Posted on August 30, 2023 in Author insights with tags
It seems incredible that 18 months have passed since this book was published! Children with Vision Impairment has had quite the journey as we, the editors, have continued to collaborate with fellow clinicians and educators. The book travelled to the EACD 2022 in Barcelona, for its official launch, and to the EACD 2023 in Ljubljana, where signed copies were included as part of a special prize draw. Our book was also represented at the BPNA 2023 meeting in Edinburgh, and at Vision 2022/International Society for Low Vision Research and Rehabilitation Dublin where we were the only book available for inspection. More recently, we introduced our book to the Child Vision Research Society 2023 at UCL London, organised by Naomi and Alison, with fantastic support from some of our authors. We were also delighted to have a stall by Mac Keith Press, which introduced Children with Vision Impairment to a new audience of ophthalmologists, optometrists, paediatricians, habilitation workers, neuropsychologists, and others.
We have also learned some valuable lessons along the way about book haulage, marketing, and selling, with some unexpected challenges! At the Barcelona conference, for instance, we were frustrated by a two-day delivery delay, meaning that the Mac Keith book package got stuck en route in an import/export warehouse. At another conference, Naomi was a bit concerned when the stand copy of the book went ‘missing’, but she was reassured by Mac Keith staff that ‘only the best books’ go walking!
Over the last 18 months, we’ve also taken stock of our unique experiences, as the editors and authors of a ‘covid pandemic’ book. These memories will stay with us forever. We were all active clinicians and educators at the time the book was finalised, striving to keep our practice going in the most difficult of environments. We were based in several locations around the world – in England, Europe, the USA, and Australia – and many of us were continuing to work while waves of covid infection spread throughout our communities. None of us could have predicted the impact on our personal, family, and professional lives, and certainly not when we initially agreed and were contracted to write this book. But far from deterring us, these trials spurred an even greater passion and determination within us to write and complete Children with Vision Impairment, however demanding it was. We hope that this publication continues to spread a special spark amongst readers and to fuel a collective commitment towards research and practice, to guide the clinicians and researchers of the future. We are very grateful to our Mac Keith Press colleagues for pursuing this goal with us, and for supporting and championing our work as we move forward.
Looking back, what was it that we wanted to achieve? In a nutshell, we wanted to produce a ‘one stop’ multidisciplinary clinical and educational practice guide for childhood visual impairment, that was up-to-date and that encompassed the evidence-based, partnership, habilitative ICF-CYP model of national and international relevance to all our countries. For instance, certain chapter authors discussed how to adapt our methods to low-resource and low-income countries. As a collective author Faculty, moreover, we learned from one another and helped to shape our thinking, research, and practice, and we strengthened partnerships and forged new collaborations.
We now hope that our book project will inform colleagues’ practice and research across the world, our aim being to amplify the voices of children and young adults with visual impairment as well as their parents. We are interested in follow-up initiatives such as practice podcasts, and we would love to hear from our readers about relevant projects, events, or networks. So, please do get in touch if you’d like to collaborate and to continue the journey started by Children with Vision Impairment! The last 18 months have shown us that its legacy will be rich and long-lasting.
Naomi Dale, Alison Salt, Jenefer Sargent, Rebecca Greenaway (Editors)
📷Left to right: Elaine Clarke, Ngozi Oluonye, Naomi Dale, Stephen Rose, Jenefer Sargent, and Rebecca Greenaway. Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, Developmental Vision Clinic team.
Related books
Children with Vision Impairment: Assessment, Development, and Management
Available as:
Ebook, Paperback