FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE BILL TO LICENSE VISION REHABILITATION PROFESSIONALS

(prepared by the New York State Coalition on Access to Quality Vision Rehabilitation Services)

  1.     Q. What would the licensing bill do?

 The bill would license orientation and mobility specialists and rehabilitation teachers in New York State.

2.     Q. Why is the bill important?

 Licensing would ensure that only qualified professionals would provide critical and much needed vision rehabilitation services. Licensing protects the safety and well being of people who are blind and partially sighted. Licensing would give vision rehabilitation professionals parity with other allied health professionals. Licensing would give visibility to these professionals within the medical community, making their services more readily accessible to the people who need their services.

 3.     Q. Which groups support the licensing bill?

The following groups support the bill: American Council of the Blind of New York, The Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER), Blinded Veterans Association, New York Regional Group, Glaucoma Foundation, Joint Public Affairs Committee (JPAC) for Older Adults, National Vision Rehabilitation Cooperative, New York State Assembly Task Force on People with Disabilities, The New York State Chapter of the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (NYSAER), New York State Coalition for the Aging, New York State Ophthalmological Society, New York Statewide Senior Action Council, Inc., The Vision Services Division of The New York State Rehabilitation Association, Inc. (NYSRA)

4.     Q. Who is opposed to the bill?

The only written opposition we have received came in 1998 from NYSOTA, the professional organization representing occupational therapists.  The original version of the bill (S. 6822/A. 10758) contained language that OTs believed would limit their right to provide services currently within their scope of practice.  In response, the Coalition on Access to Quality Rehabilitation Services worked with the bill sponsors to revise the language.  As a result, in 1999 NYSOTA’s Legislative Coordinator wrote that the organization “has dropped it’s [sic] opposition to the bills.” 

 Although we have yet to receive written specifics, we have been advised that the NYS Optometric Association opposes language that would exempt individuals who have been diagnosed as legally blind from the requirement that persons being referred for vision rehabilitation services first receive a low vision examination.  Because a person would not be diagnosed as legally blind without a vision examination administered by a licensed physician or optometrist, we believe requiring a second vision examination for individuals who are legally blind would be unnecessarily costly, place an undue burden on the consumer and could delay the start of services.

5.     Q. What happened to the bills last year?

Neither bill moved. The Higher Education Committees in both the Senate and the Assembly were preoccupied for more than three years with an omnibus bill to license practitioners of various therapies (psychotherapists, marriage therapists, creative arts therapists), and with a related bill to license social workers.  Both bills were enacted into law in 2002.  Because of the intricate and difficult issues that surround most professional licensing bills, the Committees rarely give in-depth consideration to more than a handful of such bills at any given time.  We anticipate that the Committees this year will focus their attention on other licensing proposals, such as our licensing bill!

6.     Q.  What is the fiscal impact of the bill?

According to the bill language, appointment of the State Committee for Vision Rehabilitation Services, which will provide oversight for the profession, and preparation of the initial licensing examinations will require the expenditure of a limited amount of state funds.  Some of those funds will be repaid from fees collected from applicants who take such examinations. Those exempt from taking the exams will pay slightly lower fees. All licensees will pay triennial registration fees, which in the aggregate should make the Committee self-sufficient, or nearly so.  (The bill provides that the Committee shall assist an already established professional Board, which should to further reduce costs related to its operations.)

 7.                Q. What are the educational opportunities for those seeking to enter the field?

At present about 16 colleges and universities in 14 states offer degrees in one or both of the specialties that the bill would license.  Hunter College in New York City has a program that educates about 20 professionals each school year. 

 8.                Q. Is there currently a problem with unqualified individuals holding themselves out as vision rehabilitation professionals?

Not as yet. Currently, vision rehabilitation services are offered mainly at vision rehabilitation agencies located throughout the State.  However, with the graying of the Baby Boomers, there will be an ever-increasing need for such services as a consequence of the increase in age-related vision loss from macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts and diabetic retinopathy. Many more vision rehabilitation professionals will be needed not only at vision rehabilitation agencies but at physicians’ offices, clinics, free-standing operations, etc. Furthermore, untrained people may begin to “hang out a shingle” in hopes of capturing part of the expanding market.

 9.     Q. What impact will licensing have on recruitment of vision rehabilitation professionals by agencies within New York State?

Coalition members predict that State recognition of vision rehabilitation professionals, another group of allied health professionals, will do more than just make it easier to recruit new hires from around the country; we fully expect, overall, that more students will be drawn to the profession when they make their career choices.  Young people would find vision rehabilitation a more attractive career opportunity once it has achieved licensing on a par with occupational therapists, physical therapists and other comparable professions.

 10.   Q. What will happen to those who now perform these services, and have for many years?

 As is the case with virtually every newly licensed profession, those who have been working in the field for three or more years, and who possess -- or earn within three years -- the minimum educational requirements, will be licensed without having to take the examination that will be required of newcomers to the profession.

 11.   Q. Isn’t licensing just an attempt, by those who currently have the skills and the jobs, to limit the competition.

As noted in question 6, the sponsoring Coalition is actually seeking just the opposite result.  We want to attract more people to the field, in order to expand services that today reach only about 2% of all those suffering from severe vision loss.  In fact, the bill specifically lists holders of degrees in occupational therapy and physical therapy as among those eligible for this license if they meet the requirements.

LICENSING NOW! TALKING POINTS 

 §         Highlight your tasks, responsibilities and activities as vision rehabilitation professionals (orientation and mobility specialists or rehabilitation teachers) as you work with consumers in your agency, and in their homes and communities.

 §         Emphasize how your practice, as vision rehabilitation professionals, impacts the SAFETY of consumers. Cite CONSUMER vignettes.

 §         Only vision rehabilitation professionals have unique training for, and experience with, people who are blind or partially sighted: specialized master’s degree, supervised practicum/internship and years of specialized experience. There are 18 schools nationwide which offer undergraduate and graduate programs in rehabilitation and 8 university-based programs in orientation and mobility. Hunter College in New York City offers all degrees and a new DISTANCE LEARNING program. The national credentialing body, ACVREP (Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals) offers national certifying exams, separate from the professional organization, AER (Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired) which has state and regional chapters.

 §         Vision rehabilitation professionals should have the same state licensure as all the other rehabilitation professionals (OTs, PTs, speech pathologists, etc.) have to protect the safety of consumers who are blind or partially sighted, to achieve parity with other rehabilitation professionals and greater visibility with doctors and with the public.

 §         Licensing will give consumers greater access to vision rehabilitation services for two reasons: more young people will be encouraged to enter the profession once licensing is in place and doctors will be more apt to refer patients to specialized vision rehabilitation professionals.  Licensing is a step towards third-party reimbursement  (Medicare/Medicaid which may bring new monies into the state coffers).

 §         More than 1 million people in New York State experience some form of vision impairment not ameliorated by surgery or the use of corrective lenses. Less than 750 vision rehabilitation professionals practice in the State. Yet growing numbers of older adults have age-related vision loss due to such age-related conditions as macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy glaucoma and cataracts. These numbers will increase even more in the years ahead.

Back to Top of Page