The National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness

NCDB
e-NEWS

NCDB Highlights
News & Events
Products & Publications

NCDB HIGHLIGHTS

Technical Assistance

In an effort to combine resources to improve early identification, staff from MD, NY, NJ and WV state deaf-blind projects will collaborate on the development of brochures to be distributed to early intervention programs in all Area 4 states. The group is also preparing a presentation for the Early Hearing Detection & Intervention (EDHI) conference and an article to submit to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Transition

Nine states will participate in a Customized Employment workshop scheduled for New Orleans in November. A recent NSTTAC Teleconference included a presentation entitled Post-school services and outcomes for young adults who are deaf-blind-considering postsecondary goals. Future plans include discussion with Mountain Plains Regional Resource Center to explore how state projects might use RRC services to align transition activities more closely with SEA initiatives.

Personnel Training

NCDB’s Personnel Training Consortium is working with Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) to establish national standards for educational personnel working with children who are deaf-blind. These standards, known as SPA’s, should be finalized by April, 2009. A new project designed to address the shortage of qualified personnel in deaf-blindness has been funded. Extending a Legacy: Training Personnel to Serve School Age Children in Low Incidence Disabilities through the Development of Helen Keller Fellows is a collaborative effort between 10 universities to develop a cadre of teacher leaders in the field of deaf-blindness. For more information, contact Dr. Ella Taylor (503-838-8589, taylore@wou.edu).

Literacy

Proceedings from the NCDB Topical Conference on Literacy are now available. Also, the new NCDB Outcomes and Performance Indicators for Literacy can be found on the NCDB website.

NEWS & EVENTS

Training Opportunities

Research Summit on Low-Incidence Disabilities, Colorado, October 2008.

Developing Programming for Children who are Deafblind or have Severe Multiple Disabilities, including Calendars, Wisconsin, November 2008.

Addressing the Needs of Students Labeled Deaf and Low Functioning, At-Risk or Deafblind Conference, Texas, November 2008.

Perceptual & Cognitive Visual Impairment in Children: Identification, Characteristics, and Approaches to Optimize Habilitation, Massachusetts, November 2008.

PRODUCTS & PUBLICATIONS

Deaf-Blind Perspectives
Fall issue now available online.

National Child Count
The 2007 National Child Count of Children and Youth who are Deaf-Blind is finalized!

Research
Recently published research articles in the area of deaf-blindness include a population study and studies examining choice making as an intervention, an orientation and mobility technique and inclusion. Read the full summaries of the studies.

Of Interest
Informed Choices: Accountability and Individualization, an article by Millie Smith of Texas, discusses the implications of current federal legislation on the development of individualized education programs for students with severe disabilities.

*Photo courtesy of Overbrook School for the Blind. Meeting of NFADB board and advisors, Summer 2008.

E-News Subscription info

Would 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
Phone: 800.438.9376
TTY: 800.854.7013
Fax: 503.838.8150
info@nationaldb.org
http://nationaldb.org

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.