News from NLCSD 10.21.17

Participants attended meeting sessions about work on the Hill, allyship, and public policy. Faculty and PAC members, worked with the scholars in preparation for the scholars' visits with their state senators on Capitol Hill to discuss educational issues within the field of sensory disabilities in their individual states.

Photo Caption: Scholars and PAC members before their Hill visits.

Check out our Flickr to see photos from the meeting!

Our Conference of Choice - Deafblind International Conference (DbI)

Four NLCSD deafblind scholars attended the 9th European Deafblind International Conference from September 5th - 8th in Aalborg, Denmark. The theme was 'Touch of Closeness.' Key note speeches, panels, workshops and posters reflected the main topics of touch and connections, and were evenly divided over congenital and acquired deafblindness.

From left to right: Brooke Barnhill (Cohort 1), Tara Brown-Ogilvie (Cohort 2), Kristi Probst (Cohort 1), and Bernadette Van Den Tillaart (Cohort 2)

Please click here to read more about their experience at the 9th European Deafblind International Conference.

Enrichment Program

The online 2017-2018 Enrichment Program has officially begun. Session 1 ran from October 2nd to October 20th, 2017.

Cohort 1 explored COLLABORATIVE SKILLS: Introduction, Working with People of
Varying Perspectives/Roles led by Dr. Olaya Landa-Vialard and members of the Management Team.

Scholars took part in a DAY IN THE LIFE PANEL, led by Drs. Rona Pogrund and Olaya Landa-Vialard.

Cohort 2 learned about Why Write Grant Proposals and What You Need to Know Before You Start Writing led by Drs. Sandy Lewis, Leigh Kackley, Silvia Correa-Torres, and Jenna Voss.

The complete 2017-2018 Enrichment Program syllabus for Cohort 1 can be found here.

The complete 2017-2018 Enrichment Program syllabus for Cohort 2 can be found here.

Thank you to all of the Faculty and PAC members who will contribute their time and expertise in the coming year!

Congratulations, Dr. Kristi Probst!

Congratulations to Dr. Kristi Probst (Cohort 1 Scholar) for successfully defending her dissertation, Measuring the Longitudinal Communication Growth of Learners who are Deafblind.

Please click here to read more about Kristi.

Congratulations, Rachel Schles!

NLCSD2 Cohort 2 Scholar, Rachel Schles, was recently published in the Teacher Education and Special Education (TESE): The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children.

Schles, R. A. & Robertson, R. (2017). The role of performance feedback and implementation of evidence based practices for preservice special education teachers and student outcomes: A review of the literature. Teacher Education and Special Education. Online First. doi.org/10.1177/088840641773657

Please click here to learn more about Rachel.

Grant Award Recipients!

NLCSD would like to recognize those who received grant awards for the Federal Fiscal Year 2017. We would love to continue to highlight those who receive funding for their programs. Please send the following information to Emily Vasile (NLCSD Coordinator) at [email protected]:

1. Name

2. Project Title

3. Funding Agency

4. Number of Years

5. Focus

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Name: Sarah Ammerman, University of Texas Health Science Center

Project Title: Deaf Education and Educational Psychology (D.E.E.P.) Learning in Texas, 325K

Funding Agency: Office of Special Education Programs

Number of Years: 5

Focus: D.E.E.P. Learning in Texas proposes to co-educate aspiring teachers of the deaf (TODs) and educational psychologists, particularly those specializing in school psychology (SP). There is a dearth of professionals who possess competencies from both professions; however, the children with whom each works would benefit from interdisciplinary training. In addition, the fields of deaf education and SP each experience chronic personnel shortages. D.E.E.P. Learning in Texas will help allay that deficit.

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Name: Laura Bozeman, University of Massachusetts

Project Title: Interdisciplinary Personnel Preparation Teacher of Students with Visual Impairment

Funding Agency: Office of Special Education Programs

Number of Years: 5

Focus: The proposal supports the interdisciplinary collaboration between the university's state licensure program preparing Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments: Birth-12, and the university's related service program in preparing Orientation

Mobility Specialists: across the lifespan. Each program is two years in length resulting in a M.Ed. The project supports the preparation of 80 new highly qualified state licensed teachers in an area of critical need while making significant improvements to enhance the interdisciplinary collaboration between two essential team members. TVI's prepared based on CEC/DBVI standards and O&M Specialists prepared based on ACVREP standards, both gain a deeper understanding of interdisciplinary teamwork.

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Name: Paula Conroy, University of Northern Colorado

Project Title: Bridging Blindness and Behavior: Applied Behavior Analysis for Preservice Teachers of Children with Visual Impairments and Orientation and Mobility Specialists

Funding Agency: Office of Special Education Programs

Number of Years: 5

Focus: This program provides interdisciplinary training in special education and behavior. ABA procedures will be the focus in educating scholars to meet the high intensity needs of

children with visual impairments who have additional disabilities, including autism. The TVI and O&M programs take 2.5 years combined. The Behavior Certificate will take two summers to complete. This project proposes to support 44 teachers in VI, O&M and Behavior. Scholars will earn a MA in Special Education with an Emphasis in Visual Impairment and be eligible to become nationally certified in Orientation and Mobility. They will also earn a Behavior Certificate.

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Name : Sandra Lewis, Florida State University

Project Title: Critical Initiatives in Visual Impairment

Funding Agency: Florida Department of Education

Number of Years : 1

Focus: This award supports the preparation of teachers of students with visual impairments and orientation and mobility specialists in Florida, both at our on-campus location in Tallahassee and at a satellite location in the greater Tampa area. It also provides funding that allows Florida State University to offer intensive support for students with low vision in the state. Through this initiative, eligible students are provided comprehensive low vision evaluations by low vision specialists trained to work with children, prescribed handheld, non-electric devices are dispensed to these students, and their teachers and parents are provided ongoing assistance to ensure that students have the skills to use these devices.

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Name: Tessa McCarthy, University of Pittsburgh

Project Title: Project Certified Orientation and Mobility/Behavior Specialist (COMBS)

Funding Agency: Office of Special Education Programs

Number of Years: 5

Focus: The Vision Studies Program at the University of Pittsburgh was awarded a personnel preparation grant from the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). The award will provide five years of funding for Project Certified Orientation and Mobility/Behavior Specialist (COMBS). Project COMBS will provide tuition assistance so that individuals who are already certified as teachers of students with visual impairments can return to school to obtain certification in orientation and mobility as well as certification as a behavior specialist. Similarly, Project Combs will provide tuition assistance to students in the applied behavior analysis program at the University of Pittsburgh if those students will take four core courses in vision studies. The goal is to help professionals to be more well-rounded and able to fully support the members of IEP teams.

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Name: Fabiana Perla, Salus University

Project Title: Project LEGIT (Learning Experiences Grounded in Interprofessional Training

Funding Agency: Office of Special Education Programs

Number of Years: 5

Focus: Project LEGIT stands for Learning Experiences Grounded in Interprofessional Training. The project will immerse our students in an interprofessional experience both in didactic and direct service and will emphasize working with children with high intensity needs, particularly those with Cortical Visual Impairments (CVI).

The interdisciplinary components of LEGIT include:

1) interprofessional coursework/group assignments and lectures,

2) shared fieldwork/clinical experiences with students in the OT and SLP programs;

3) direct learning from families of children with disabilities via Families as Faculty Program;

4) real-world learning experiences

Project LEGIT w ill be monitored through on-going quantitative and qualitative assessment with input from the Interprofessional Steering Committee, students and content experts. Graduates will be followed for 3-5 years to monitor the impact of the project on services to children with visual impairments.

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Name: Arlene Stredler Brown, University of Colorado

Project Title: Enhancing Well-Being for Children with Hearing Loss and Their Families

Funding Agency: NIH

Number of Years: 1

Focus: Exploring, though a partnership between an academic partner (University of Colorado) and a community partner (Families for Hands and Voices) the impact of unilateral hearing loss and single-sided deafness on children 3 - 21 years of age.

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Name: Jenna Voss, Fontbonne University

Project Title: Interdisciplinary Preparation of Teachers of the Deaf and Speech-Language Pathologists to Provide Early Intervention Services to Young Children Who Are Deaf/Hard of Hearing and their Families

Funding Agency: Office of Special Education Programs

Number of Years : 4

Focus: Through interdisciplinary education, this project will increase the number of teachers of the deaf and speech-language pathologists qualified to serve young children who are deaf/hard of hearing (DHH) and their families. The 6-semester evidence-based program will prepare 4 cohorts of 10 students seeking master's degrees in Early Intervention in Deaf Education (MA) or Speech language Pathology (MS) to:

provide family-centered early intervention to children who are DHH, including those who are culturally/linguistically diverse;
participate on interdisciplinary teams to implement and evaluate intensive individualized interventions;
enhance language/literacy acquisition;
facilitate use of hearing through evidence-based strategies and technology; and
support instruction in inclusive environments

Secretary's Proposed Supplemental Priorities and Definitions for Discretionary Grant Programs

A Notice by the Education Department on 10/12/2017

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/10/12/2017-22127/secretarys-proposed-supplemental-priorities-and-definitions-for-discretionary-grant-programs

Secretary DeVos introduced her priorities for discretionary grant programs last week. The priorities were published in the Federal Register. The Secretary is seeking comments on this announcement. The comment period ends on 11/13/2017.The link above includes the announcement and information on how to submit comments.

Call for Penn-Del AER Presentations!

Call for Presentations

2018 Penn-Del AER Conference

Lead from Where You Are: Embrace Your Opportunities!

April 25-27, 2018

Best Western Premier Central Hotel

Harrisburg, PA

The annual Penn-Del AER Conference offers a nationally respected venue for professionals to share their knowledge and expertise and their own creative techniques and approaches! We welcome YOUR reports on effective practices, innovative programs, employment strategies, and research design or results. Professionals often learn best from each other, and Penn-Del AER offers a terrific opportunity for us to Embrace the Opportunities to Lead from Where You Are that will strengthen the services we provide.

Please consider sharing YOUR ideas, strategies, insights, and experience with your colleagues at the 2018 Penn-Del AER Conference. Go to the Penn-Del AER website for Call for Presentations submission details.

$100.00 Honorarium for each Concurrent Presentation

$50.00 Honorarium for each Poster Presentation

Deadline for submission is December 1, 2017.

Penn-Del AER
facebook.com/Penn-Del-AER

twitter.com/PennDelAER
aerbvi.org/

The Pennsylvania-Delaware Chapter of the Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) supports professionals who provide education & rehabilitation services to people with visual impairments.

Save the Date (Feb. 27-28, 2018) for the Education and Advocacy Summit!!

Hosted by Gallaudet Unviersity and CEASD,

On February 27th there will be a morning tour of Gallaudet University, and afternoon workshops:

* for education professionals in the areas of policy, best practices, and innovation

* for high school students in the areas of advocacy and leadership.

On February 28th CEASD will hold its third Capitol Hill Advocacy Day, with a legislative briefing in the morning and meetings with Congressional representatives throughout the day.

Mark your calendars - more information to come!

Survey for TVI/O&M on ECC

Dear TVI or O&M Specialist:

You are invited to complete a survey on the implementation of the expanded core curriculum (ECC) by teachers of students with visual impairments (TVIs) and orientation and mobility instructors (O&Ms).

This research has been approved by Florida State University's Institutional Review Board. It is being conducted by Sandra Lewis, Ed.D., Nicholas Trotter, M.Ed. (NLCSD2 Cohort 2 Scholar), and Susan Yarbrough, M.S. (NLCSD2 Cohort 1 Scholar).

We are interested in understanding the factors related to delivering ECC instruction in a variety of educational settings. We would also like to know how factors may vary by ECC skill area. Learning more about ECC instruction may lead to identifying and developing better practices for educating children with visual impairments.

We are looking for TVIs and O&Ms currently providing educational services to school-aged children.

We anticipate it will take 20-25 minutes to complete this survey.

Please forward this link to other professionals you believe are eligible to complete this survey.

Link to survey: https://fsu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_abBjZL28dTR70Wh

Thank you for consideration.

Sandra Lewis, Ed.D.
[email protected]

Nicholas Trotter, M.Ed.
[email protected]

Susan Yarbrough, M.S.
[email protected]

DCDD Position Statement - Teachers of Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: A Critical Resource Needed for Legal Compliance

The Council for Exceptional Children's Division for Communicative Disabilities and Deafness (DCDD) has shared a position statement titled, "Teachers of Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: A Critical Resource Needed for Legal Compliance."

The purpose of this statement is to share evidence supporting the model to meet the language, communication, academic, and social needs of students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Please click here to read the position statement.

IES Research Funding Opportunities On-Demand Webinars

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) is launching a series of webinars for individuals interested in learning more about IES and Fiscal Year 2018 funding opportunities. Hosted by staff from the National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) and the National Center for Education Research (NCER), these webinars are pre-recorded and can be accessed through the IES Webinar Series website.

Questions may be submitted on or before July 31.

Answers to the frequently asked questions will be posted on the webinar website. Applicants are encouraged to e-mail any questions specific to their individual project directly to their program officer for the relevant funding opportunity.

ETS Seeks Candidates to Score NJ Praxis Braille Exam

The Educational Testing Service in Princeton, NJ is seeking qualified candidates for on-site scoring of the Praxis Braille in 2017 and 2018 at their ETS Rosedale campus in Princeton, NJ.

Scoring dates are scheduled for November 2017 and March and June of 2018.

Please click here for more information.

Survey on COMS and Braille

Northern Illinois University is conducting Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved research from the field to determine whether practicing Orientation and Mobility instructors and O&M students think that knowledge of uncontracted, contracted, and/or UEB braille should be an integral component in preparation programs leading to O&M certification.

For more information, please click here.

Dissertation Research Participants Needed!

Staci M. Rensch, a doctoral candidate in the Leadership in Higher Education specialization with the Schools of Education at Capella University, is recruiting participants for her dissertation research. Her research involves uncovering and identifying effective actions and strategies taken by Deaf faculty and administrators in addressing audism in higher education.

For more information, please click here.

Foundations for Literacy is here!

The Center on Literacy and Deafness is pleased to announce the dissemination of its pre-literacy curriculum, Foundations for Literacy, a 25-week/1-hour daily intervention for young DHH children. The intervention has a solid evidence base of its effectiveness in a variety of areas and comes with a 390 page manual and over 700 pages of original materials to be used to implement the program. Online professional learning activities are also available. This summer we are offering free professional development workshops. Workshops will be available for a fee in future summers.

For more information, please see the brochure and the website.

U.S. Department of Education Seeks Comments on New Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Website

The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) is seeking input from users of the IDEA.ed.gov website as part of their effort to provide updated, easy-to-navigate IDEA resources to children with disabilities and their families, teachers, administrators, advocates, and other stakeholders.

To help facilitate this effort, OSERS has posted a blog for users of the IDEA website to provide comments. OSERS continue efforts to improve their online resources as part of their commitment to ensure that infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities and their families have the supports and services they are entitled to under the IDEA.

PAC Internship Opportunities

Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf (CEASD) seeks an intern to do research and develop fact sheets on issues affecting deaf and hard of hearing students and schools for the deaf. Specific topics to be determined. CEASD is an association of schools and educational programs involved with the education of deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Founded in 1868, CEASD is committed to the promotion of excellence within a continuum of equitable education opportunities for children and adults who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Applicant requirements:

Enrollment in graduate program
Ability to collect, evaluate, analyze, and interpret data
Excellent writing skills
Ability to work independently

To apply:

Please send a cover letter, resume, work sample highlighting research and analysis, and copy of your latest transcript (unofficial transcript is acceptable) to Barbara Raimondo at [email protected].

------------------------------------------------------------------------------The National Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision (NRTC) at Mississippi State University invites applications for a research internship opportunity. The mission of the NRTC is to enhance employment and independent living outcomes for individuals who are blind or visually impaired through research, training, education, and dissemination. Interns will have the opportunity to conduct research related to employment for people who are blind, visually impaired, or deafblind by working with NRTC researchers on one or more projects.

Please click here for more information.

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If your PAC organization has an internship opportunity that you would like included in the newsletter, please email Emily Vasile, NLCSD Coordinator, at [email protected] with the details of the internship.

Employment Opportunities

The Department of Blindness and Low Vision Studies within The College of Education and Rehabilitation at Salus University invites applications for an Adjunct Professor to teach a fully online critical analysis of research course for the spring semester of 2018.

The position will begin in January, 2018.

All interested applicants please send resume and questions to Dr. Fabiana Perla at [email protected].

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City University of New York at Hunter College

will be posting for a tenured track assistant or associate professor line for the programs in Blindness and Visual Impairment and Severe/ Multiple Disabilities including Deafblindness to begin Fall 2018. If you are interested in the position, please contact Ellen Trief directly at [email protected].

Please click here for more information.

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California State University - LA (CSULA) invites applications for an Assistant or Associate Professor in Orientation & Mobility and Visual Impairments position.