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