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The National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness |
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NCDB
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NCDB HIGHLIGHTS |
TransitionThe NCDB Transition Work Group has begun working with the National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center (NSTTAC) to explore ways to infuse case studies of students who are deaf-blind and examples of appropriate transition related goals into the NSTTAC training materials. NSTTAC is working with states to address Indicator #13 (I-13) in their State Performance Reports. Members of the work group are also working with Mike Callahan of Marc Gold Associates to assist approximately 10 states in offering customized employment opportunities for several students who are deaf-blind. The initial phase involves training teams within the states on the various components of customized employment. Technical AssistanceArea 1 Area 1 states met in San Francisco on January 15th and 16th. The use of evidence based practices has surfaced as a major issue in the delivery of technical assistance and the primary focus of this meeting was to identify effective child/student and technical assistance practices that are most commonly used by the Area 1 state projects. The child/student practices included the use of calendar systems, touch cues, routines and developing conversations. The technical assistance practices included the use of follow-up strategies, coaching methods, multiple formats for materials, action plans and simulation of accommodating strategies. The discussion centered on describing each practice, determining and documenting effectiveness and identifying evidence to support the practice. Area 2 Dr. Christine Roman will visit Kansas City on April 9th and 10th, 2008 for a two-day workshop titled “Cortical Visual Impairment: An Approach to Assessment and Intervention.” Service providers and families of children who are deaf-blind will be invited. Follow up activities and evaluation will be conducted by NCDB, the Kansas Deafblind Project, and the Inclusive Network of Kansas. Area 3 Florida hosted the second installment of a multi state leadership workshop for parents and young adults. Georgia and South Carolina supported the event with fifteen young adults and eleven parents in attendance. Presenting to the young adults were Paul Malloy and the deaf-blind performer known as “Jag”. Using what they had learned in their first round of leadership training, the young adults shared new experiences and reinforced the role of leadership in real situations. NCDB facilitated the parent’s meeting and focused on the impact of independence and interdependence. Area 4 Area 4’s Community of Practice, Creativity and Supports (COPCS) held a two day meeting in Philadelphia, PA on January 10-11, 2008. Gathered to discuss future directions, community members targeted three new areas of work: literacy, cortical visual impairment and early identification. A wide range of cross-state, collaborative technical assistance activities were identified. Action items included written publications, product development, professional training activities and system intervention efforts. The next COPCS meeting will be held on May 14-15, 2008. |
NEWS & EVENTS |
| NCDB Spring Topical Conference Registration Family Specialist Workshop Spring 2008 DeafBlind Transition Camp 2008 |
PRODUCTS & PUBLICATIONS |
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2006 National Child Count Available NCDB’s newest publication, Children Who Are Deaf-Blind, provides a summary of census data over the last 10 years including details regarding classification of vision and hearing loss, the types of additional disabilities that may be present, and the causes of deaf-blindness. Available on the Web. Print and Braille versions available from NCDB. Selected Topics Above image courtesy of the Helen Keller International Art Show sponsored by the Alabama Deafblind Project. E-News Subscription infoWould you like to receive the NCDB e-News? Send a blank message to; ncdb_e-news-subscribe-request@tr.wou.edu or contact Randy Klumph klumphr@wou.edu for assistance. NCDB e-News is also available online. Contact information |
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Funded through award #H326T060002 by the U.S. Department of Education, OSERS, OSEP. The opinions and policies expressed by this publication do not necessarily reflect those of The Teaching Research Institute, or the U.S. Department of Education. |