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Should I use cvi teacher — Ellen Cadigan Mazel, M.Ed., CTVI, Deafblind Specialist?

Dr. Gordon Dutton's Visual Behaviors - cviteacher.wordpress.com

Worth it. Nothing to buy — this is a free expert blog on cortical visual impairment, not a software product. Parents, TVIs, and early-intervention teams supporting a child with CVI should read it; anyone shopping for a tool should move on.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 10+ public sources. This is a personal WordPress blog, not a commercial product.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo evidence of any support channel
  • Security postureNo security information published

Pricing

$0

Blog

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • Parents of children with CVI
  • TVIs and deafblind specialists
  • Early intervention teams
  • Classroom environment planning

Not for

  • Software buyers — this is a blog, not a tool
  • Teams wanting vendor support, SLAs, or product updates
  • Anyone needing structured assessment data or IEP tracking software
  • Clinical diagnosis decisions — this is education, not medical advice

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

Zero support: blog comments only, no official help channel or contact SLA

medium

Content appears stale — latest visible posts date to 2022

medium

Educational content, not an individualized assessment; seek a CVI consult

low

No pricing traps since it's free, but also entirely unsupported and unofficial

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free, practical CVI guidance from a 40+ year TVI
  • Author directs research at Perkins School for the Blind's CVI Center
  • Concrete classroom tactics: controlling complexity, light, and clutter
  • Includes Dr. Gordon Dutton's visual behaviors framework
  • Covers literacy, assessment, home activities, and environments

Cons

  • Not a product: no support, training portal, or update guarantees
  • Visible posting stops around June 2022; advice may be dated
  • No trust or security page; /security URL returns a 404
  • Personal opinions and case stories, not peer-reviewed research

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/30/2026 - 8 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x5review x2security x1

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 8

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Expert content, completely free
  • Ease of use: 3/5. Standard WordPress layout, searchable categories
  • Feature depth: 2/5. Articles and tutorials only; not software
  • Support quality. No evidence of any support channel
  • Security posture. No security information published
  • $0 Price Free WordPress.com blog
  • 40+ years Author experience Classroom TVI, per her own posts
  • Perkins CVI Center Author role Director of Development and Research
  • 2014 Active since Earliest site comments date to 2014

Pricing

Blog

$0

  • All articles and tutorials free
  • No account required
  • Public comments

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

No formal reviews exist; the parent community CVI Momifesto repeatedly recommends Mazel as a trusted CVI advisor.

“Ellen Mazel, the CVI Teacher … a Cortical Visual Impairment Advisor and a Certified Teacher of the Visually Impaired.”
CVI Momifesto, Teambuilding
“Ellen Cadigan Mazel, Hope's CVI class instructor encouraged her to have Hannah formally assessed.”
CVI Momifesto, Moms on Monday #22
Full analysis

Based on 10+ public sources. This is a personal WordPress blog, not a commercial product.

Free expert CVI blog by a 40+ year TVI. Not software — read it if CVI affects your child or classroom.

Methodology

Based on 10+ public sources. This is a personal WordPress blog, not a commercial product.

Sources

  1. cvi teacher homepagecviteacher.wordpress.com
    official
  2. About the Authorcviteacher.wordpress.com
    official
  3. Have You Really Controlled the Complexity and Light?cviteacher.wordpress.com
    official
  4. January 2019 archivecviteacher.wordpress.com
    official
  5. CVI Consulting Interview (Perkins)perkins.org
    official
  6. CVI Momifesto – Teambuildingcvimomifesto.com
    review
  7. Moms on Monday #22 / Hope from CTcvimomifesto.com
    review
  8. Site security URL (returns 404)cviteacher.wordpress.com
    security

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