About ACVREP

Committed to Quality

ACVREP, founded in 2000, believes that all people who are blind or have low vision should receive services from highly qualified professionals and its mission is to advance professional competency to realize that goal.  The tool ACVREP uses is certification.

ACVREP's certification programs are designed to offer professionals the means to demonstrate critical knowledge and skills that promote the provision of quality services and ethical practice. ACVREP certified professionals possess a level of quality and care that is unmatched in the field.

Vision Impairment Specialist certifications that ACVREP offers are Certified Orientation & Mobility Specialist (COMS), Certified Vision Rehabilitation Therapist (CVRT), Certified Low Vision Therapist (CLVT) and Certified Assistive Technology Instructional Specialist (CATIS). All certifications are international.  Certifications currently under development are Certified Deafblind Intervenor Specialist (CDBIS) and certification for Audio Describers and Audio Description Consultants.

In developing the certifications, ACVREP adheres to the best practice standards of the national organization that accredits certifications, NCCA, and to the international standards of ISO 17024.  To develop and maintain a certification, ACVREP assembles a committee of Subject Matter Experts in the area of specialization who establish the certification standards and working with an outside professional psychometric firm, create a rigorous certification exam.

All Certificants are bound by a strong Code of Ethics.

ACVREP Core Organizational Values

  • All people have the right to be treated with dignity and respect.
  • All people have the right to receive needed vision rehabilitation, education and other professional services in order to pursue their goals for education, employment, personal safety and independence.
  • ACVREP promotes diversity and cultural competence in all activities and associations.
  • ACVREP promotes the involvement of consumers in all organizational activities and programs.
  • ACVREP advocates for the value, and importance of certification to all stakeholders, especially, consumers of services.