Translational Research in Functional Vision and Accessibility

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT This proposal requests partial support for a conference on the state of the art in translational research and its application to functional vision for the visually impaired and accessibility for the blind. The conference is organized by the scientists at the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute and will take place August 3-4, 2023

in San Francisco, CA. In keeping with the unique theme of this conference centered on translational research to optimize functional vision and accessibility, our aims include integrating multi-disciplinary approaches to evaluating visual dysfunction and its consequences. A second aim is to bring stakeholders (those experiencing

vision loss and blindness) and those doing translational research (scientists, clinicians, and inventors) to prioritize future research directions for diagnosis and treatment/interventions. A special feature of this conference will be to consider the spectrum from visual impairment to blindness and evaluate the relative

merits of maximizing residual vision, visual restoration and the use of remaining senses for accessing information from the environment. The program will include 6 sessions, and 1 double-length session, over two days, with a total of 40 speakers. Each session will include a range of speakers from established researchers

to junior investigators, including multiple stakeholders. Diversity and inclusion will be prioritized to include women, individuals with disability and underrepresented minorities. Each session will end with a discussion between scientists, clinicians and stakeholders, moderated by a Smith-Kettlewell scientist. All talk sessions

will have accessible presentations to allow full participation by visually and hearing-impaired attendees. We plan to make the oral presentations hybrid to maximize the reach of this conference and offer 20 travel fellowships to encourage trainees to attend. Poster sessions will facilitate scientific exchange and mentoring

among participants. In sum, this unique conference brings together multidisciplinary, cross-cutting approaches to address the multiple causes of vision dysfunction and current treatment modalities, as well as a holistic approach to evaluating the best interventions to maximize interaction with the environment among the blind

and visually impaired.