News and Announcements
News
Tactile Rap - DB Awareness Week
Watch this rap battle between hands rapping about senses using the deafblind tactile sign language. On Youtube.
OSEP Extends Invitation to Join Intervener Community of Practice
Intervener Community of Practice
We want to extend a formal invitation to all members of the State DB listserv to join the Intervener Community of Practice on the “TAcommunities” website. The “TAcommunities” website is the home for Communities of Practice (CoP) that are supported by the Technical Assistance and Dissemination (TA&D) Network, and the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). “TAcommunities” provide resources and assistance to the states on issues that impact students with disabilities and also extend current TA (technical assistance) to the states through peer-led collaboration and exchange of information.
The Purposes of the Intervener Community of Practice:
· To share information and resources and increase awareness of the role of interveners in the provision of educational intervention and individualized supports for children and youth who are deaf-blind.
· To facilitate wide spread discussion and networking among parents, families, school personnel, 326C State TA Projects, and stakeholders related to use of interveners to provide individualized supports to infants, toddlers, children and youth who are deaf-blind.
· To support national, state and local initiatives that inform policies, practices, intervener competencies, professional development training opportunities, and use of systemic change strategies to improve services and results for infants, toddlers, children and youth who are deaf-blind.
Your Involvement:
The members of the Intervener Community of Practice include professionals, parents and families, interveners, service providers, and administrators. We welcome your participation in this community to make discussions richer, more interesting, and help those outside the field of deafblindness to better understand the importance of this practice in ensuring that individuals who are deaf-blind have equitable access and can more fully participate and make progress in the general education curriculum in the least restrictive environment.
Please ask questions, start discussions, and share your experiences and perspectives about interveners and their impact on the learning and development of infants, toddlers, children and youth who are deaf-blind.
To Join the Intervener Community of Practice:
1) Log on to: http://www.tacommunities.org/
2) Click on the “Join now, click here to register” link
3) Complete the New User Registration form
4) Select the “Interveners” Community to request membership
5) Click Save
New Website for DB Cochlear Implant Study
Children Who are Deaf-Blind with Cochlear Implants research study has launched a new website. Check out the most recent findings and parent/family stories.
Research Participation Opportunity for Adolescents and Adults with CHARGE Syndrome: Quality of Life and Ongoing Medical Issues
If you are 13 years or older and have CHARGE syndrome, you and/or your parent or guardian are invited to participate in a research study. Little is known about the problems people have as they are growing up with CHARGE syndrome. To learn more, this study is asking adolescents and adults with CHARGE syndrome to complete a questionnaire. The questionnaire includes questions about the past and present life experiences of people who have CHARGE syndrome and takes approximately 30 to 45 minutes to fill out. Some of the questions are about things that are good in life and some are about things that are not so good. This is described as “quality of life.”
This research study is being conducted by a medical doctor, Dr. Kim Blake, and a psychologist, Dr. Nancy Salem-Hartshorne, who has an adolescent son with CHARGE syndrome. If you volunteer to participate, a packet will be sent to you with consent forms and the questionnaire. Please contact the researchers via email or telephone if you would like to be part of this important research.
Nancy Hartshorne: harts1ns@cmich.edu (989) 774-6469 (Eastern Time Zone)
Dr. Kim Blake: kblake@dal.ca (902) 470-6499 (Atlantic Standard Time)
Accessible Science Webcast and Pilot Website
Perkins Training and Educational Resources Program is proud to present our latest on-demand educational webcast on Accessible Science. This webcast is part of a series and goes along with a pilot website focused exclusively on making science accessible to students who are visually impaired. Visit the website here: http://www.perkins.org/whatsnew/accessible-science.html
New Publications
View Grant Performance Reporting Webinar Recording 3/01/2010
Find the recording of the webinar, power point and other documents here.