CAPVI

 

The California Association for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments (CAPVI) is a non-profit organization of, by, and for parents committed to providing support to the parents of children who have visual impairments.

"Parents must regard themselves as the long-lasting resource and the only consistent persons who continually have the child's interest at heart throughout their lifetime."

- Lee Robinson, Founding Member of National Association for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments (NAPVI).

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About

CAPVI is dedicated to providing information and opportunities to connect to parents of children with visual impairments with each other as well as the professional resources that are available to help in the education and raising of their children.

CAPVI aims to:

• Provide emotional support to families of children with visual impairments.
• Provide opportunities for families to network with each other and establish community.
• Provide opportunities for parents and professionals to network.
• Advocate for educational needs of children who are blind or have low vision.
• Increase public awareness about children with visual impairments so communities will be more accepting and accessible

CAPVI hopes to achieve its aims through workshops, emails, and connection points which will help parents meet the special needs of their children with visual impairments.

Our upcoming events - Welcome to CAPVI and Orientation and Mobility.

Ways to Get Involved

Membership

If you want to join CAPVI, email your name, name of your child(ren) and their ages plus diagnosis to: Co-Chair, Anne Ward at inland2wards@gmail.com.

We are a California nonprofit corporation, C1607838. If you have any questions regarding membership please contact current Northern Co-Chair, Anne Ward at inland2wards@gmail.com.

Donations are always welcomed, please reference below for how to donate.

Monthly Zoom Meetings

In collaboration with the California School for the Blind Education Resource Center, CAPVI is hosting monthly Zoom meetings aimed at connecting parents and sharing new information and resources.

Meetings are currently planned for the third Wednesday of each month from 7:00PM - 8:00PM on Zoom.

The goal is to create an environment where parents and guardians feel comfortable discussing their own needs and concerns while simultaneously feeling welcome to share information and successes with others. We hope that this space will encourage parents to discover information that will promote improvement in the education of their children as well as to progress personally themselves and for their families.

Each informational element and presentation will be recorded and shared via the California School for the Blind YouTube page and presented on the CAPVI webpage on the CSB website. Discussions amongst participants that contain confidential or sensitive information will not be included in the recording. We hope that this will provide learning opportunities for people who are unable to participate in the live session while preserving participants' comfort in discussing openly.

The first meeting on Wednesday, February 19, 2025 will be for parents only.

For future meetings, teachers and other professionals will be invited to attend the presentation and informational section of each session.

Upcoming Meetings

Welcome to CAPVI - Parent Connection

When: Wednesday, February 19, 2025 at 7:00PM - 8:00PM PST

Where: Register for the session on February 19, 2025

Who: Parents

Orientation and Mobility (O&M)

When: Wednesday, March 19, 2025 at 7:00PM - 8:00PM PST

Agenda:
7:00PM - 7:30PM - Parent Connection
7:30PM - 8:00PM -.Presentation and Q&A with Erica Hogle and Cyndi Davis, Short-Term Program Coordinators and O&Ms at CSB

Where: Register for the session on March 19, 2025

Email List-Serve (CAPVI news Google Group)

CAPVI news is a Google group intended to keep you informed about opportunities and events offered by CAPVI and our partner organizations.

Visit the CAPVI news Google Group page to access messages.
To join the Google Group and receive emails, please contact Anne Ward at inland2wards@gmail.com.

CAPVI on Facebook

Visit and join the CAPVI Facebook page to connect with each other, and share information.

Annual Meeting at CTEBVI

Information regarding the CAPVI annual meeting at the California Transcribers and Educators for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CTEBVI) annual conference will be provided in advance of the CTEBVI conference. Visit the CTEBVI web page for more information .

Donate

Donations to CAPVI will be used to support families of students with visual impairments. The money donated in the recent years has been spent to support families to attend the California Transcribers and Educators for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CTEBVI) annual conference.

If you would like to donate to CAPVI, please mail donation to:

CAPVI
414 West Mill St.
Ukiah, CA 95482

Contact

CAPVI Board

Anne Ward - inland2wards@gmail.com
Lisa Lloyd - gpstraveller@hotmail.com
Tiffany Buzzard - tboucher87@gmail.com
Gabi Dobrescu - gabitza.dob@gmail.com
Adrian Amandi (Teacher Representative) - csb.sos@csb-cde.ca.gov

CAPVI is actively looking for new board members. Contact CAPVI at inland2wards@gmail.com to express interest.

Meet the CAPVI Board

Anne Ward is the mother of a 41 year old man, a Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI). On the CAPVI Board for longer than she can remember, her passionate desire is to help other parents of blind children work to provide the best future for their children, providing information that may not seem available. Being the parent of a child with disabilities can seem very isolating. Together we are stronger.

Lisa Lloyd is a parent of an adopted child with Leber Congenital Amaurosis (LCA) who proudly attends California School for the Blind. Lisa has 16 family members over five generations affected by inherited retinal degenerative disease, including herself. Passionate about youth finding their voice (whether legally blind, sighted, or somewhere in between) she works with individuals and organizations dedicated to uplifting teens. She holds degrees in psychology, counseling education, and adaptive PE - specializing with the blind and low vision population. Her family hosts international students from around the world.

Tiffany Buzzard is a mother of two children. Her daughter Brielle was born blind from Leber congenital Amaurosis. Tiffany was eager to learn alongside Brielle in an effort to learn how to best support her. In doing so, Tiffany has made valuable connections with educators in the field and other parents. Tiffany is a proud member of the American Printing House (APH) Family Connect Parent Advisory Board Committee. Tiffany has learned firsthand the importance of parent voice and advocating for her child. She is excited to be part of CAPVI and hopes to share her knowledge and support other parents in making connections and advocating for their children. No worthwhile change is accomplished alone.

Gabi Dobrescu is a mother of two children ages 9 and 11, both with Stargardt's. As the founder and chair of her local public school's first Inclusion and Special Education Committee, she is deeply passionate about fostering true inclusion and creating environments where every child can thrive. She serves as the Resource Chair for the Bay Area chapter of the Foundation Fighting Blindness, where she connects individuals with vital organizations and resources in the region. Additionally, she is a Parent Mentor with Parents Helping Parents, guiding other families on their journeys through advocacy, support, and shared experience. She is excited to be part of CAPVI and create a supportive and empowering community for parents.

Adrian Amandi, a Teacher for the Visually Impaired (TVI) with over 25 years of experience, is passionate about supporting parents of blind and low vision children. He values CAPVI for the unique opportunity it provides families to connect, share, and learn in a space that offers unwavering support without pressure. Adrian is blessed with a current position that allows him to freely support and collaborate with families statewide to navigate their child's educational journey, fostering a community where parents feel empowered and encouraged in their advocacy efforts.