VIDBE-Q 2025 Volume 70 Issue 3
field year after year). ASD+VI is a complex and controversial diagnosis that has
been debated and studied for more than a century (Cass, 1998), yet there remains a
lack of consensus on best practices at the clinical and educational level for
disability-specific services (Pili et al., 2021). Consequently, children are either
delayed in being diagnosed and/or missed altogether, putting them at risk of
missing the services needed to lead flourishing lives.
My current research aims to explore the processes of diagnosis, assessment,
and service to determine facilitators and barriers to a timely diagnosis of ASD+VI
and subsequent services. I've learned a lot by being in the presence of
professionals in the field of VI who know how to support students with VI.
However, not everyone enjoys this privilege. The field of visual disabilities rightly
earns its name as a "hidden gem." After all, it's a valued resource few get to
discover because it demands engagement in the field. The critical shortage in the
field (Howley & Howley, 2021; Savaiano et al., 2022; Schles et al., 2025) makes it
even harder to enjoy the benefits of working in collaboration with these
professionals to jointly devise solutions to effective services. However, as special
education teachers, we share a common purpose for our call to the field, to serve
our students in leading flourishing lives. Whether it is VI only or VI+ (you fill in
the blank), they need qualified teachers, teachers who get their needs. It is my goal
to develop the next generation of educators through research-based ASD+VI
