Visual Rehabilitation Therapist Appreciation Week (#VRTWeek) will be celebrated April 12-18, 2026. It honors Anne Sullivan’s birthday on April 14, 1866. A pioneer of the visual rehabilitation profession, Sullivan is best known as Helen Keller’s teacher. Through her teaching, Keller learned communication and life skills.
These skills helped her become an international speaker and advocate for people with vision and hearing impairment.
After graduating from Perkins School for the Blind, Sullivan began working with seven-year-old Helen Keller in 1887 as a home tutor, the original title of what we now call vision rehabilitation therapist (VRT). As with Sullivan’s work, VRTs today often travel to clients’ homes or workplaces to teach basic coping skills for daily life, including reading, using technology, cooking, and more.
What does a vision rehabilitation therapist do?
Today’s VRT typically holds a master’s degree and a national certification (CVRT), meeting established professional standards. For more than a century, professionals in this field have provided vital training to people with blindness or vision loss.
VRTs work with clients to:
- Adaptive daily living skills
- Communication, including Braille when needed.
- Low vision devices, such as portable magnifiers and talking book players.
- Assistive technology (AT), including screen readers and screen magnification software.
- Adaptive recreational and sports activities
Most clients are adults with vision loss due to conditions such as macular degeneration, glaucoma or diabetes. Referrals may come from eye care professionals, or individuals may self-refer through state agencies or nonprofit organizations. In many cases, providers offer VRT services at no out-of-pocket cost.
A personal perspective on vision rehabilitation
It took much longer than it should have to meet my first VRT.
None of the eye doctors I saw – locally or even in Boston – mentioned vision rehabilitation services. Instead, a friend of mine suggested I contact my local blindness agency.
They worked at an “agency for the blind.”
They suggested this more than once.
They also proposed the establishment of a Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired (DBVI).
“I’m definitely not blind,” I said to myself. And “visually impaired”? That seemed like a label I wasn’t ready to accept. I was 40 years old and had early-onset macular degeneration.
Yes, reading and using computers have become more difficult. Yes, I was restricting my driving. But I wasn’t blind. Sound familiar?
It wasn’t until I lost the job that I loved. My driver’s license was revoked after I failed a vision test. I’ve also had some humbling moments with clients. Only then did I finally make the call. This call changed everything.
After meeting with a vocational rehabilitation counselor, I was immediately connected to VRT. In short order, I had a 5x lighted magnifying glass which made printing available again. I also received ZoomText to enlarge my computer screen. I got a task light for my workspace. I also received training in using everything well.
I remember thinking: “If I had called these services sooner, I would still have my job.”
Most surprisingly, there was no cost to me. The equipment and training were covered by state and federal vocational rehabilitation programs, resources I didn’t know existed.
As valuable as the training and tools were, the more important impact was something else entirely.
My VRT opened the door to a community I had never really met before.
It includes people like me with vision loss.
They are students, professionals, homeowners, travelers and athletes. People are in different stages of adaptation, but everything moves forward.
This feeling of connection was as life-changing as the services themselves.
How to find vision rehabilitation services
You may not have heard about vision rehabilitation from your doctor. You may not have a “friend of a friend” pointing you in the right direction.
That’s why Vision Rehabilitation Therapist Appreciation Week is a great time to take action. Do it for yourself or someone you appreciate.
To find a vision rehabilitation therapist near you, explore:
Taking this first step can open doors you didn’t know existed.
