Susan LaVenture, President of North American and Caribbean Region of the International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment (ICEVI).
Susan LaVenture is an advocate for parents and their children who are blind, visually impaired, including those with multiple disabilities. She initially became involved when her youngest son Alex was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare form of infant eye cancer. For over 30 years Susan has worked tirelessly to develop programs that provide support and education for families and a fierce advocate to protect the implementation of specialized Vision Educational Services under The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) special education law in USA. She has further developed programs to support families internationally through her leadership with the International Association for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments (IAPVI).
Ms. LaVenture has written and edited broadly in her specialty; some accomplishments include author of A Parents’ Guide to Special Education for Children with Visual Impairments, AFB Press, American Foundation for the Blind, New York, NY 2007; Managing Editor of Childhood Glaucoma; A Reference Guide for Families, Glaucoma Research Foundation, San Francisco, CA, reprinted five times; Editor of AWARENESS magazine and Co-Founder/Developer of www.familyconnect.org a website for parents of children with visual impairments.