2. Agenda
I. Welcome & Introductions
II. Update on Connections Grant
III. Census Review â It is that time of year again!
IV. Review of HR 4040
ï Break (10:45am - 11am)
V. Presentations by Committee Chairpersons
ï Lunch (12n - 1pm)
VI. Committee Meetings (1pm â 3:30pm)
4. Update on CBSS Grant Activities
CBSS â Year 1 and Year 2
âą Policy, Practice & Partnerships
- Interveners
- Transition
- SSPs
- Statewide Trainings
- Families
5. CBSS â Year 1 and Year 2 (continuedâŠ)
âą Policy, Practice, & Partnerships â âLots accomplished, lots planned.â
âą Technical Assistance
- Specialized
- Intensive
- UniversalâŠ
Update on CBSS Grant Activities
6. CBSS â Year 1 and Year 2 (continued)
Our New Website!
Same address â totally new look â AND,
up-to-date with news, activities, & resources!
And new materials â
video, brochure, galleries, and moreâŠ
www.CBSS.UMD.edu
Update on CBSS Grant Activities
7. CBSS â Year 1 and Year 2 (conclusion)
âą National Child Count / Census Forms
Update on CBSS Grant Activities
8. THE MD & DC ANNUAL CHILD COUNT
OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH WITH
COMBINED VISION AND HEARING LOSS
9. WHAT IS THE ANNUAL CHILD COUNT
OF CHILDREN WHO ARE
DEAF-BLIND?
10. HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO COMPLETE THE
NECESSARY PAPERWORK?
11. Child Count Reporting Form 2014-2015
What makes this form complete?
âą Testing
âą Assessments
âą Etiology*
14. WHAT IF A CHILD HAS MULTIPLE DISABILITIES
THAT HAPPEN TO INCLUDE VISION AND
HEARING PROBLEMS?
15. WHAT IF THE HEARING AND/OR VISION
PROBLEMS ARE CORTICAL IN NATURE?
16. WHAT IF DEAF-BLINDNESS IS NOT LISTEDAS A
STUDENT'S PRIMARY DISABILITY CONDITION THE
INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION PROGRAM (IEP)?
17. DOES INCLUDING A CHILD ON THEANNUAL CHILD
COUNT / CENSUS OBLIGATE THE SCHOOL PROGRAM
TO PROVIDE SERVICES SUCH AS VISION, HEARING,
ORIENTATIONAND MOBILITY, ETC.?
18. Why is a child's diagnosis included on the census
form?
19. WHAT IF MY SCHOOL DISTRICT DOES NOT
CURRENTLY HAVE ANY STUDENTS WHO ARE
DEAF-BLIND AT THIS TIME?
20. WHAT IF I DON'T KNOW ALL THE
INFORMATION REQUESTED ON THE CENSUS
FORM FOR A PARTICULAR STUDENT?
27. HR 4040
What is this?
âą Alice Cogswell & Annie Sullivan Macy Act
âą Amendment to IDEA
âą Impacts the rights of students
Why this mattersâŠ
âą CBSS is the DC & MD Deaf-blind project â
Policies that impact this population are connected to our work
âą Could make interveners a ârelated serviceâ
âą Training and preparation of interveners will be needed
Impact on children, families, providers, and practice?
Begin at 9:40
Welcome and intro â 9:40 â 9:55
Introduce me and the team
Time 9:55 am â 10:10
This is our conceptual framework
Also located on our website
Thx Jeni â created as part of our new grant cycle â a request from OSEP
You can clearly see there are FIVE areas that are inter-related in our grant
These area are all dynamic with the ultimate goal to improve child outcomes
First three areas â impact policy, practice, and partnerships
 (brief summary on interveners, transition, SSPs, learning and communication, and families)
Hard to separate these sometimesâŠ
They are dynamic and âconnectedâ
HIGHLIGHT JUST FEW SAMPLES
of what we accomplished last year,
and ongoing and new activities for the coming year.
INTERVENERS: 1 MIN
-- big topic â so big, that second have of AC meeting today dedicated to the topic
-- Lauri Triulzi was instrumental in working with national groups
 to create and pilot the online training modules
  Year 1 â 25 ish individuals were invited to participate in the pilot program
  Year 2 â expanded modules, even more in development,
 and new cohort of 90 participants
TRANSITION: 1 MIN
--- we have been working in Partnership with DORS and CLB
 to provide Training
-- This training builds on itself year after year
--- Began with introductory information
 moved into to customized employment
 and to supporting school systems in planning for transition process --
--- Next year focus is
  Assistive technology in the workplace.
- multi-state webinars â ITTI â online with teams
SSPs: less than 1 MIN
-- Support service provider trainingÂ
     Intervener for adult servicesÂ
--Last year â provided training with our partnersâŠÂ
   CLB and DORSâŠÂ
--this year -- December is next training --Â
    Apply â info is on website.Â
HOW WE ALL LEARN â emphasis COMMUNICATION: less than 1 min
fall 2013â STW with Mark Campano (DE D-B project)
-Understanding the brain and how we all learnâŠ.
-Exploring and practice using Communication Matrix
-Tips & demonstrations â adapting common core and curriculum
-Better understanding how we all learn â in different ways
-Â And how to support students with dual sensory needs
popular demandâŠ
SUMMER INSTITUTE JUNE 2014 â again more in-depth
 Had Mark back â delve into the issues in greater depth
 across a full week, rather than a day and half.
   we are now working in partnership with MSB
   on a strategic plan that will include CHARTING
  student communication development and progress.
Mark will help them build and achieve this process and goal.
 -- another part of our partnership growth in year 2
NOW we are happy to be working with MSB / year two / Jan â March 2015
â series of trainings-- still in development
FAMILIES 1: less than a minute
-- last spring, we worked with our partner, PPMD
  on a 5 session spring Family Leadership Training opportunity
 Great / education / fun / networking / successfulâŠ
-- this spring â another 5 session FLT opportunity
 info on the website --- DEC DEADLINE for registration
-- Important to us and OSEP â we will help familites get to the trainings.
DONNA â FAMILIES 2: 1 min or so
-- Foundation funds â support families
 activities and resources RELAED TO, BUT
 above and beyond what is covered by education
â any gift any time â working on fundraising ideas
 FAMILIES 3: less than a minute
-- Spring picnic --- May 2015 â outdoor picnic , therputic riding
Details will come together as we get closerâŠ
technical assistance
Three area that are outlined in our grant â
specialized, intensive, and universal
Specialized â topical
Already mentioned a number of our training activitiesâŠ
Specific topics or needs â STW and SI / needs assessments and evaluations
Intensive â child specific
Donna, Sandy, and Lauri all agree:
âIT IS INTENSEâ
Each year there are new students,
And there are some carry over students
Some with very intense needs
(very young and transition periods)
- others with less intense needs
-- IN DC â
currently serving more students than at any other time
in the history of the DB project
Also serving first Spanish speaking family â MD and DC
Regionally â NY has a staff member fluent in Spanish and PPMD has loaned us their person as well
They are working with usâŠ
And we are working on expanding some of our resources
to make them available to Spanish speaking families
Universal â make lots of info available to folks
they access/use it as they need itâŠ
MANY CHANGESâŠ
New brochures, and materialsâŠ
new video⊠and a NEW WEBSITEâŠ
ContinuesâŠ
Website -
Totally new, and up to date, and we can post any info or resources YOU sendâŠÂ
The new website â
Same address⊠new lookâŠ
Actually â two addressesâŠ
We kept the same weâve had for years,
had to (university)âŠ
but for the new look,
created a new platform, and merged themâŠ
Thatâs why you will see
MarylandDB.org in the address barâŠ
It automatically goes thereâŠ
regardless of the address you useâŠlots to see, resources for providers, families and students
Last area is the national DB child count â
Lets go forward to the next presentation
Â
Census stuff overview â 10:10-10:25 â Donna
10:10 am
Annual child count power point
Census stuff overview â 10:10-10:25 â Donna
THANK YOU for the 2013-2014 â done well!!!
This matters -- we have accurate and up to date dataâŠ
which is crucial in the great scheme of the projectâŠ
Follow slides
Sample folders â color â inside states county -
Sign in â if u take for your counterparts folder, pls let me know.
CBSS DB project conducts an annual count of all children from birth to age 21 in Maryland and DC who have both hearing and vision challenges.
Since the information on the census is confidential, specific data are submitted to the federal government (such as cause of deaf-blindness and type of school placement).
All state deaf-blind projects that receive federal funding are required to complete an annual registry or âcensusâ of children and youth, birth through 21 years of age, who are deaf-blind or otherwise known as dual sensory impaired. The data is compiled into a confidential report and submitted to the U. S. Department of Education / OSEP by April 1st of each year.
The project staff has worked hard to streamline the form for ongoing students so that it takes a short time to review and complete each form. For students who are new to the census, the paperwork will take a little more time as the form must be completed in full or as much as possible for the first time.
Anyone want the info electronically, PLEASE let me know ASAP.
What makes this form complete?
Has testing dates â however we do prefer that the testing is within 12 mo â we understand that this may not happen â please indicate the most recent exams. Eye Doctor and an audiology assessment â we need those dates! AND there is an Etiology â GREAT!!!
No longer can we use further testing needed
any time we can document WHAT the impairment is, this is always best!
Is this student totally blind? Then lets change it. Documented hearing loss â which level of loss is it??
Please update etiology â OTHER does not satisfy OSEP requirements* Last year we did better with testing info â so this year lets focus on getting an etiology please!
Early identification of vision and hearing loss is very important, as strategies need to be implemented as soon as possible to help these children learn about their world in alternative ways. Since these children have a âdual sensory impairmentâ, techniques that are utilized for children with either a hearing impairment and/or a vision impairment are often not enough to meet the unique learning needs of children with deaf-blindness. Subsequently, very specific, individualized, instructional strategies need to be developed for each child. If these strategies are utilized at home as well as in the educational setting, then this can mean a significant improvement in the quality of life for these children and youth.
CBSS provides technical assistance, training, and support for families, service providers and educational teams working with children and youth who are deaf-blind.
Another reason why it is very important to accurately count the number of children in our state who qualify for services, is that MD and DC funding for technical assistance and training is based upon the number of children identified.
A student age birth to age 21 yrs that has challenges with vision and hearing at the same time and anything else is a bonus!
Federal Definition of Deaf-Blindness - - www.NationalDB.org -- NCDB
In your packet â Marcellaâs letter â page two
The federal definition of deaf- blindness includes âchildren and youth having auditory and visual impairments, the combination of which creates such severe communication and other developmental and learning needs that they cannot be appropriately educated without special education and related services, beyond those that would be provided solely for children with hearing impairments, visual impairment, or severe disabilities, to address their educational needs due to these concurrent disabilitiesâ.
In addition all infants, toddlers, and preschoolers who have vision and hearing loss need to be identified and represented on the census. This includes all âchildren who are experiencing developmental delays in vision and hearing, have a diagnosed physical or mental condition that has a high probability of resulting in developmental delays in hearing and vision, or who is at risk of having substantial developmental delays in hearing and vision if early intervention services are not provided.â
The child does not have to be completely deaf and blind; in fact the majority of those identified have some degree of functional vision and hearing. It does not matter if the child is classified by the school district under another category such as multiply impaired, as long as they meet the requirement of having vision and hearing loss in addition to their other disabilities. Children who have cortical vision and /or hearing impairment should also be included in the census count.
Many children who are deaf-blind have additional disabilities, including developmental delay, physical challenges, serious health impairments, and so on. Please complete a census form for all students that have hearing and vision problems, regardless of the presence or absence of additional disabilities.
We typically say â Hearing and vision challenges at the same time â and
Anything else is a bonus!
Children with sensory impairments that are cortical in nature, such as cortical visual impairment and/or central auditory processing disorder or auditory neuropathy, should be placed on the census.
These students usually require adaptations and modifications to their educational programs.
In addition, the hearing and vision problems must be considered when developing effective, communication programs for these individuals.
If a learner has combined vision and hearing loss, he or she should have the label of deaf-blind on his or her IEP. It can be a primary or secondary label.
No.
Individualized needs and services are determined by the family and educators through the Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) process.
The student DOES NOT NEED to be receiving itinerant services in hearing or vision to be on the DB census!!!!
Knowing the reason that a child has combined vision and hearing loss is important for a number of reasons.
First, it allows project staff to make important connections between families. For example, parents of a child with CHARGE Syndrome might contact our office and ask if there are other parents of children with the same syndrome in their area. The census allows us to make these family-to-family connections (with parent permission, of course).
This data is also reviewed from a national perspective (with data from all 50 states) to determine which causes of deaf-blindness are on the increase or decrease, if there are geographic clusters of students with similar conditions, and so on.
It is possible that smaller administrative units may not have any students with combined hearing and vision problems.
Statistically, we know that there should be about one child who is deaf-blind for every 4,200 students in a district. Another guide we use is that there are approximately two students who are deaf-blind for every 1,000 receiving special education services. Project staff is available to assist in identification efforts.
Please give us as much information as you have.
It is more important that we have an accurate count of students.
Project staff will work with you to complete the missing information.
Good for only one year without full completion â such as the date of the student's last vision exam. Good for one year!
You! If you are here today, then we are assuming you will be involved in this process.
it is you or your counter-part in your system.
Typically D/HOH teachers, TVI, Supervising teacher, lead teacher, student support services administrator,
The information is used to track and monitor the incidence of Deaf- blindness across the country, as well as in each state. The information provided also helps each state plan for appropriate training and technical assistance activities to meet the needs of the children and youth, families, service providers, and educators within each state. And finally, once a child is identified, the Project can then initiate and respond to any requests for technical assistance and training on behalf of that child.
Census form vs. Referral Form
Next slide â contact us
Contact us
Time end 10:25
Time 10:30 am
What is this?
Alice Cogswell & Annie Sullivan Macy Act
Amendment to IDEA
Impacts the rights of students who are deaf/hh â who are blind/vi â who are deaf-blind
Why this mattersâŠ
CBSS is the DC & MD Deaf-blind project â Policies that impact this population are connected to our work
Could make interveners a ârelated serviceâ
Training and preparation of interveners will be needed
We r already getting MD and DC prepared by working closely with MSDE, collaborating with stakeholders and providing onling training with modules â
Focus is interveners
Preparing and training many to become an intervener
Will be reintroduced to congress early this year â 2015
The Executive Committee of the National Coalition on Deafblindness has been working to include language âŠ
Includes:
Wording which designates intervener services in the ârelated servicesâ listing
Wording which reflects the need for the recognition of and training for teachers of the deafblind
Wording which adapts the federal definition of deafblindness
Wording requiring each state to specifically address deafblind issues in the development of the state plan
All info on websiteâŠ
And the AFB website
Lets hear from the steering committees chairperson â thoughts and perspective on HR 4040 for D/HH and B/ VI
Want to hear your perspective -- Think about how this may impact your population and your district
What training or resources will be needed by your county when this passes?
Break 10:45 am
Presenters then Discussion â time 11:05am
11:05 â 11:30 D/HH
11:30 â 11:55 B/VI
11:55 â closing from CBSS
Here are my thoughts for the brief presentation. I listed the details below.
Â
1. General updated information about the D/HH committee
Â
2. Discuss with Vision Steering Committee how to increase recruitment to low incidence profession: audiologists, teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing, teachers of the visually-impaired, OM specialist and so forth
Â
3. Addressing the accommodations for the PARCC assessments for the two low incidence student population.
Â
I would really like to share the discussion with the vision group on the last two items.Â
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