We’re working with blind and partially sighted young people across the country to promote and raise awareness of the Curriculum Framework for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment (CFVI) and how it can help unlock education for all.
Our CFVI Champions will share their thoughts on the CFVI over the next few months. Watch out for extra posts on social media and more articles highlighted here.
Alex, one of our Young Voices leaders, has made a brilliant video about Area 10 of the CFVI; Social, Sports and Leisure. She talks about how being involved in sports has made a huge difference to her life, confidence and independence.
Watch her video here.
Written by Maymunah Bashir, Student Voices volunteer
In Disability History Month we take time to stop and reflect on the progress we’ve made so far for people living with disabilities. We celebrate the progress and use it to drive further change for the future. An example of an initiative that changed the way in which VI education is viewed is the Curriculum Framework for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment, or you can just call it the CFVI for short!
The CFVI is a framework developed collaboratively by multiple organisations that places blind and partially sighted children and young people at the centre of how support should be structured. Essentially, it’s all about putting the young person first in everything we do. Think of it like this, the skills we develop in our childhood and youth can be likened to as tools. These tools are varied, and different tools will be used to fix different scenarios. In the same way the skills that the CFVI promotes enable young people to thrive by having access to the skills they need to lead a more fulfilling and happier future.
At first glance, you may be wondering what this has to do with you exactly?
That’s a fair question but let me try to explain why it is important for you as an individual and why you should spread the word about it. The CFVI is a complete framework for best practice covering areas such as independent living skills, mobility, assistive technology, accessing information, sport, social communication, and preparing for adulthood.
These are key aspects of university life whether you have a VI or not, leading to some thought-provoking questions for us all. How can we make sure our campuses are accessible? How can we ensure everyone has equal access to the resources they need to excel? How can we further utilise the benefits of technology to help us all? How can we make sure we all can access sports and other extra-curricular activities that form an integral part of uni life? How can we make sure we all have the best opportunities to engage in developing ourselves personally, academically, and professionally to enable us to be best placed to succeed at life outside university?
As students, we all have a role to play. We have a shared responsibility in actively working together with our universities to foster greater inclusivity and raise our voices for higher quality standards of education to be upheld for all. Regardless of background, everyone deserves to reach their full potential. The vision of the CFVI is clear so let’s ensure it is a reality that’s in sight for the majority not the few.
For more information on the CFVI, and to find out what we’re working on, please visit our CFVI: Policy and Campaigning page on the TPT website!Or to read more about Maymunah’s journey through education, why not check out her student story?
Read the CFVI in full by visiting the CFVI page on the RNIB website or to get a handy summary, go to the CFVI Overview page.
If you would like to become a CFVI Champion or would like more information, please contact EducationPolicy@Pocklington.org.uk
Learn more about the curriculum framework for vision impaired children and young people in the UK, and how it can support their education.
Find out more about 'Curriculum Framework for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment'Read why the orientation and mobility section of the CFVI is important to Sofia, and how it helped her independence during her studies.
Find out more about 'Getting Around Independently – How the CFVI Can Help'Read Tom’s story of his transition through education as a partially sighted student, and what the preparing for adulthood section of the CFVI means to him.
Find out more about 'CFVI – Preparing for Adulthood: Supporting Young People with Vision Impairment'Read Aleks’s journey through sight loss and into confidence while studying, and how Area 9 of the CFVI made a world of difference.
Find out more about 'The CFVI: A Focus on Health'
This online community is for blind and partially sighted students, family and friends, education providers and other staff in the sector. It forms a supportive environment where relevant news, advice, questions and pieces of work can be shared to enable students with visual impairments to get the most out of their time at university.
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