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Technical Assistance

Services are provided via each of the eight Regional programs, the Oregon School for the Deaf, and partner organizations such as the Commission for the Blind, and the Oregon Parent Training and Information Center. Each Regional program, and each of the special schools have a Regional Consulting Teacher working with the teams for children who are deafblind. Once children have been identified as Deafblind, a team is eligible for Team Training.

The project also provides support, consultation and assistance to families of students who are deafblind. Annually, the Project hosts at least one parent or family weekend for training and networking purposes.

Technical assistance includes on-site consultation, inservice training, workshops, and assistance with program development. The Technical Assistance offered by the project attempts to match what a child's educational or service provider team, a child's family, or the child NEEDS. It can include one or more of the following:

• Consultation
• Observational evaluation of the child and his/her environment
• Round table or brain-storming meetings with a child's family, team, or others who may be important to a child's future (e.g., a community organization or business that may provide work or occupation in future years)
• Planning and conducting the ODB Workshop Training Series
• Follow up assistance to teams who have completed the Workshop Series
• One-time visits to discuss a specific issue or conduct a topic-specific training that may be related to what a trained team has determined they need
• Phone calls and conferences
• E-mail conversations
• Specific information as requested

Technical assistance may be provided onsite and is scheduled to occur at times best suited to the family, service providers, and the district or organization.

• A child's team may need to learn some ways to help a child to communicate more efficiently, especially if the child is not likely to use conventional communication such as speech or sign language; OR
• Families may need information on how to make the environment in the home more friendly to their child - e.g., more focused lighting, highlighting stairs, contrasting eating equipment, creating a "leisure corner" OR
• The team may need someone to observe a child's daily routines, and help them to plan how best to modify these.

Training Opportunities

The project will provide training directly, or facilitate appropriate training. Training can be face-to-face or via distance media.

Every year, six early intervention or school-based teams (which includes parents) can apply to participate in our Workshop Training Series. Depending on the number of hours for each training session, the series can take between 6-8 months (or one 3-day intensive session) to complete. Topics are chosen by looking at the IFSP/IEP and team requests. Activities are hands-on and child-specific, and everyone gets to actually use the techniques!

The project collaborates with pre-service programs run by universities and colleges - to provide their students with insight into the world of Deafblindness.

Click for information about requesting and receiving training..

Family Leadership Training

Oregon has been selected to participate in Family Leadership training in collaboration with the National Coalition on Deaf- Blindness (NCDB). A small group of parents will identify and pursue meaningful leadership roles based on the interests and strengths of their own families. They will participate in a parent training which was developed at the Utah State University called SPARKLE (Supporting Parent Access to Resources, Knowledge, Linkages and Education). This is an innovative program that uses DVDs and allows parents to set their own pace. The website: http://www.sparkle.usu.edu/

Other family events will also be organized - for purposes of recruitment as well as to create a stronger family network within Oregon.