Low Vision Rehabilitation

Mitchell Scheiman, OD, FAAO, FCOVD Dr. Mitchell Scheiman is a nationally known optometric educator, lecturer, author, and private practitioner. He is the author of Understanding and Managing Visual Deficits: A Guide for Occupational Therapists, published by SLACK Incorporated. Dr. Scheiman has a long and close relationship with occupational therapists. He works closely with occupational therapists in his practice comanaging patients, and more than 5,000 occupational therapists have attended his workshops on Understanding and Managing Vision Deficits. He has specialized in vision rehabilitation of children and adults for the past 30 years. Dr. Scheiman is currently a Professor of Optometry at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry. He is a Diplomate in Binocular Vision and Perception and a Fellow in the College of Optometrists in Vision Development. Maxine Scheiman, MEd, OTR/L, CLVT After working as a learning disabilities specialist for many years, Maxine decided to change careers and in 1988 graduated from Temple University in Philadelphia as an occupational therapist. She has been practicing as an occupational therapist for about 18 years and has worked in many different settings including acute care and rehabilitation hospitals, school occupational therapy, early intervention, and low vision rehabilitation. In 2000, Maxine became interested in low vision rehabilitation and she attended the Rehabilitation Teaching program at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry in Philadelphia. After becoming certified as a low vision therapist, she has worked as a low vision rehabilitation therapist helping patients with visual impairment. She is currently owner of Visual Function Rehabilitation Associates and is a certified low vision therapist. Stephen G. Whittaker, PhD, FAAO, OTR/L, CLVT Involved in low vision rehabilitation for over 25 years as a researcher, educator, and practitioner, Dr. Steve Whittaker currently serves as a member of the Low Vision Certification committee of the Academy of Certification of Vision Rehabilitation Professionals. He has numerous scientific publications, has received grants from the National Eye Institute and NASA, and lectures internationally on low vision rehabilitation. With a doctorate in experimental psychology, and postdoctoral training in visual neurophysiology, Dr. Whittaker began studying eye movements and reading with macular degeneration while he served on the faculty of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry as a researcher and educator for 20 years. He, along with Dr. Jan Lovie-Kitchin, published a seminal work on the visual requirements for reading that later earned the Gordon Clay award as the most influential paper published in an optometric journal over a 5-year period. He served as coordinator of the low vision technology service at the William Feinbloom Low Vision Rehabilitation Center. Dr. Whittaker earned his masters in Occupational Therapy at Thomas Jefferson University. He currently provides outpatient services including low vision rehabilitation at Moss Rehabilitation Hospital in the Philadelphia area.