CONNECTIONS BEYOND SIGHT AND SOUND Advisory Committee Meeting April 24, 2015
Aug 07, 2015
CONNECTIONS BEYOND SIGHT AND SOUND
Advisory Committee Meeting
April 24, 2015
AgendaI. Welcome, Introductions & Update Roster
II. Connections – Around the State Updates from CBSS
III. Delrey Demonstration Project Update
BREAK
IV. Mini-Grant Information & Presentations
Welcome! - Introductions (Staff and AC Members) - Roster Updates
“Connecting -- the walk & the talk”
In about 15-20 seconds…• Share your name and affiliation.• Share what “footwear” symbolizes you
and your work in the deaf-blind community
Sandals ?Bare Feet ?
Loafers ?
Running Shoes ?
Hiking Boots ?
Flip Flops ?Dance Shoes ?
Slippers ?
Connections• Across the State & District
What’s happening with you – in your school, community, county, district, area….
• From CBSS What’s happening with us –
updates from CBSS…
Tri-Area Family Picnic“A Day at the Farm”Sunday, May 17, 2015
1 – 4 pm
FREE EVENT for familiesin Maryland, DC, & Virginia
Hidden Brook Stables6790 Dorsey Lane
Woodbine, Maryland 21797
Register www.CBSS.UMD.edu
Update Family Activity
Update Training
Summer Institute 2015
Cortical Visual Impairment:A Focus on Phase III Learners
Dr. Christine Roman-Lantzy
June 22-24University of Maryland
College Park
Register www.CBSS.UMD.edu
Update Policy: HR 4040What is this?• Alice Cogswell & Annie Sullivan Macy Act• Amendment to IDEA• Impacts the rights of students who are deaf or deaf-blind
Why this matters…• CBSS is the DC & MD Deaf-blind project –
Policies that impact this population are connected to our work• Could make interveners a “related service”• Training and preparation of interveners will be needed
Impact on children, families, providers, and practice?
Delrey Demonstration ProjectAn update from Sara Kempler, M.Ed.
Update Partnerships
A Multi-Sensory Approach to Literacy: A Partnership Between
Connections and Delrey SchoolSara K. Kempler, M.Ed.
April 2015
“Converting” the Classroom: A Collaborative Effort
• Connections – Sandy– 2008, Sandy came out and assessed a student’s vision– Continued discussions with Sandy had me considering that many of our students
demonstrated characteristics of CVI– We started a list of students, Sandy did some assessments, and two staff members were
trained to do CVI Range
• Connections – Donna– 2013, Delrey School and Connections formed a partnership– Donna and I consulted to transform my classroom into a demonstration multi-sensory
classroom– Consulted on a regular basis to foster the partnership– Increased staff understanding of a multi-sensory approach
“Converting” the Classroom: A Collaborative Effort
• Consultants Paula Hamilton and Jen Keenan– Literacy and Common Core – how to create materials that are accessible to
the students, yet still address content, literacy, and the Common Core standards
– Helped increase classroom staff involvement
• Classroom Staff– Buy-in is vital– Staff works as a team to plan units, centers, and make materials
Who are my students?• Visual Impairment – Primarily CVI
– Must consider the characteristics of CVI• Color• Complexity• Movement• Light• Latency• Threat and Touch Visual Reflexes• Novelty• Field Preferences• Visual-Motor
• Currently I have no students with strict Ocular VI, but previously we used Braille exposure as well
Who are my students?
• Orthopedic Impairments• Hearing Impairments• Medically Fragile• Sensory Processing issues (in addition to vision)• Sleep Issues• Seizure Disorders
What accommodations do they need?
• Highlighted text
• Simple Backgrounds
What accommodations do they need?
• Lamps, Light Boxes, Lighted Materials
• Time – Wait, Wait, Wait….
What accommodations do they need?
• Familiar Materials – use the same materials each day
• Movement or properties of movement
• Staff attention to students’ difficulty in using their hands and eyes together
• Staff attention to Field Preferences
What accommodations do they need?
What was different for my classroom?• Typically Developing Daycare students included in class time
– Had to consider the needs of ALL– More students to address
• Processing Difficulties– I found that having textured vocabulary cards, textured books, and props to
accompany the book was too much for my students to process – they would tune it out and start refusing to touch things
• Therapies are increasingly integrated into classroom – but we still have pull-out therapies as well (working to change that!)
• Classroom Layout – need immense amounts of space
What I’ve Learned• Literacy is not just reading and writing• Focus on symbols, language, pictures, anticipation, two-way
communication, and deeper understanding of concepts
What I’ve Learned• Making choices and predictions are important parts of self-
expression, communication, and literacy
What I’ve Learned• Enriching the students’ experiences during the process of reading
is part of literacy
What I’ve Learned• Classroom Centers are a fantastic way to add depth and additional
content areas to the classroom (e.g. Social Studies, Science)• Pocket Charts with Common Core “I Can” statements can help
focus the centers’ learning objectives – these standards do not necessarily change each week, as the centers do
What I’ve Learned• Getting buy-in from the other staff – especially the classroom staff
– is vital to success
What I’ve Learned• It’s a process – takes time, can’t make all changes at once• Sometimes reality steps in and interferes with what I want to
accomplish – or how I want to accomplish it – must be flexible!
Classroom Centers – Math
Classroom Centers – Language Arts
Classroom Centers - Science
Classroom Centers - Vision
Break
See you in 10-15 minutes
Mini-Grant ProjectsWhat are the Mini-Grants?• Field-initiated mini-grant projects• Up to 4 grants for up to $500 each
Why do they matter?• Priority on students with deaf-blindness and/or CVI• Promote innovative practice that improve child outcomes
When is the next application deadline?• Fall 2015 (information & forms on website)
Presentations…
Use of Objects to Enhance Literacy and Concept Development
Carla Brown (Teacher of the Visually Impaired)Heather Harmon (Deaf Blind Intervener)
Montgomery County Public Schools
Mini-Grant Presentation
Team:
• Parent• Special Education Teacher• Paraprofessional trained as intervener• Speech therapist / DHOH Teacher• Teacher of the Visually Impaired• Orientation and Mobility Specialist• Occupational Therapist• Physical Therapist• All school personnel
Why include real objects and experiential learning?
• Team identified:
• Incomplete information was being received from vision and hearing.
• The student showed increase interest and attention in activities that included stories about her experiences.
• There was a need to link objects and experiences to curriculum across all areas.
The team met to coordinate themes and to identify experiential learning that linked to curriculum.
Preparation for experiences
Experiences with real materials and objects
Experience books
Experience and story boxes
Theme: Spring
(e.g., weather, how things grow,
growing fruits and vegetables)
Classroom
Social studies: Growing food
Preparation for experiences
Experiences with real materials and objects
Vocabulary (cooking tools)
Pictures/objects
Story in student’s own words
Technology:
recorded sound,
eBooks
video of activity
Experience books
Experience and Story boxes
What we learned…• Experiences were the most important; experience boxes allowed the
student to use the objects to “tell” the story of what happened and to review the activity
• Stories that had actions that the student could experience were the most relevant.
• Experiences with the objects allowed more efficient picture recognition.
• Community travel was key.
What we have planned…• It feels that we just started!
• Explore technology options.
• Develop experience books for upcoming transition.
• Continued team communication to coordinate experiences and use of real objects throughout the curriculum.
Thank you to Connections Beyond Sight and Sound!
This grant has given us momentum to explore new ways to help our students with deaf blindness!
Use of Objects to Enhance Literacy and Concept Development
Carla Brown (Teacher of the Visually Impaired)Heather Harmon (Deaf Blind Intervener)
Montgomery County Public Schools
Q&A and Discussion
Innovative Instructional Strategies and Accommodations for High School Students
with Additional Learning Needs
Angie Geffen (Special Educator)Paige Gardner (Special Educator)
Maryland School for the Deaf, Frederick Campus
Mini-Grant Presentation
Innovative Instructional Strategies and Accommodations for High School Students
with Additional Learning Needs
Angie Geffen (Special Educator)Paige Gardner (Special Educator)
Maryland School for the Deaf, Frederick Campus
Q&A and Discussion
Utilizing Today’s Technologyfor Better Curriculum Access
Lisa Gastelle (Speech Pathologist)Cyndy Steffenhofer (Special Educator)
Maryland School for the Deaf, Frederick Campus
Mini-Grant Presentation
Utilizing Today’s Technologyfor Better Curriculum Access
Lisa Gastelle (Speech Pathologist)Cyndy Steffenhofer (Special Educator)
Maryland School for the Deaf, Frederick Campus
Q&A and Discussion
Next AC Meeting…
November 6, 2015In the meantime, let’s keep Connected!
www.CBSS.UMD.edu