen. Ed Markey, with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito. **What it would do, in plain words.** It would make states do a better job finding and properly evaluating children who are blind or visually impaired, including with functional vision evaluations by qualified vision staff. It would also support training for more vision teachers and early intervention specialists, and its text names children with "brain-based visual impairment," which includes CVI. - Read the bill: [S. 4676 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4676) - Find your two senators and their contact forms: [senate.gov](https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm) **A letter you can copy.** Paste it into each senator's contact form. Change the parts in brackets. > Dear Senator [name], > > I live in [town, state]. My [son/daughter], [age], has cerebral/cortical visual impairment, or CVI. It is a vision problem that starts in the brain, and the National Eye Institute calls it a leading cause of vision loss among kids in the United States. > > CVI is often missed. Kids like mine need a teacher of the visually impaired and a proper vision evaluation, and there aren't enough trained teachers to go around. [One sentence about your child, for example: "We waited a year for a vision teacher."] > > The Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act, S. 4676, names children with brain-based visual impairment. It would improve how states evaluate these children and train more vision teachers. Please cosponsor and support it. > > Thank you, > [Your name, address and email] Short is fine. One true sentence about your child matters more than anything else in the letter. ## 2. Share the teacher film with one school Most classroom teachers have never heard of CVI. The [teacher page](/teachers/) has a three-minute film and a one-page guide. Send this to your child's teacher, the principal, or a friend who teaches: > "Here's a three-minute film about CVI, a brain-based vision problem many teachers haven't heard of. It might help with a student now or later: https://cviexplained.com/teachers/" Ask if it could be shown at one staff meeting. That's it. ## 3. Tell your pediatrician about CVI Many children with CVI are diagnosed late, and some doctors know little about it. A short word at your next visit helps the next family. Try: > "My child has CVI, a visual impairment that starts in the brain, and it was hard to get diagnosed. A normal eye exam doesn't always rule it out. The American Academy of Pediatrics has a parent page on it, and I'd love for you to keep it in mind for other kids." Then hand over or email the [AAP parent page](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/eyes/Pages/cerebral-cortical-visual-impairment-what-parents-need-to-know.aspx). For more on talking with doctors, see [the doctor visit page](/doctor-visit/). ## CVI Awareness Month Perkins School for the Blind and others mark **September** as CVI Awareness Month. Perkins has a free [social media toolkit](https://www.perkins.org/cvi-awareness-month-social-media-toolkit/) if you want to post about CVI next September. You don't need to wait for it. ## Questions people ask ### Is this asking me for money? No. Nothing on this page asks for money or a signature. Writing to your own senators is free and takes about ten minutes. ### Has the Cogswell-Macy Act passed? Not yet. As of October 2026, Congress.gov lists S. 4676 as introduced and sent to the Senate committee on health, education, labor and pensions. Check the bill page for the latest step. ## Sources - [Congress.gov, S.4676, Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4676) - [GovInfo, S. 4676 bill text as introduced](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-119s4676is/xhtml/BILLS-119s4676is.html) - [U.S. Senate, Contacting U.S. Senators](https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm) - [Perkins School for the Blind, CVI Awareness Month Social Media Toolkit](https://www.perkins.org/cvi-awareness-month-social-media-toolkit/) - [American Academy of Pediatrics, Cerebral/Cortical Visual Impairment, What Parents Need to Know](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/eyes/Pages/cerebral-cortical-visual-impairment-what-parents-need-to-know.aspx) --- CVI Explained gives general information. It is not medical or legal advice and it does not diagnose.