Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals

What Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals does

ACVREP (Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals) is an independent, autonomous nonprofit certification body established November 6, 1999 and incorporated in January 2000 as a 501(c)(6) organization. It administers five professional certifications for vision impairment specialists: Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist (COMS), Certified Low Vision Therapist (CLVT), Certified Vision Rehabilitation Therapist (CVRT), Certified Assistive Technology Instructional Specialist for People with Visual Impairments (CATIS), and Certified Deafblind Intervenor Specialist (CDBIS). All certifications are developed by subject matter expert committees, require supervised clinical internships of at least 350 hours, and are built to NCCA accreditation and ISO 17024 international standards. Certifications are international in scope, with the CDBIS handbook and exam available in French, and ACVREP is currently developing a new Occupational Therapist certification.

The organization's revenue model combines one-time examination and practice exam fees, recurring recertification fees (every 2-5 years depending on certification), and continuing education ecosystem monetization through the Registered Provider of Professional Learning and Education (RPPLE) program, which charges CE providers application, annual, per-event, and 3-year review fees. A secondary revenue stream is the Chromebook Accessibility Training Certificate Program, co-developed with Google, which issues a $25 certificate (with a $5 completion refund). Customer segments include individual certification applicants, certified professionals pursuing recertification, employers verifying credentials via the public certificant directory, and CE providers registering events through the RPPLE program.

ACVREP operates with 1-10 employees from its Tucson, Arizona headquarters and is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors chaired by James A Dean (Jamie), with Kathleen Zeider serving as President and CEO. No proprietary technology platform is described beyond an online portal and Webassessor-based exam delivery; there is no AI/ML infrastructure or proprietary data moat disclosed. A new Occupational Therapist certification is in development as of 2025, signaling incremental expansion into an adjacent professional segment.

Name

Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals

Legal name

Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation & Education Professionals

Website

https://acvrep.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ACVREP is an independent US nonprofit certification body that administers five NCCA- and ISO 17024-accredited credentials for vision impairment specialists, monetizing exam fees, recertifications, the RPPLE CE provider program, and a Google co-developed Chromebook accessibility certificate.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Certification Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Credentialing, Certification Prep & Exam Training (BPACANAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Education & Training (Teaching/Instructional Design) Certifications (EDAAANAM)

Keywords

• Professional certification services
• Vision rehabilitation credentials
• Continuing education accreditation
• Assistive technology training
• Low vision therapy

Headquarters

HQ city

Tucson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Certification examination fees: ACVREP charges examination fees for initial certification across all five certifications (COMS, CLVT, CVRT, CATIS, CDBIS). A fee assistance program (Jay H. Stiteley Memorial Scholarship Fund) provides full or partial exam fee reductions for eligible candidates.
2. Recertification fees: Certified professionals must recertify every 2–5 years depending on the certification, accumulating continuing education points through ACVREP-approved CE opportunities. Recertification involves application fees.
3. RPPLE CE provider fees: Organizations seeking to become Registered Provider of Professional Learning and Education (RPPLE) pay application fees, annual fees (Category 1), or per-event fees (Category 2). Fee increases took effect January 1, 2025. Three-year review fees also apply at renewal.
4. Practice exams and study guides: ACVREP sells practice exams for each certification (e.g., COMS Practice Exam at $65, CATIS Practice Exam, CLVT Practice Exam with 196 questions) to assist applicants in preparation for the certification examination.
5. Certificate program fees: ACVREP charges $25.00 for the Chromebook Accessibility Training Certificate Program, with a $5.00 refund upon completion within 12 months of purchase.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ACVREP develops and administers professional certification programs for vision rehabilitation and education professionals. Its offerings include five personnel certifications (CLVT, COMS, CVRT, CATIS, CDBIS), a recertification program tied to continuing education, a Registered Provider of Professional Learning and Education (RPPLE) program for CE providers, practice examinations, and a Chromebook Accessibility Training Certificate Program developed in partnership with Google.

Product overview

ACVREP offers a portfolio of professional certification programs for vision rehabilitation and education professionals. The core offerings include five certifications: Certified Low Vision Therapist (CLVT), Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist (COMS), Certified Vision Rehabilitation Therapist (CVRT), Certified Assistive Technology Instructional Specialist (CATIS), and Certified Deafblind Intervenor Specialist (CDBIS). These certifications are designed to validate professional competency in serving individuals with visual impairments. ACVREP also provides the RPPLE continuing education provider program, practice exam study tools, recertification services, and the Chromebook Accessibility Training Certificate Program developed in partnership with Google. The organization follows NCCA accreditation standards and ISO 17024 international standards for personnel certification bodies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Certified Low Vision Therapist (CLVT) Professional certification for vision impairment specialists who work with individuals who are blind or have low vision, demonstrating critical knowledge and skills in low vision therapy.
• Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist (COMS) Professional certification for specialists who teach orientation and mobility skills to individuals with visual impairments, demonstrating knowledge of safe and independent travel.
• Certified Vision Rehabilitation Therapist (CVRT) Professional certification for therapists who instruct persons with vision impairments in the use of compensatory skills and assistive technology for safe, productive, and interdependent lives.
• Certified Assistive Technology Instructional Specialist for People with Visual Impairments (CATIS) Professional certification for specialists who empower individuals with visual impairments to achieve life goals for education, employment, and independence through assistive technology training. Recertification occurs every two years.
• Certified Deafblind Intervenor Specialist (CDBIS) Professional certification for specialists who work as narrators, informers, guides, and communicators providing a bridge to the world for individuals who are deafblind. Recertification occurs every five years.
• Registered Provider of Professional Learning and Education (RPPLE) Continuing education provider program with two categories for organizations to demonstrate ability to meet rigorous standards for design, development, and implementation of CE programs; allows providers to award ACVREP-approved contact hours.
• Practice Exams Practice exams available for multiple certifications including CATIS, CLVT, and COMS to help applicants prepare for certification exams.
• Chromebook Accessibility Training Certificate Program A digital badge certificate program for Chromebook accessibility training, developed in partnership with Google. Successful completion results in the designation of Chromebook Accessibility Expert.
• Recertification Services Ongoing recertification services including CE point calculators, CE opportunity listings, and recertification policy management for all five certification types.

Quantifiable outcome

• By 2030, 15 million older adults will need vision services, creating significant demand for ACVREP-certified professionals.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GooglecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 January 2021Google and ACVREP partnered to develop and launch a FREE Chromebook Accessibility Training Certificate Program online and on demand, leading to a 'Chromebook Accessibility Expert' digital badge. The program consists of 8 modules and was made available by March 2021. A $25 fee was introduced effective July 1, 2022, with a $5 refund upon completion within 12 months of purchase. The program is available to both consumers and professionals.
• ATIA (Assistive Technology Industry Association)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 29 September 2017ACVREP partnered with ATIA and AFB (American Foundation for the Blind) to provide CE (continuing education) opportunities for the ATIA January 2018 Conference. ACVREP served as a CE approval partner for the conference.
• AFB (American Foundation for the Blind)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 29 September 2017ACVREP partnered with ATIA and AFB to provide CE opportunities for the ATIA January 2018 Conference. ACVREP served as a CE approval partner for the conference alongside AFB.
• AERBVI (Association for Education and Rehabilitation of Blind and Visually Impaired)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACVREP refers candidates without the required education to AERBVI's list of accredited university programs (www.aerbvi.org/personnel-preparation) for personnel preparation in Orientation & Mobility and Vision Rehabilitation Therapy. AERBVI also maintains university program approval authority relevant to ACVREP certifications.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Academy for Certification of Neuroscience Nurses (AACN): Certification body for neuroscience nursing specialties, operating under similar nonprofit credentialing standards with NCCA-accredited exams and CE-based recertification.
• National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA): Large-scale nonprofit certification body for physician assistants, operating under NCCA standards with recertification requirements. A useful comparable for credentialing operations and revenue model architecture at greater scale.
• American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA): Large professional association that certifies and credentials occupational therapists, including specialty certifications in low vision (SCLV). Overlaps with ACVREP's CLVT certificants and vision rehabilitation professional base.

Direct peers

• National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC): Independent nonprofit certification body for counselors, similarly structured as a 501(c)(6) organization with NCCA-accredited certifications, recertification cycles, and CE provider approval programs.
• Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA): Professional society offering the ATP (Assistive Technology Professional) certification for assistive technology practitioners — directly comparable to ACVREP's CATIS certification and serving overlapping professional populations.
• Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC): Independent certification body for rehabilitation counselors, operating under similar NCCA-accredited standards. Highly comparable as a nonprofit credentialing organization serving rehabilitation professionals with comparable examination, recertification, and continuing education models.
• National Registry of Rehabilitation Technology Suppliers (NRRTS): Credentialing organization for Complex Rehabilitation Technology (CRT) suppliers, operating under similar NCCA-accredited, recertification-based certification models serving rehabilitation professionals.

Regional players

• American Foundation for the Blind (AFB): National nonprofit serving individuals with vision loss. AFB partnered with ACVREP and ATIA for continuing education opportunities and operates in the same vision services ecosystem, with overlapping audiences and stakeholder relationships.
• Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AERBVI): The professional association from which ACVREP separated. AERBVI accredits university programs feeding ACVREP's candidate pipeline and represents the broader professional community ACVREP serves — a closely linked but distinct organization.

Others

• Webassessor (Proprietary B.V.): Exam delivery platform used by ACVREP to administer certification exams. As an infrastructure provider rather than a direct competitor, it represents an enabling technology partner on which ACVREP's certification delivery depends.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/academy-for-certification-of-vision-rehabilitation-and-education-professionals

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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