Gloria from CDBS on the Ipad as an Informal Assessment Tool

As an educational specialist I make school and home visits to provide technical assistance to families and service providers.  On many recent home visits I have brought along the iPad to help me get a better idea of the child's interests and needs. I have found the iPad is a great informal assessment tool because 1) it's very interactive even for the child who has a very limited attention span, because if the child has enough vision to perceive what is on the screen, the child usually responds, 2) it’s fairly easy for the child to activate, 3) it can run apps that offer different degrees of complexity so I can meet the child at the level where the child is, and 4) with one device you can present information in different formats, e.g., from information that already comes in the apps to content that I can create on the spot, such as a photo of the child or a favorite family member to observe the child’s reaction. The iPad is like having a large bag full of all kinds of interactive things that I can show to the child, and best of all it comes in one thin and small portable device.

An important strategy that I follow when introducing the iPad and the different apps to the child is to bring the iPad close to the child and observe how the child responds - no grabbing hands, no making the child sit in a particular way - allowing the child to interact or not.  I then present the child with an app that I believe will be easy for the child to follow and engage with.  I observe what the child can do and how he or she looks at the screen, what kinds of images the child pays attention to, how the child interacts with the iPad, and how much time the child remains engaged. Finally I slowly increase the level of complexity of the apps and observe how far the child goes.

For young children or children with limited educational exposure you may want to check out the sequence to introduce apps based on sequential developmental stages Cristi Saylor and I wrote in the latest CDBS newsletter. The article is called "Using the iPad and a Sequence of Apps for Young Children with Multiple Disabilities." Here is the link: http://www.cadbs.org/newsletter/resources-fall-2012/

I would like to finish with an example from a recent visit with a young child. In this instance the little boy took a while before he started engaging with the iPad. Initially I was little surprised because I could see that he had some vision. After a while though he began to touch the screen with an object he had in his hand. Later he touched it with his own hand although he preferred only to watch. So I began with the apps in the first level of the sequence I mentioned earlier, where he only needed to look at high contrast images that moved without his needing to touch them. Eventually I moved to a slightly higher level where the child needed to touch the screen in a particular area where some characters appeared, but he was not very responsive. I concluded that he was was not yet able to distinguish gross details. When we were finished, the mother said that she had never seen her child engaged this long in an activity; we had played together for about twenty minutes. 

Gloria Rodriguez-Gil   California Deaf-Blind Services

Gloria Rodgriguez-Gil: Deaf-Blind Virtual Community

In my last article “Beyond the Classroom and Into the School Community” I emphasized the need of viewing the school as much more than what is offered within the walls of each classroom and the limits of each role. Instead, it should be seen as a community where everyone supports the sense of belonging, education and socialization of all the students, including those students who are deaf-blind. The pursuit of this vision is to maximize resources and opportunities for all by forming and strengthening the school community.

This vision of community comes to mind as I began using “Deaf-Blind Network Connections.” This is a new virtual community sponsored by the National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB).

Encouraged by The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), NCDB created this network to enable them and the state deaf-blind projects to share resources, thoughts, needs, knowledge and experience with the goal of improving the services that we provide to students who are deaf-blind and their families.

This virtual network has the capability to distribute resources more evenly and therefore benefit more people.  Enhancing this democratic effect, participants will have the opportunity to engage in a virtual sphere beyond the boundaries of their customary role in the deaf-blind project or the constraints of a project’s budget.  Further, collaboration can occur according to each participant’s own scheduling needs.  As Jon Harding explained in his webinar, participation can be “synchronous” (at the same time with others) or “asynchronous” (on one’s own time) creating a community that can be accessed 24/7.

This kind of collaboration is not new. It has been managed over the years through such things as area meetings, listservs, communities of practice, project director’s meetings, and topical conferences. But now we are going a step further, utilizing increasingly interactive technology to break down the barriers created by the borders of each state, institution and, I would add, of each individual, in order to maximize our great potential.

So the platform is there. Now the challenge will be for staff to actively participate in the network so that many voices can be included in its fabric.   Without participation there is no community, and all those benefits never get realized. The link to our Deaf-Blind Network Connections can be found at http://network.nationaldb.org/

Gloria Rodriguez-Gil   California Deaf-Blind Services

NCDB Publishes Recommendations for Intervener Services

NCDB's Recommendations for Improving Intervener Services were recently completed and are available at interveners.nationaldb.org.  NCDB developed these recommendations in response to a request from the Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). 

The development of the recommendations was preceded by in-depth data collection about the current status of intervener services in the U.S., including the accomplishments of those who have worked diligently to advance the practice of intervener services over the past several decades.  Many people who are involved in the lives of children and youth who are deaf-blind assisted us during this process by participating in surveys, interviews, and panel discussions and we are deeply grateful to everyone who was involved.

We invite you to share your thoughts and perspectives on these recommendations either by contacting NCDB directly or by joining our new online forum and posting your comments at http://network.nationaldb.org/.

Posted by Peggy Malloy, NCDB

Quick Tips for Hassle Free Video

Recently, I attended a workshop titled “How to Shoot Video Like a Pro.” The first 45 minutes of the 90 minute workshop discussed how to hire a producer and director, how to find “talent,” and setting up a boom mic and camera dolly.

In most cases when shooting video for technical assistance purposes, you will not need to produce a high quality video, nor have the opportunity to do several “takes.” Here are some basic tips I have found helpful to increase my chances of getting it right the first time.

Lighting

I always try to be aware of my light source. Light originating behind my subject will make them too dark.

Sound

I test the sound in the room by standing at a distance and walking toward the camcorder, while it is recording, and reciting a passage at a constant volume. This tells me the best distance for recording and sometimes informs me of background noise I hadn’t noticed.

Camera position

When applicable, I use a tripod to prevent excess movement and I always try to choose an angle that best captures my objectives.

Length of video

Remember, 5 minutes is considered a very long time to watch video. Three minutes or less is ideal. I often times break long videos into vignettes.

Know your camera

I like to keep a crib sheet of the control buttons, for the functions I know I will need.

Be prepared

Making sure the battery is fully charged (including a spare), having extra storage media, and a lens cloth for that inevitable smudge are essential for minimizing surprises.

If you have some favorite tips, please take a moment to share them with the rest of us.

See our brief, Considerations for Creating Video Clips for Technical Assistance  for more detailed guidelines on capturing quality videos.

Posted by Randy Klumph, NCDB

Ways to Use Video to Enhance TA

At NCDB, we have been working with state deaf-blind projects to promote the use of video in technical assistance (TA). While video can be used in a variety of ways, we see the potential for video to empower and engage parents.

Sharing video clips of classroom routines and interactions can be a way to build rapport with parents who may feel disengaged or removed from classroom activities. Video clips offer parents the opportunity to view positive interactions between staff and their child and to present the dynamics of typical classroom practices and activities. In essence, video clips can be a portal through which parents can observe their children in settings that are often hidden from view. Video clips can open new avenues for dialogue, and can empower parents to take a more active role in their child’s daily classroom life.

Let us know your experiences with video and how it has enhanced parents’ roles in their children’s education. Has it impacted family perceptions of schools? Are schools comfortable sharing daily activities with parents via video? How can we use video to build trust and rapport between parents and schools? We’ll use the comments section below to track your comments.

The accompanying brief “Ways to Use Video to Enhance TA” addresses some of the ways projects might use video as part of their TA repertoire.   View the brief.

Posted by Jon Harding, NCDB

Apps and Resources for Young Children with Special Needs

Gloria Rodriguez-Gil from CA Deaf-Blind Services reports on her experiences using the iPad with students who are deaf-blind, deaf, and hard of hearing with special needs.

Read post: http://www.cadbs.org/news/gloria-apps-and-resources-for-young-children-with-special-needs/

High Touch and Low Incidence - What I have learned from the Deafblind Census

Jim Durkel from Texas writes about access and support for children who are deaf-blind.


In a conversation I had with Jay Gense, director of the National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB), he estimated the incidence of deafblindness for children and youth birth to 22 years old in the United States is around .01%.
The incidence in Texas is slightly higher at about .017%.  This means that out of the 4 million plus students in public education in Texas, around 750 are identified as having both hearing and vision problems.  More