A Meaningful Consultation – Meeting with Dr. Hillier and The team at San Diego Center for Vision Care
During the development of my final internship project, I had the unique opportunity to meet with Dr. Hillier at the San Diego Center for Vision Care. Though our meeting was brief, it was a focused consultation which profoundly influenced how I shaped my approach to working with individuals who have vision impairments.
Dr. Hillier’s expertise in neuro-optometric rehabilitation offered me a rich clinical perspective on the sensory and neurological complexities faced by individuals who have vision impairments.
He helped me understand how visual processing difficulties can deeply affect emotional regulation and behavioral responses. He emphasized that vision impairment is not merely a matter of “seeing less” but often involves intricate sensory integration challenges that impact how a person experiences the world and manages stress.
What I found especially enlightening was his emphasis on the value of predictability and multisensory support in clinical interventions. This insight encouraged me to think beyond traditional visual or verbal methods and to embrace auditory, tactile, and spatial modalities, perfectly aligned with music therapy’s strengths.This consultation gave me a clearer framework for my special project, Hearing the Whole Picture, where I aimed to integrate these interdisciplinary ideas into a client-centered musical experience. It reminded me that even a single conversation with an expert can open new pathways of understanding, fueling creativity and compassion in clinical work.
- Amelia Elbendary, MT
