Click here for the directory of Blind-Low Vision Early Intervention Programs in Ontario.
How my family got started with Ontario’s Blind-Low Vision Early Intervention Program
At 4 months of age, my daughter had her first neuro-ophthalmology appointment to address the fact that she was not yet fixing or tracking. She wasn’t making eye contact with me or anyone else, and didn’t seem to notice if I walked into the room or stood by her bed. The neuro-ophthalmologist said we’d have to “wait and see” because it was too soon to know what was going on and that her vision could improve. When my husband and I asked for recommendations on what to do to help improve her vision, we were told we didn’t have to do much because she was receiving a lot of visual stimulation either way. There was no mention of Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) or anyone we could reach out to for help.
Luckily, we’d already been doing our own research and we were vaguely aware of CVI and knew our daughter was a candidate due to her in-utero brain bleed and visual behaviours. Not long afterwards, I received a suggestion from my daughter’s neuro-movement therapist at Uptown Studio in Toronto to reach out to Surrey Place in Toronto and ask to meet with someone who could assess our daughter for Cortical Visual Impairment. Once I called, things moved quickly and they put in touch with several key people at Ontario’s Blind-Low Vision Early Intervention Program before we met our wonderful CVI-endorsed Early Childhood Vision Consultant, Tara Tompai. I’ve included her contact details (with permission) at the very bottom of this post.
It’s important to note that we had to be proactive in order to receive help for our daughter. If not for that, we could very well still be taking the “wait and see” approach as was recommended by her neuro-ophthalmologist. That would not have been good because, with Cortical Visual Impairment, it’s critical to receive help as soon as possible. Visual improvements are not automatic—they must be facilitated!
Do you suspect your infant or child has a visual impairment?
If you reside in Ontario and you suspect your child may have Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) or another type of visual impairment, Ontario’s Blind-Low Vision Early Intervention Program is a program that could help your family. They offer support, education and services to parents of children who are visually impaired from birth until the age of six. See below for phone numbers and programs in your area.
What to expect from the Ontario Blind-Low Vision Early Intervention Program
You will work with an Early Childhood Vision Consultant (ECVC) who is an expert in both child development and visual impairments. Your ECVC will assess your child’s vision and determine how your child best uses their vision and all their other senses to gather information about their surroundings. Your ECVC will provide you with strategies that you can do within the routines of your day that will help your child develop to their full potential. It isn’t therapy, but instead, it is about adapting day-to-day objects and activities.
What our Early Childhood Vision Consultant (ECVC) taught us:
- All about Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI)
- The importance of frequent looking throughout our daughter’s daily routines.
- The strategies that help our daughter use her vision. For example, in the beginning she required light to be used on visual targets to help her look.
- How to adapt basic baby equipment and toys so that our daughter could have visual access to them.
- What to expect from the different phases associated with CVI.
- What reputable resources to reference for more information and continued learning.
Contact Ontario’s Blind-Low Vision Early Intervention Program
Each area in Ontario has a direct phone number (see below) or you can look at the general website for more information.
Regional Blind – Low Vision Early Intervention Programs
Dufferin, Halton, Peel, Waterloo and Wellington
ErinoakKids
Central West Blind-Low Vision Program
905-855-3557
or 1-877-374-6625
TTY 905-855-4925
www.erinoakkids.ca
Hamilton, Niagara, Brant and Haldimand-Norfolk
905-385-7927 ext. 221
or 1-866-826-4327 ext. 221
www.earlywords.ca
Kenora Rainy River
“North Words”
1-877-553-7122
www.northwords.com
Kingston and counties of Frontenac, Lennox & Addington, Leeds,
Grenville, Lanark, Hastings and Prince Edward
613-549-1232 ext. 1145
or 1-800-267-7875 ext. 1145
TTY 613-549-7692
or 1-866-299-1136
www.kflapublichealth.ca
Manitoulin-Sudbury, Algoma, Cochrane, and Nipissing-Timiskaming
“Wordplay / Jeux de Mots”
1-877-522-6655
Middlesex, London, Oxford, Elgin- St. Thomas, Sarnia-Lambton, Huron- Perth
and Grey Bruce Owen Sound
Southwest Infant Hearing Program
519-663-0273
or 1-877-818-8255
Ottawa, Renfrew County and Eastern counties of Prescott-Russell &
Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry
(Eastern Ontario Blind Low Vision Program)
(613) 688-3979
or 1-866-432-7447
TTY (613) 820-7427
www.pqchc.com
Simcoe County and Muskoka-Parry Sound
Children’s Development Services
705-739-5696
or 1-800-675-1979
Thunder Bay
Children’s Centre Thunder Bay
807-625-5922
1-888-294-6630 ext. 5922
www.tbdhu.com
City of Toronto
Toronto Preschool Speech and Language Services
416-338-8255
TTY 416-338-0025
www.tpsls.on.ca
Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent
“Talk 2 Me”
519-252-0636
www.connectwithus.ca
York Region, Durham, Haliburton, Kawartha and Pine-Ridge
Child Development Programs
1-888-703-5437
TTY 905-773-7282
www.childdevelopmentprograms.ca
For more information, contact:
ServiceOntario
1-866-821-7770
TTY 1-800-387-5559
www.children.gov.on.ca
You may also contact Tara Tompai (Early Childhood Vision Consultant in Ontario) directly.
Email: Tara.Tompai@surreyplace.ca
Office: 416-925-5141 ext. 2548
Cell: 416-432-6831
Cindy has a deep interest in Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) and is currently studying Early Childhood Education. She focuses most of her time on her energetic daughter: playing, cuddling and helping to make her world visually accessible. Cindy holds a degree in Marketing and has worked in the not-for-profit sector for many years.