Outreach Services: 30 Years of Successful Services

Transcription

1 Outreach Services: 30 Years of Successful Services Shelley Ardis Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind

2 Outreach Services Complimentary projects funded with state and federal IDEA and state General Revenue funds Purpose: Service and support to professionals serving students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Families Goal: Increase success for all Deaf and hard of hearing students in any learning environment

3 Outreach Agencies Resource Materials & Technology Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (RMTC: D/HH) FSDB Outreach Small & Rural Districts (SRD) FSDB Parent Infant Program (PIP) Collaboration with other state Discretionary Projects and agencies

4 Other State Agencies Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services (BEESS) oversees the following projects [also]: Critical Initiatives in Visual Impairments Educational Interpreters Project (EIP) Florida Instructional Materials Center for the Visually Impaired (FIMC) Learning through Listening (Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic)

5 More state systems/agencies Clearinghouse Information Center (CIC) Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System (FDLRS) Florida Division of Blind Services Bureau of Braille and Talking Book Library Services Florida Outreach Project for Children and Young Adults Who are Deaf Blind (FOP) Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Deaf Service Centers Centers for Independent Living

6 RMTC: D/HH The RMTC is a statewide, specialized FDLRS center located on the campus of the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind (FSDB). RMTC serves as the coordinating unit for accessible materials including captioned and signed videos and books and other reference materials. RMTC staff provide on site training and technical assistance to all school districts, families, and discretionary projects. Primarily K 12 Legislative Support Established in 1978 and still today in Florida Statute

7 RMTC: D/HH Services include: Videos and books for interpreters and others learning Sign Language. Captioned and signed videos and materials for classroom teachers Presentations on Accessible materials & Accommodations Students with hearing loss in general education settings Visual learning strategies to enhance access and classroom participation Other special topics Support, training and networking opportunities Information and referral services

8 RMTC: D/HH Partnerships Florida Diagnostic Learning and Resources System (FDLRS) Workgroups and Advisory Committees Florida Deaf Blind Outreach Project Florida Instructional Media Center for the Blind/Visually Impaired (FIMC) FSDB Grants and Special Projects Deafed.net (concurrent national grants) PEPNet

9 RMTC Distance Learning Webinars each 1 st and 3 rd Thursday of the month during the school year Self Serve online modules (not near the quality of PEPNet s materials at this time) Recording presentations to re post online with supplemental materials Moodle online course system just getting our first modules online Use of Social Networking and online collaborative Tools (Google Docs, Skype, Delicious, Wikis, etc.)

10 FSDB Outreach Small & Rural Districts The Small and Rural District Support Program (SRD) provides assistance to small, mid sized, and rural school districts across the state of Florida. These services assist district staff serving deaf/hh or blind/vi students. SRD also provides related parent support services to the districts and parent groups. Program services are no cost to the requesting district or organization. Established in Partnership Activities Closely aligned with RMTC services Advisory and Workgroup Committees

11 Services Include: FSDB Small & Rural Districts Onsite observation and consultation Recommendations on accommodations, modifications, and teaching strategies Classroom considerations Training and workshops for district staff, parents and other professionals Information and referral services Directory of local and state services

12 Outreach SRD Direct Student Services: Provides Orientation and Mobility Assessments for Blind/VI students Provides Visual Learning Assessments for Blind/VI students Parent Support: Family Café Focus Groups Workshops and Meetings

13 FSDB Parent Infant Program The Parent Infant Program (PIP) provides: Home based early intervention for families with infants and young children who are deaf/hard of hearing and/or blind/visually impaired. Early Learning Program for children who are deaf/hard of hearing ages months. Training for qualified professionals who work with the families of these young children. Partnerships State wide Conference Florida Summit on Childhood Deafness Florida Department of Health (Early Steps/Child Find)

14 FSDB Distance Learning Grant Supports all outreach as well as FSDB s school specific activities Goals: Share expertise at FSDB with others Bring information from other sources to FSDB s parents, staff, and students Where to start? Parents Students Professionals

15 Distance Learning & Parents Video Streaming live and recording events on campus Providing access for remote participants to attend Parent Advisory Meetings & Presentations (Adobe Connect) Deaf Family Literacy Alliance Partnership Saturday Storytelling & Guest Speakers Tech Facilitator on site, recorded and posted on Teacher Tube Parent Mentoring Sign Language for home communication Development of web based videos Signs and Concepts Learning Strategies itunes University

16 Distance Learning & Students School to School Videoconferencing FSDB and School District ASL Class Cartegena, Columbia & FSDB ESOL students Hybrid Classes Students assignments, discussions, and document exchange in online environment Students attend the class for facilitation and other activities/demonstrations Florida Virtual School & Dual Enrollment

17 Webinars Distance Learning & Professionals Twice a month and special occasions Virtual Meeting Rooms For scheduled or on demand meetings Self serve content canned content that can be accessed anytime Online Modules courses Content organized by topic to be reviewed independently or with a facilitator

18 Projects Guidance Direction of projects are guided by: Needs Assessments Focus Groups Past Experiences Technology Advances Research on Teaching and Learning Florida Department of Education, Bureau of Exceptional Education Student Services State Performance Plan Indicators Other state initiatives and law

19 Impact on Students Accessible captioned and signed content Increased advocacy and social skills Enhanced learning activities as teachers have appropriate strategies for serving students in their classrooms Access to software that scaffolds learning and allows students to demonstrate understanding Awareness of tools that facilitate communication and classroom participation

20 Impact on Parents Support from groups that understand their needs and concerns Access to other parents Access to materials that help them learn about deafness, sign language, etc. Access to workshops and presentations that assist them in working with schools Learn advocacy skills and IDEA Referrals to other resources

21 Impact on Professionals Learn strategies for teaching and supporting students who are deaf/hh Learn about accommodations and other technologies that scaffold learning Access to captioned and signed materials to use in the classroom Awareness of technologies, peripherals, software and websites to enhance learning Referral to other support service agencies

22 Impact on Other Service Providers State Agency/Project Staff (FDLRS) District Support Personnel Local Assistive Technology Specialists Interpreters, SLPs, etc. District Administrators Deaf Service Centers Lighthouse for the Blind/Visually Impaired

23 Outcome Measures State Project Tracking System Database Documentation of outcomes as compared to how grants were written Did we do what we said we would do? Are we serving an appropriate number of stakeholders based on state data and needs assessments? Testimonials Action Research Sharing of practices, lessons, outcomes

24 Next Steps Continuous learning of research, new practices, and new technologies from others around the nation & world Increase distance learning technologies to support and enhance service delivery Working to share & collaborate more to reduce duplication of resources

25 Thank You!! Contact Information: Shelley Ardis Executive Director of Technology Services ShelleyPA (on Skype, Twitter, Delicious)