DISABILITY SPECIFIC RESOURCES

Through a national network of cooperating libraries, NLS administers a free library program of braille and audio materials circulated to eligible borrowers in the United States by postage-free mail.

National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) – http://www.loc.gov/nls/

National Braille Association – http://www.nationalbraille.org/

Braille Bug – http://braillebug.afb.org/

Deaf or Hard of Hearing

American Society of Deaf Children resources

English http://www.gallaudet.edu/Images/Clerc/pdf/English%20ASDC%20summary.pdf

Spanish http://www.gallaudet.edu/Images/Clerc/pdf/Spanish%20ASDC%20summary.pdf

Mandarin http://www.gallaudet.edu/Images/Clerc/pdf/Chinese%20ASDC%20summary.pdf

Deaf-Blindness

The Washington Deaf-Blind Project is part of the Washington Sensory Disabilities Services (WSDS) that assists children who are deaf or hard of hearing, blind or visually impaired, or deaf-blindness by providing training and other support to families and service providers. WSDS is a state needs project funded through the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, Special Education Section.

WA Sensory Disabilities Services @Puget Sound ESD
800 Oakesdale Avenue SW
Renton WA, 98057-5221

(425) 917-7287 or (800) 572-7000 (WA state)

Fax: (425) 917-7838

National Family Association for Deaf-Blind (NFADB) — http://nfadb.org/

National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness — http://nationaldb.org

Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths & Adults – http://www.hknc.org/

State Deaf-Blind Project Search — https://nationaldb.org/members/list?type=State+Project

Texas DeafBlind Project — http://www.tsbvi.edu/texas-deafblind-project

Deaf-Blind Intervener

An Intervener is a person who has received extensive training and education to work 1-on-1 with a student who has both hearing and vision loss. An Intervener provides a bridge to the world for the student who is deafblind. From an education perspective, any child who has combined hearing and vision loss that severely affects their ability to communicate, learn, and succeed in school (including classrooms for deaf OR blind students), is considered “deaf-blind.” Most of these students are not totally blind and profoundly deaf. The Intervener helps the student gather information, learn concepts and skills, develop communication and language, and establish relationships that lead to greater independence. The Intervener is a support person who does with, not for the student. Specialized training is needed to become an effective Intervener. Training should address a wide range of topics necessary to understanding the nature and impact of deafblindness, the role of the Intervener, and appropriate educational strategies to work with students with combined vision and hearing loss (Alsop, Killoran, Robinson, Durkel, & Prouty, 2004; McGinnes, 1986; Robinson et al., 2000).

The Intervener’s job is individualized to the student they work with, depending on the amount of vision and hearing the child has, whether their vision and/or hearing will progressively deteriorate, and the cognitive level of the child. With the specific student in mind, interveners will require skills and abilities from the following:

Fluency in American Sign Language or Signed English
Contracted and uncontracted braille skills
Skills in tactually modifying print material
An understanding of proper Orientation and Mobility techniques
The ability to facilitate communication between their student and adults around them
The ability to facilitate communication and relationships between their student and peers
The ability to encourage and foster their student’s independence
The ability to provide access to visual and auditory environmental information
The ability and desire to develop a relationship with the student so that the student knows s/he is safe and included
The ability/desire to consult with and take direction from the Teacher of the Blind/VI, Teacher of the Deaf/HH, Orientation and Mobility Specialist, classroom teacher, etc.

Properly trained Interveners are rare, and in demand. A person who has a true understanding of deaf-blindness has to almost see the world through their student, so that they can determine what the child is missing due to their hearing and vision loss. The Intervener can then begin to develop a plan as to what their job should be to fill in those gaps. This requires an intense relationship with and respect for the student. We are all born to do different things, and some things cannot be taught. Rather, they need to be a part of who you are. A part of who Interveners are, without the necessary training, includes this ability to observe, learn, and want to communicate with the child with deaf-blindness. Students with deaf-blindness can understand much more than they can demonstrate. The Intervener will “do with, and not for.”

Deaf-Blindness and the Role of the Intervener – http://intervener.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Deafblindness-and-the-Role-of-the-Intervener.pdf

A Family’s Guide to Interveners – http://intervener.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/A-Familys-Guide-to-Interveners.pdf

Chromosomal Disorders

National Human Genome Research Institute – https://www.genome.gov/11508982

Chromosome Disorder Outreach – http://www.chromodisorder.org/

Unique – http://www.rarechromo.org/

DISABILITY SPECIFIC RESOURCES

Autism (by language)

Blind or Visual Impairment

Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Deaf-Blindness

Deaf-Blind Intervener

Chromosomal Disorders

Youth Program Lead Mahado Abdi talks about connecting culturally and linguistically diverse students and their families to Continuous Learning Plans during remote learning.

Advocacy and Civic Engagement Program Manager Joy Sebe speaks on the impact of COVID on ODMF Families.

Advocacy and Civic Engagement Program Manager Joy Sebe shares ODMF Family experiences with remote learning.

Ginger Kwan talks with United Way of King County CEO Gordon McHenry Jr. about the need for Emergency Rental Assistance during COVID-19

Executive Director Ginger Kwan receives the 2020 El Centro de la Raza Legacy Award.