Optometrist Turned Educator: The Continuing Story Of Dr. Steve Ingersoll

Monday , 19, May 2014 4 Comments

GREETINGS DELTA CHARTER SCHOOL VISITORS! Please click this link for an update on the Steve Ingersoll story.

Michigan has lots of charter schools. The state leads the United States in charter school creation. These schools are advertised to parents as an alternative to public education often offering specialties such as fine arts and science, or focusing on students with special needs. Charter schools draw people from different occupations and walks of life into the education business. Dr. Steven Ingersoll, an optometrist currently living in Traverse City, Michigan, and facing felony fraud charges, is one of those people. He combined his expertise of vision therapy and education and came up with a model for charter schools that develops children’s vision so they can better focus on learning. According to Dr. Ingersoll, his methods have dramatic results with students who suffer from ADHD

The main component of Ingersoll’s charter schools is Integrated Visual Learning. IVL according to Ingersoll is a “visual therapy with a cognitive finish.” Vision therapy is a method of retraining the eyes to work together in order to strengthen vision, which enables a person to stay focused and process information more efficiently. This is why every student at one of Dr. Ingersoll’s schools receives an eye exam. This is not uncommon; schools have vision screening for students. Dr. Ingersoll however gives students full eye examinations. In fact, every school operated by Dr. Ingersoll has a full optometry lab.

The first school where Dr. Ingersoll used his new IVL model was at Livingston Developmental Academy in Howell, Michigan. This school was co-founded with Chuck Stockwell. The school implemented Steve Ingersoll’s three-phase approach and had incredible results. According to Ingersoll, 90% of students who were diagnosed with ADHD no longer exhibited the characteristics of ADHD; the students were able to stay focused and had greater success with their schoolwork. Combined with William Glasser education theory and character building education, Dr. Ingersoll went on to establish another charter school in Traverse City with his co founder in IVL, Mark Noss, O.D. In 2011 he opened Bay City Academy and used the same education model there. In all of these schools the same amazing claims were made that students through IVL were able to stay focused and found learning easier. Ingersoll in fact stresses the importance of students being trained to work with what he calls a visual learning style, and that other learning styles force children to use incorrect coping skills that make learning more difficult.

It wasn’t easy finding information about IVL. There is no Wikipedia article about this method of retraining students to learn. The Facebook Page hasn’t been updated in a year. Only through finding information from a Canadian Optometry Clinic in Vancouver that uses IVL was it possible to find a link to Dr. Ingersoll’s Excel Institute. Educators and vision therapists who want to learn Dr. Ingersoll’s method take classes at one of three locations in Michigan – Traverse City, Farmington Hills, and Battle Creek.

Steve Ingersoll’s claims that the majority of students diagnosed with ADHD are misdiagnosed and suffer from poor vision development doesn’t take into consideration that there are different types of ADHD and the condition can come from different causes. Children diagnosed with ADHD have gone through a series of tests performed by pediatric psychiatrists and neurologists. For these children who attend Ingersoll’s schools and were “cured” of ADHD through the Doctor’s IVL method, it would be worthwhile to find out how those children progressed through school once they no longer were part of his program.

Intergrated Visual Learning is only the beginning of Dr. Steve Ingersoll’s total visual learning education model. He has developed other parts of this program, including curriculum and software.

4 thoughts on “ : Optometrist Turned Educator: The Continuing Story Of Dr. Steve Ingersoll”
  • […] Livingston Developmental Academy Co-Founder Chuck Stockwell is considered an institution in the Michigan for-profit charter school industry. Who knew a loving parent relying on vision therapy to cure his daughter of an inoperable brain tumor would over two decades later be the successful businessman of the charter school campus now known as Charyl Stockwell Academy? Chuck Stockwell is semi-retired these days, but he’s still very active in promoting the for-profit charter school agenda and overall operations of CSA through his management company, CS Partners. […]

  • […] that first link in the first paragraph, the one about Steve Ingersoll and IVL? It’s a link to this story on Up North Progressive. A series of articles have been published here about the optometrist turned […]

  • Mallory Wright says:

    I was a student at Livingston Developmental academy and received IVL treatment during my time there. I found this article when looking for information on what IVL was and why I received it, as I have memories of being in the “IVL room,” but had no idea why I had to look into a light for 30 minutes a session. I still remember the color of the light being green because I had to look in it so often. After reading what the purpose of this was, I think I finally have an answer as to why I am such an accomplished reader, and extremely visual learner. It was strange to me because no one in my family likes reading, and educations was never taught or encouraged in my home. I took my GED in 2008 and my reading score was perfect, I did not get a single question wrong, but the other areas were much lower. However once I started attending college my grades were significantly higher because I learned how to teach myself all subjects visually, and was on the dean’s list every year. I wonder how much this treatment had to do with my future love of literature, and my ability to learn.

    • Up North Progressive says:

      30 minutes looking at a green light? It’s good to know that you did so well in your academics studies. I also have so many questions for you, if you would be willing to answer them. You may email me at upnorthprogessive@gmail.com Thank you for your comment.

  • Greetings, friend! I love comments and read every one of them.