AVRT brings together vision rehabilitation therapists from across the country to share ideas, information, professional practices, and experiences all having to do with rehabilitation. We are a professional organization of Therapists from both private and public sectors across the nation.
Our first meeting, held in Chicago in 1947, addressed the need to develop modern teaching methods and materials to be used in rehabilitation of blind and visually impaired persons. Since then, the group met regularly to tackle those issues. When university programs for Rehabilitation Teaching of Adult Blind came into existence in the mid 1960's, the Mid-America Conference of Rehabilitation Teachers Organization as we know it today was created.
Our purpose is to promote and improve standards of performance for rehabilitation teachers and to determine a code of ethics for the profession of rehabilitation teaching. We also desire to foster a good public image for the rehabilitation teacher in our conferences and nation wide. Our goals are:
In 1983, the Charlyn Allen Award was initiated to provide peer recognition for outstanding achievement, dedication and leadership in the field of Rehabilitation Teaching. AVRT awards scholarships annually to students in a university degree program for Vision Rehabilitation Therapy. Its first scholarship was awarded in 1986. AVRT membership is open to all interested vision rehabilitation therapists and related professionals across the country and internationally. Interested Vision Rehabilitation Therapists may Contact Us first with questions or go straight to our membership form request.