The Mary Kitzinger Trust periodically hosts international conferences for researchers and practitioners in the field of Visual Impairment. To read more about the most recent, the 5th such conference, please scroll to the bottom of this page.
We also host two workshops each year. One, in the spring is a face-to-face workshop usually held at ICH in Guilford Street, London. The other, in the autumn, is usually held online. To read about our most recent workshops, see below.
Autumn workshop 16 November 2024
‘Well-being of siblings of children and young people with visual impairment and other conditions’
Speakers: Professor Naomi Dale (Chair MKT)
Carlijn Veldhorst ‘Defining and understanding the quality of life of siblings of children who are visually impaired, dead and hard of hearing, or have a motor impairment’
Georgia Pavlopoulou ‘Researching the siblings of children with health conditions’
Sophie Bennett ‘How children with chronic physical health conditions are at a greater risk of developing mental health problems’
Linda Messemaker-Veerman, Louise Rixon, Janette Kok and featuring Vera ‘Being a sibling of a child with a disability’
Spring workshop 18 May 2024
‘Understanding and supporting children with MSI/ Deafblindness: Are we getting it right?’
Speakers: Professor Naomi Dale (Chair MKT)
Dr Leda Kamenopoulou ‘Understanding the term multisensory impairment’
Chloe Joyner ‘A personal experience in working with children and young people living with Usher syndrome and their parents’
Claire Manford ‘Running focus groups with deafblind children and young people, their parents and the professionals who work closely with them’
Dr Saima Rajasingam ‘Awareness of MSI/deafblindness among clinicians’
Autumn Workshop 18 November 2023
Speakers: Professor Naomi Dale (Chair MKT)
Kelly Cummins and Dr Jess Hayton ‘The importance of funding, training and collaboration to deliver high quality services’
Sebastian Kopanski ‘The support received by children and young people with VI’
Martina Finessi ‘A parent-led intervention with parents of children who are partially sighted’
Spring Workshop 13 May 2023
‘Play, participation and peers: empowering children with visual impairment’
Speakers: Professor Naomi Dale (Chair MKT)
Dr Mathijs Vervloed ‘Facilitating peer play and playful learning with sound-augmented play materials in children with visual impairment’
Dr Ellen Elsman ‘The evidence for interventions to improve functioning, participation and quality of life’
Joanne Hogg ‘Learning through play with LEGO™ Braille Bricks’
Autumn Workshop 26 November 2022
‘Promoting successful futures for young people with visual impairment’
Speakers:
Caireen Sutherland and Sue Keil ‘Curriculum framework for children and young people with visual impairment: promoting positive outcomes’
Ana Semrov ‘What shapes quality of life of visually impaired children and young people? Lessons from the families’
Maryam Bandukda ‘Designing assistive technologies for supporting sense of agency and contribution in blind and partially sighted people’
Autumn Workshop 9 October 2021
‘Impact of Covid-19 on children and young people with visual impairment and their families’
Speakers:
Professor Jillian Rickly ‘Life in lockdown: living with visual impairment during the first Covid-19 lockdown
Ida Sødahl Utne ‘The digital life. A qualitative study of inclusion and digital communication among youth and young adults with severe visual impairment’
Dr Tiiana Battistin and Silvia Trentin ‘Distance support and online intervention to blind and visually impaired children during the pandemic’
Dr Fionna Bathgate ‘Mindulness’
Sally Painter ‘Parental home vision testing of children during Covid-19 pandemic’
Autumn Workshop 21 November 2020
‘Innovations in Research and Practice in Cerebral Visual Impairment’
Speakers:
Professor Naomi Dale (with Hanna Sakki, Jenefer Sargent and Richard Bowman) ‘New evidence-based definition, assessment and classification framework for children with CVI’
Dr Kathleen Vancleef ‘Assessment of visual perceptual functions in toddlers with CVI’
Janet Harwood
Cathy Williams ‘CVI project: 5-year programme of research into how to improve care and outcomes for children with cerebral visual impairment’
Autumn Workshop 14 September 2019
How can we make things better for children living with visual impairment – developmental, behavioural and educational interventions’
Speakers:
Professor Naomi Dale (Chair MKT) ‘Early intervention in childhood visual impairment: from OPTIMUM to Developmental Journal for Vision Impairment’
Sasha Walters ‘That which we call a rose by any other name: An overview of the modifications that can be made to CBT to enhance efficacy without diluting impact’
Eline Heppe ‘Improving social participation of young people with a visual impairment: mentoring, social support and psychosocial functioning’
Rory Cobb and Sue Keil ‘Why we need a new UK specialist curriculum to enable equitable participation in education for children and young people with vision impairment’
Conferences
July 2018
Childhood visual impairment and mental health: science into practice
Mary Kitzinger Trust co-hosted this international conference from 2nd-4th July 2018 in conjunction with the Royal Society for Blind Children, Great Ormond Street Hospital and University College London.
Organising Committee
Dr Naomi Dale (Chair) Senior Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Neuropsychologist GOSH/ Reader of Paediatric Neurodisability UCL, Dr Alison Salt Consultant Neurodisability Paediatrician GOSH/ Honorary Senior Lecturer UCL, Dr Jenefer Sargent Consultant Neurodisability Paediatrician GOSH, Dr Elena Sakkalou Senior Research Fellow UCL, Hanna Sakki Doctoral Research Trainee, UCL
Scientific Committee
Dr Alison Salt (Chair) Consultant Neurodisability Paediatrician GOSH/ Honorary Senior Lecturer UCL, Dr Michelle De Haan Reader in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience UCL, Professor Grahame Douglas Head of the Department of Disability Inclusion and Special Needs, Co-Director VICTAR, University of Birmingham, Professor John Ravenscroft Chair of Childhood Visual Impairment, School of Education, University of Edinburgh, Dr Valerja Tadič Senior Research Fellow UCL, Dr Sue Keil Research Officer, Royal National Institute for the Blind, Dr Naomi Dale Senior Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Neuropsychologist GOSH/ Reader of Paediatric Neurodisability UCL
Programme
3rd July
Theme 1: Needs, outcome and quality of life.
Epidemiology, outcomes and quality of life in children, adolescents and young adults with visual impairment. Professor Jugnoo Rahi, Professor of Paediatric Ophthalmological Epidemiology, UCL Institute of Child Health and GOSH
Prevalence of strengths and difficulties of children with visual impairment and needs of young people and their families. Dr John Harris, Research Officer, RLSB
Consideration of cognitive and psychological needs in children with multi-sensory needs Mathijs P. J. Vervloed, Associate Professor, Radboud University Nijmegen
Theme 2: Early childhood intervention: vulnerability and prevention.
Early risk and needs of infants and young children and their parents: benefits from early childhood intervention (OPTIMUM project) Dr Naomi Dale, Reader/ Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Neuropsychologist, UCL Institute of Child Health and GOSH
The parents’ perspective: the early days of parenting an infant and young child with visual impairment: two parents
Identifying and managing psychological and mental health needs
Differentiating mental health needs from other developmental needs: the role of functional vision, cognition and other assessments for practice and research.
Identifying and managing anxieties and phobias. Clare Jackson, Clinical psychologist, School of Psychology, Addenbrookes Hospital
4th July
Theme 3: Emotion, behaviour and regulation difficulties
Research and clinical approaches to sleep problems of children including with visual impairment. Professor Paul Gringrass, Evelina Children’s Hospital
Emotion regulation difficulties in rare genetic conditions with VI: new research insights for practice. Dr Jane Waite, University of Birmingham
Emotion and behavioural autonomic dysregulation in septo-optic dysplasia. Professor Paramala Santosh, Maudsley Hospital, Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London
Theme 4: Social support and psychosocial adjustment
Personal networks, social support and psychosocial development of adolescents with visual Impairment
Social communication, social difficulties and autism: new directions for practice through research. Dr Alison Salt and Dr Naomi Dale UCL Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital
Theme 5: Participation, habilitation, sport and wellbeing
Report back from the young people’s ambassador day: championing wellbeing Group presentation
Psychological wellbeing and inclusion: Building participation, the role of recreation and leisure skills and sports. Dr Lauren Lieberman, State University of New York
Enhancing habilitation, mobility and everyday living skills. Dr Karl Wall, UCL Institute of Education
Adolescence and transition to adulthood. Professor Graeme Douglas, University of Birmingham
Aiming high and aiming far: my road to the Paralympics and World Championships. Visually impaired skier Millie Knight, ParalympicGB’s youngest ever team member, flag bearer at 2014 Paralympics in Sochi and silver-medallist in 2018 Paralympics in Pyeonchang, gold medallist in Downhill at 2017 World Championships in Tarvisio and in Combined at 2022 World Championships in Lillehammer.