2017 National Webinar: Comprehensive Personnel Development in Deafblind Education: Exploration of a Model
Recorded March 22, 2017
The diverse learners who are deafblind have unique and often intensive needs that require the services of qualified, specifically trained educators. Although the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) has developed competencies for Teacher of the Deafblind, the role is not officially recognized in most states. Therefore, sustaining personnel development training in deafblindness has been challenging. This webinar explored a model for a comprehensive system of personnel development in deafblind education that looks at standards, preservice training, inservice/professional development, leadership development, research, and finally, national and local planning, coordination, and evaluation.
This webinar was apart of a larger series titled NCDB Professional Development Webinar Series: Research in Deaf-Blindness.
Webinar Resources
Recording and Transcript
Associated Files
Presentation Slides
Presenter Information
Dr. Cathy Nelson teaches in the Department of Special Education at the University of Utah. She is coordinator of the Deafblind Teacher Preparation Program and also teaches courses in the areas of Early Childhood Special Education and Severe Disabilities. Her research interests include assessment of children with multiple disabilities including deafblindness, reduction of stress and increasing self-regulation and engagement in children with deafblindness, and promotion of play and engagement of young children with autism. In addition, she is involved in promoting the role of Teacher of the Deafblind. She has long collaborated with Dr. Jan van Dijk on the child-guided assessment process and has co-authored several publications on the assessment. She consults nationally and internationally in the area of deafblindness and has provided technical assistance to programs serving children with sensory impairments and multiple disabilities in Russia and Armenia. In 2016, Cathy received the Virginia M. Sowell from the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired for her work in the area of deafblindness.
Dr. Amy Parker has worked in the field of deafblindness for 25 years as an employment counselor, job coach, in-home family specialist, professor, advocate, and technical assistance provider. Her favorite role is that of sister to an individual with multiple disabilities including deafblindness. She has numerous peer-reviewed and practice based publications in the field of visual impairment and deafblindness. Her research interests including single-subject intervention studies that include people with multiple disabilities and community-based participatory action research. Dr. Parker has presented at numerous national and international conferences.