Dr. Susan J. Spungin
Dr. Susan J. Spungin is an internationally renowned expert on the education and rehabilitation of individuals who are blind or visually impaired. Susan started her professional life as an itinerant teacher of students who are visually impaired. She joined AFB in 1972 as a national specialist in education to identify nationwide issues affecting blind, deaf-blind, and severely visually impaired children and youth and worked in partnership with schools, agencies, state departments of education, universities, the federal government, and other organizations to resolve those issues.
Her teacher training, literacy (especially regarding braille), and education work in the United States frequently served as models for the international community, and her presentations, expertise, and consultative services have been sought out in Europe, the Eastern Bloc countries, Australia, Asia, East Pacific Asia, the Middle East, and beyond.
One of Susan’s signature achievements was helping to found the National Association for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments (NAPVI), an international membership organization now serving families in the U.S. and worldwide through FamilyConnect.org. She has also chaired and held leadership roles with the Braille Authority of North America (BANA), World Blind Union (WBA), International Council for Education of the Blind and Visually Handicapped (ICEVH), and the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER).
In addition, she has authored numerous books and articles for national and international journals, focused on teaching parents and educators how to promote the development of young children with visual and multiple impairments.
She is a proud grandmother who lives and works in New York City.
FamilyConnect is delighted that Susan will be sharing her expertise with parents via the Education Forum.