BVIPsych Webinar Series
BVIPsych
(Google Form) is a Google Group for school psychologists working with blind, low vision, and deafblind students. BVIPsych is planning a free webinar series for the 2025 - 2026 school year with topics ranging from giftedness, autism, specific learning disability, mental health, and more!
This page includes information about the following:
- Upcoming Presentations and Panel Discussions
- Previous Presentations and Panel Discussions
- Resources for School Psychologists
Upcoming Presentations and Panel Discussions
More webinars and panel discussions will be posted throughout the year. Recordings will be posted to the California School for the Blind's YouTube page
for presentations and panel discussions if the speakers involved have granted permission. Please note that Continuing Education Units (CEUs) will not be offered for any of the webinars.
| Date and Time | Topic | Description | Registration Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, January 9, 2026 11:00AM - 12:30PM PT |
Autism Panel Discussion | Join us for a free webinar that explores the factors related to autism and sensory loss. This panel discussion will address questions submitted during registration for the event about autism in relation to blindness, low vision, and deafblindness. Check out the panelists' bios
|
Register for the autism panel discussion
|
| Wednesday, February 18, 2026 | The Oregon Project |
Additional details to come. |
The registration link will be posted as soon as it becomes available. |
| Thursday, March 19, 2026 12:00PM - 1:00PM PT |
Deafblindness Presentation | Join us for a one-hour webinar led by licensed educational psychologist Darlene Norman, MS, LEP, ABSNP. This webinar will be focused on practical strategies and supports for deafblind students. This session will highlight evidence-based recommendations, specialized services, and collaborative approaches to help schools meet the unique learning, communication, and social-emotional needs of deafblind students. Attendees will leave with actionable insights to better support meaningful access, inclusion, and growth for students with dual sensory loss. | Register for the deafblindness presentation
|
Thursday, April 2, 2026 |
Deafblindness Panel Discussion | Join us for a free webinar delving into deafblindness. More details to come. | The registration link will be posted as soon as it becomes available. |
| Wednesday, May 13, 2026 10:00AM - 11:30AM PT | Mental Well-being Presentation | Join us for a free webinar that will be presented by clinical counselor Shawn Marsolais, MEd, RCC, on the mental well-being of blind and low vision youth. This presentation is designed for school psychologists, counselors, and educators who work with students who are blind or have low vision. The session will explore the critical importance of providing students with access to mental health professionals who have lived experience with blindness and low vision. The presentation will also discuss common themes and issues that youth frequently navigate within the counseling space. Additionally, it will highlight a framework designed to help parents move from a place of hopelessness to recognizing their child’s limitless potential. | Register for the mental well-being presentation
|
If you are passionate about supporting blind, low vision, and deafblind individuals and have valuable knowledge and experience to share with fellow school psychologists and educators, we invite you to submit a presentation proposal
(Google Form).
Please note that there are no honoraria for presenters or panelists.
Previous Presentations and Panel Discussions
| Topic | Description | Recording and Handout |
|---|---|---|
| Autism Presentation |
This webinar was presented by school psychologist Lauren Rosenbaum, EdS, NCSP, on December 17, 2025. This presentation was designed for professionals working with students with visual impairments who also exhibit characteristics of autism. The presentation discussed how autism can be accurately identified in students with visual impairments, and how these co-occurring diagnoses can interact. It highlighted a variety of recommendations and strategies that can be used with students with both visual impairments and autism. All discussions were presented through a neurodiversity-affirming lens. | The link to the recording will be provided as soon as it becomes available. Thank you for your patience! |
| Specific Learning Disabilities Panel Discussion |
This panel discussion, held on November 12, 2025, addressed questions related to specific learning disabilities in relation to blindness, low vision, and deafblindness submitted during registration for the event. Check out the panelists' bios
|
The link to the recording will be provided as soon as it becomes available. Thank you for your patience! |
| Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) Presentation | Students who are blind or have low vision (VI) and also experience learning disabilities (LD) present unique challenges - and opportunities - for educational practitioners. This webinar was presented by Dr. Beth Jones on October 8, 2025. This session was designed for professionals working with students with visual impairments who may also exhibit characteristics of a specific learning disability. Dr. Jones shared insights into why accurate identification of co-occurring conditions is essential for appropriate support and equitable access to learning. This presentation examined how Response to Intervention (RTI) and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) can be adapted to help distinguish between the impact of visual impairment and a possible learning disability. | The link to the recording will be provided as soon as it becomes available. Thank you for your patience! |
| Giftedness Panel Discussion | This webinar, held on September 25, 2025, was for practitioners who work with blind and low vision students, particularly those who are attempting to identify students as gifted and talented. This panel discussion addressed questions related to giftedness and visual impairment submitted during registration for the event, including examples of gifted traits, alternative assessment strategies, and advocacy for students who are twice exceptional. Check out the panelists' bios
|
Recording of the 9/25/2025 BVIPsych Giftedness Panel Discussion
|
| Giftedness Presentation | This workshop was presented by school psychologist Brian Mullin, EdS, LSPP, NCSP, on August 20, 2025. This presentation was intended for practitioners who work with students who are blind/visually impaired, especially those who work with students they are attempting to identify as gifted and talented. Different theories of giftedness were discussed, including the Tripartite Theory, different assessment tools, and eligibility criteria that will help practitioners differentiate between high achievers and giftedness. |
Recording of the 8/20/2025 BVIPsych Giftedness Presentation webinar
|
Resources for School Psychologists
If you are looking to better support blind, low vision, and deafblind students, here are some valuable resources to explore.
- Comprehensive Evaluations of Individuals with Visual Impairments
offers important insights into testing blind and low vision students. Information from this document may assist you in considering factors related to interpreting and reporting your results.
- Psycho-educational Assessments in Children with Visual Impairments
(Engle et al., 2024) is a free ebook designed for psychologists with expertise in psychoeducational assessment of children and adolescents and provides guidance in applying evaluation skills to assessing blind and low vision students.
- Essentials of Assessing Students with Visual Impairments for School Psychologists
(Video; 1:57:35) is a recorded webinar from January 26, 2024. The information presented includes necessary steps to prepare for the evaluation, best practices for evaluating blind and low vision students, tests and other assessment tools, and possible adaptations. Review the webinar handout
for the links mentioned in the presentation.
- This regularly updated handout
contains ample information regarding psychoeducational evaluations of blind and low vision students and includes a section for assessing deafblind individuals. Review the subtest tables by Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) area
for ideas for tests that are administered primarily in an auditory format and tests that are available in large print or braille
.
- Mental well-being fact sheet and activity ideas
is a parent and educator handout with practical strategies and various resources, including audio-described workouts, books with blind, low vision, and deafblind representation, and community resources.
Events
- Summer Academies 2026
- California Braille Bee 2026
Wednesday, February 18, 2026
Thursday, February 19, 2026
- Spring Art Show
Wednesday, May 13, 2026
Thursday, May 14, 2026 - Learning Lab
- Short Courses 2025-2026
- General Tours (Google Form)
Please fill out the Google Form if you are interested in attending any of our General Tour days.
Tuesday, January 27, 2026 at 11AM-12PM
Friday, February 20, 2026 at 11AM-12PM
