Vito J. DeSantis, MPA
Expertise: Vocational Rehabilitation, Services and Programs for People Who Are Blind/Visually Impaired, Program Management, Technology and Service Provision, Technical Assistance
Vito joined the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CBVI) in 1984. From his early days at the agency, he was instrumental in research and strategic planning for what became a comprehensive reorganization and expansion of CBVI services and programs to meet the evolving needs of consumers and the onset of the technology age.
Vito went on to become the manager of CBVI’s Southern Regional Office, and then manager of the agency’s Joseph Kohn Rehabilitation Center in New Brunswick, NJ. In the latter position, he quickly implemented program modifications that reinforced the need for students with varying degrees of visual impairment to be thoroughly trained and accustomed to using the skills of blindness through the use of sleep shades during instruction.
In 2002, Vito was appointed as executive director of CVBI, assuming leadership of its three regional offices, rehabilitation training center, and education instructional center. He has served as president of the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind and chaired many of its committees. This council represents all blindness agencies in the United States.
At the Institute for Community Inclusion, Vito is a senior policy and program specialist, and provides technical assistance to state vocational rehabilitation agencies across the nation.