WBRC Staff Peer Review APH Publication

Image: APH Information about a new web based publication
for Orientation and Mobility Specialists

WBRC would like to congratulate two of it's staff members for recently peer reviewing a new publication through the American Printing House for the Blind, Inc.  John Kingston, WBRC Orientation and Mobility Department Supervisor, and Anthony Chambers, WBRC CNVR Program Coordinator were a part of the team which peer reviewed the APH's new publication 'Orientation and Mobility for Wheelchair Users With Visual Impairment or Blindness'.  The web-based publication is intended to help Orientation and Mobility Instructors learn how to train students who are wheelchair users to travel safely and effectively. 


Mr. Kingston and Mr. Chambers were excellent choices for peer reviewers due to their experience with the WBRC's Power Mobility Program which trains participants who are medically indicated to use Power Mobility Devices such as Power Wheelchairs and Power Scooters.  This program focuses on safe and independent use of these devices in a variety of travel environments in which the participant plans to travel.  Travel training environments could include indoor, campus, residential, business, urban, rural, as well as public transportation use.  Participants work one-on-one with a WBRC Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Specialist and must demonstrate consistent application of O&M power mobility safety recommendations prior to device issuance.  The average length of stay for the Power Mobility Program is four weeks.

Congratulations John and Tony!



CLICK HERE to view information about this publication on the APH website


The Western Blind Rehabilitation Center (WBRC) is a 27-bed residential facility located at the Menlo Park Division of the VA Palo Alto Health Care System.  Approximately two hundred veterans and active duty service members of all ages participate in the program each year.  More than three quarters have usable vision for which specialized treatment is provided.  Adjusting to and managing visual impairment is the major objective of the program.  If you are in the area and are interested in a site visit, please call (650) 614-9952 to make arrangements.

CLICKHERE to learn more about the WBRC

Two WBRC Staff Members Contribute to New Book Published by AFB Press

Photos: Vision and the Brain: Understanding Cerebral Visual Impairment in Children cover (top); Title

page for Mr. Kingston’s authored chapter, Insights from Adult Neuro-Vision Rehabilitation and

Rehabilitative Considerations for Children (bottom left); and book cover with spine (bottom right).

WBRC is proud to announce that Dr. Gregory Goodrich, WBRC Research Psychologist, and Mr. John Kingston, WBRC Orientation and Mobility Supervisor, are both featured contributors in a newly published AFB Press book titled Vision and the Brain: Understanding Cerebral Visual Impairment in Children.  Dr. Goodrich provided an article on ‘The Evolution of the Definition of Legal Blindness’ and Mr. Kingston authored a chapter titled, ‘Insights from Adult Neuro-Vision Rehabilitation and Rehabilitative Considerations for Children’.


The book is currently available via the AFB Press Website.  A description of the book from the website follows below:

'Cerebral visual impairment, also known as cortical visual impairment, or CVI, has become the most common cause of visual impairment in children in the United States and the developed world.  Vision and the Brain is a unique and comprehensive sourcebook of current knowledge about CVI and best practices for working with children.  Expert contributors from many countries illuminate the complexities of vision loss related to brain injury and neurological causes and provide readers with approaches to assessment and intervention'.

CLICK HERE for a link to the book on the AFB Press Website

CLICK HERE to learn more about WBRC's CNVR Program

CLICK HERE to learn more about WBRC's Research Program