The National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness

NCDB
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NCDB HIGHLIGHTS

Early Childhood

The NCDB Early Childhood workgroup is developing a survey to assess the needs and interests of state deaf-blind projects in the area of early childhood identification and intervention. The workgroup plans to use results of the survey to determine quality products, technical assistance and training activities within specific areas of early childhood. The survey is currently being field tested with South Dakota, Illinois, South Carolina, Pennsylvania and Oregon. The survey will be revised based on field test results and distributed to all state projects in January.

Personnel Preparation Consortium

The second meeting of the NCDB Personnel Prep Consortium met in New Orleans, November 5 – 6, 2007. The group consists of personnel preparation programs at institutions of higher education that focus on or have some concentration in deaf-blindness. Three primary focus areas resulted from the meeting and include (1) developing a CEC SPA (Specialized Professional Association) for deaf-blindness, (2) exploring a national collaborative program of professional development, and (3) discussing a framework for research in deaf-blindness. The Consortium will meet again in May 2008.

Technical Assistance

Area 1

Staff from the Pacific Partnerships deaf-blind project identified the need for culturally appropriate tools to assist teachers and paraeducators in completing functional hearing and vision assessments. NCDB is providing technical assistance to develop assessment processes and forms that can be supported by resources available in the Pacific Islands. Staff from the Pacific project provided awareness training on the cultures and lifestyles of people living in the Pacific Basin Islands during a meeting at Western Oregon University. An initial draft of a functional hearing assessment, guidelines and forms were created and presented at the 2007 Summer Institute. Participants have started field testing and will continue over the next few months.

Area 2

For more than three years, DB Central has been at the forefront of a collaborative effort in Michigan to improve post-secondary transition results for students with low incidence disabilities, including deaf-blindness, through the use of a person centered planning process. Currently, seven teams (including five serving students who are deaf-blind) have received extensive training in person centered planning. The teams receive support as they progress toward “turning dreams into reality” and follow-up data are being collected. Among the comments so far are reports of: better understanding of student abilities and interests, feeling like everyone is “on the same page”, more productive/less contentious IEP meetings and possibilities for adult life that exceed previously held visions and expectations.

Area 3

Dr. Deborah Chen will conduct a presentation, Supporting Communication & Social Interactions with Young Children Who Have Multiple Disabilities, at the STARS workshop on February 27th in Oklahoma City. The STARS workshop is a collaborative activity among Oklahoma’s Part C program, the Oklahoma Deaf-Blind project, and NCDB. The Oklahoma Deaf-Blind project and NCDB are providing follow-along services to improve the outcomes of service providers, family members, and child development for children with cochlear implants.

Area 4

NCDB has begun its third year of collaboration with the Pennsylvania Deaf-Blind Project, Hand In Hand, on an exciting parent leadership initiative. This activity typically targets eight to ten family members each year and provides them with three one and one-half day trainings throughout the year. The goal of this initiative is to assist and support parents in becoming agents of change on behalf of their child who is deaf-blind as well as other families living in Pennsylvania.

NEWS & EVENTS

NCDB 2008 Topical to Focus on Literacy

The 2008 NCDB Topical workshop, Emergent Literacy for Children and Youth who are Deaf-Blind: Models and Strategies for Unique Learners, will be held in Orlando, FL, May 13-14, 2008. Watch for news of the conference agenda.

PRODUCTS & PUBLICATIONS

New Practice Perspectives Available

NCDB has a new 4-page publication entitled Children Who Are Deaf-Blind. It provides details about this population of children, including the classification of vision and hearing loss, the types of additional disabilities that may be present, and the causes of deaf-blindness. Vignettes and photos of four children who are deaf-blind illustrate the diversity of this unique group of children. Available on the Web at www.nationaldb.org/documents/products/population.pdf. Print and Braille versions are available from NCDB.

New Research Articles

Authors Susan Bruce, Allison Mann, Chelsea Jones and Mary Gavin have published Gestures Expressed by Children Who are Congenitally Deaf-Blind: Topography, Rate, and Function. This descriptive study examines the quality and communicative function of gestures expressed by seven children who are congenitally deaf-blind. In JVIB, October 2007, Volume 101, Number 10.

Susan Bruce and Claudia Vargas have authored Intentional Communication Acts Expressed by Children with Severe Disabilities in High Rate Contexts. Seven of the 17 children included in the study are deaf-blind. In Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 2007, 23:4.

Amy McKenzie has published The Use of Learning Media Assessments with Students Who Are Deaf-Blind. This study investigates the decision-making process used by teachers of students with visual impairments in determining the literacy media of students who are deaf-blind. In JVIB, October 2007, Volume 101, Number 10.

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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.