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Deaf-Blind: Resources
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View information for educators and parents to support students with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Professional Development
2022 Summer Institute On Deaf-Blindness & Significant Support Needs
June 13-14, 2022
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
In-Person
Denver Metro Area
Day 1: Communication Fundamentals and a Few Extra Tidbits for Good Measure
Communication is at the core of everything we do with children and youth who are deafblind. Supporting students who are deaf-blind to become proficient communicators can challenge family members and even the most skilled and experienced educators. But there is rarely anything as thrilling as watching a child successfully communicate for the first time, whether it is to name an object or action or whether it is to express an emotion or describe an abstract concept. Day one of a two-day training will include a focus on the features of communication that are unique to children who are deaf-blind and/or who have significant support needs and offer evidence-based strategies that address the needs of emerging communicators. The session will also cover the use of authentic assessment data to drive decision making, how to manage large transdisciplinary teams, the impact of stress and anxiety on communication, and will debunk the myth that it is ever too late to become a competent communicator.
Day 2: Teaching Social Skills, Facilitating Friendships, and Preparing Students to Have Wonderful, Self-Determined Lives
There may never have been a more important time to focus on social skills, friendships, and self-esteem. Children and young adults are growing up in what public health experts are calling the loneliest generation in recorded history. What can families and educators do to ensure that these students have the skills they need to live rich, self-determined lives that include meaningful engagement and lasting friendships? This session will include strategies that can be implemented right away to address these critical issues, including strategies for facilitating and maintaining natural peer relationships, and the development of communication systems that support making and keeping friends. The session will also cover independence and interdependence and how they are influenced by familial cultural factors, the ways in which social relationships change throughout children’s lives, and the importance of maintaining a presence on social media in the 21st century.
Registration
When registering please indicate if you require any accommodation(s). All accommodations must be requested no later than two weeks prior to the event. Requests made after this time cannot be guaranteed.
On Demand Professional Learning Specific to Deaf-Blindness
Pediatric deafness/hearing loss is addressed in five training modules on topics that detail (a) the importance and methods to detect and identify early-onset hearing loss; (b) the mechanics of how we hear; (c) the types and incidence of early-onset deafness/hearing loss; (d) the degree of hearing loss; and (e) causes and risk factors for early-onset hearing loss.
- Early Hearing Detection and Intervention
- How We Hear
- Types of Hearing Loss
- Degree of Hearing Loss
- Etiologies and Risk Factors of Hearing Loss
Lending Library
A lending library is maintained with up-to-date books, articles, workshop materials, videotapes, and manuals related to the topic of vision and hearing loss.Lending library materials are mailed out upon request.
Colorado Resources for Families of Children who are Deafblind
- Deaf-blindness (CDE) (PDF)
- Deaf-blindness: Educational Service Guidelines (Perkins Scout)
- Hands and Voices (Colorado Office)
- Helen Keller National Center - Rocky Mountain Office
- Parents of Blind Children (Colorado)
- Parent to Parent of Colorado
- Peak Parent Center
- Special Education - Parent Information and Resources
- Special Education - Parents Encouraging Parents Conference
National and International Resources Specific to Deaf-Blindness:
- American Association of the Deaf-Blind (AADB)
- Center for Literacy and Disability Studies
- Communication Matrix
- Deafblind International
- Experience Books (Washington Sensory Disability Services)
- Hands and Voices
- Hands and Voices - Colorado Office
- Helen Keller National Center for Deafblind Youth and Adults (HKNC)
- Interveners and Children Who Are Deaf-blind
- Intervener Resource Page (NCDB)
- Intervener Resources, Videos and Recommendations (NCDB)
- Literacy for Children with Combined Vision and Hearing Loss (Literacy Website Resources)
- National Center on Deafblindness (NCDB)
- National Family Association for the Deafblind (NFADB)
- National Organization of Rare Disorders (NORD)
- Path to Literacy
- Promoting Literacy - Emergent Writing
- Sibling Support Project
- Tarheel Reader- a collection of free, easy-to-read, and accessible books on a wide range of topics
National Resources Specific to Children with Disabilities
For more information about the Colorado Services for Children and Youth with Combined Vision and Hearing Loss project, please contact:
Tanni Anthony
Phone: (303) 866-6681
Email Tanni Anthony
Gina Herrera
Phone: (303) 866-6605
Email Gina Herrera
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