Teaching Children Who Are Deafblind: Professional Development for Educators
These modules are designed for practitioners who want to improve their knowledge of deafblindness and gain practical information they can put to use right away in the home or classroom.
- Module 1: “The Impact of Deafblindness on Learning and Development" Foundational information that’s essential for working with children who are deafblind (Watch the Module 1 Trailer)
- Module 2: “Early Intervention for Children Who Are Deafblind" Strategies for encouraging communication, concept development, and more for infants and toddlers who are deafblind (Watch the Module 2 Trailer)
User-Friendly Training
Modules in this series were designed to be easily incorporated into a wide variety of in-person or virtual training programs, courses, or events.
Each module includes more than two hours of training, divided into four 30-minute lessons. For ease of use, each lesson is presented in three short video sections and includes additional activities and resources.
Read an overview of the series, module topics, and project plans.
Module 2 Now Available
For information on incorporating modules in this series into your professional development platform, visit Instructions for Professional Development Providers or contact support@nationaldb.org.
Announcements
- We are looking for a wide variety of videos and photos of educators, children, and family members. If you are interested in submitting, contact support@nationaldb.org.
- To receive occasional updates (e.g., new modules, user tips), sign up for our mailing list.
Coming This Summer! Communicating With Children Who Are Deafblind
Production is well underway on our next module, Communicating With Children Who Are Deafblind. The new module explores the many ways children who are deafblind communicate and provides essential information, strategies, and detailed examples of how to
- Develop and expand their communication skills at all levels
- Provide effective access to the general education curriculum
- Create stronger connections with others
You’ll hear from children who are deafblind, their parents, educators, and leading experts in the field about how deafblindness impacts communication and learn effective strategies for expanding communication skills.
The module includes more than two hours of engaging, informative professional development, divided into short, user-friendly video sections.
Lesson 1: Communication Essentials
Lesson 2: Emerging Communication
Lesson 3: Symbolic Communication
Lesson 4: Complex Language and Proficient Communicators
Communicating With Children Who Are Deafblind promises to be an essential addition to any professional development program or training on deafblindness.
Meet our Module 3 Expert
MaryAnn Demchak, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA (NV and TN)
Dr. MaryAnn Demchak is Professor of Special Education at the University of Nevada, Reno, where she has taught courses in severe, multiple disabilities and applied behavior analysis in special education for over 35 years. She has also taught a variety of special topics courses such as emerging literacy for students with severe, multiple disabilities; communication for students with severe, multiple disabilities; characteristics of intellectual disability; and various courses in the area of deafblindness.
Dr. Demchak has nearly 100 publications and 250 national and international presentations. Her research emphasis is on instruction of students with severe, multiple disabilities, including sensory impairments; behavioral skills training of paraprofessional and professional staff; and applied behavior analysis in special education.
Dr. Demchak has been director of Nevada’s state deafblind project (Nevada Dual Sensory Impairment Project) since 1990. The project provides technical assistance to families and service providers of children, birth-22 years of age, who have impairments in both vision and hearing. She works extensively throughout the state in schools and early intervention settings as well as with families to support the educational needs of children with severe, multiple disabilities that include impairments in both vision and hearing.
Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge and thank all those who are contributing to the development of these modules.
- Described and Captioned Media Program, Media Player
- Brian Daigle, Video Editor
- Shelby Morgan, Narrator
- Eric Taylor at Garden Tiger Studio, Audio Editor
- Susan Becker, Digital Archivist, Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI)
- The children, youth, families, educators, and state deafblind project personnel who provided videos and photos and participated in interviews
- Arizona Freelance Interpreting Services, ASL and Audio Description
- Content experts, professional development providers, families, and teachers who served as reviewers
- The many professional development providers who provided advice and guidance on the structure and format for the modules
Content Experts
Module 1
Maurice Belote and Michelle Clyne
Module 2
Nancy Hatfield and Sundie Marx