by Paul Olson, NDVS/SB Superintendent
As the Superintendent of NDVS/SB, I visit the legislature every other year to testify in regard to our agency budget request. I always enjoy telling our story as part of that process. It is our opportunity to go on record about needs in the state as well as our successes and challenges. Over the years I have had a few opportunities to testify about specific questions that have come up in the interim. I was recently asked to provide testimony at the Capitol on May 27th to the Health & Human Services Committee made up of members of the North Dakota Senate and the House. This Committee had formally inquired about vision screening practices for infants. This question arose as an off shoot of an interim study regarding screening practices for children that might be deaf and hard of hearing. In addition to this topic, the committee asked me to address how citizens of the state with low vision and blindness experience state government in general.
Periodic questions about statewide practices for early childhood vision screening, as well as school-based vision screenings, have come up over the years. This is a topic that I tend to defer to a large degree to the professional optometric community as it relates more to identification of nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. What I could speak about with more substance was how NDVS/SB works with early intervention partner agencies to do targeted screening and assessment of children that have been deemed “at risk” for visual impairment or who have previously identified ocular abnormalities.
I reported that NDVS/SB began using a new screening tool last year called the Neonatal Assessment Vision European Grid, or NAVEG. This vision screening is used to identify neurological risks such as Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI). It is standardized for preterm and newborn babies and infants up to 12 months of age. It made me proud to share that our teachers are using this state-of-the-art tool when it is warranted. I also reported on statistics relating to infant screenings and services provided by NDVS/SB. Between July 1, 2025, and May 20, 2026, we served 58 children under 36 months of age. Interestingly, given the estimated national prevalence of visual impairment for this age group (.2% or 2/1000 infants), North Dakota would expect to identify around 60 children with some form of visual impairment. Although I am often skeptical of statistics, it would seem as though we are finding and serving these little citizens at an expected rate. When a child has been identified as having a visual impairment, we truly want to be there for them to facilitate early learning and to support their families through the stages of development. It is our hope in every instance to provide the best foundation for learning possible and to work cooperatively with partner agencies and parents.
As for the question of how citizens of the state with low vision and blindness experience state government in general, it occurred to me that this is a very big question worth further investigation. I received limited but very interesting feedback from a couple of citizens after an email inquiry with members of the North Dakota Association of the Blind. I plan to delve into this topic to a much greater degree and hope to report to this legislative committee and to the citizens of North Dakota in the coming year.
Stay tuned for an update this fall. In the meantime, have a great summer.