The Deaf-Blind Multihandicapped Association of Texas (DBMAT) Was Started in 1973 When Parents

THE ALLIANCE OF AND FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED TEXANS (AVIT) and

THE AMERICAN COUNCIL OF THE BLIND OF TEXAS (ACBT)

PRESENT

A BLINDNESS SUMMIT

StateCapitolAuditorium
1100 Congress Avenue
Austin, Texas 78701

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Working together we can do more toovercome barriers to

EMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION AND INDEPENDENT LIVING
for Texans who are blind and visually impaired

BLINDNESS SUMMIT CONFERENCE PROGRAM –

CHILDREN’S TRACK

9:30-10:30AM and 1:30-2:30 PM

FOCUSING ON INNOVATIVE SERVICES TO INCREASE INDEPENDENCE AND EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS OF CHILDREN WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENT OF ALL AGES

INTRODUCTION

This presentation illustrates our belief and practice that it takes the combined work, service, support, knowledge, care, and expertise of multiple entities to successfully meet the unique needs of infants, toddlers, and students who are blind or visually impaired, including those with additional disabilities. This combination could be described as:

A tapestry of service and support that is woven together by the care, knowledge, and skills of stakeholders.

The stakeholders:

• State rehabilitation agencies especially the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services programs -
• Division of Blind Services (DBS)
• Early Childhood Intervention (ECI)
• Education entities including
• 20 Regional Educational Service Centers (ESCs)
• The Texas Education Agency
• Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) Comprehensive, Short Term and Outreach Programs
• Consumer organizations
• American Council of the Blind (ACB)
• Alliance of and for Visually Impaired Texans (AVIT)
• National Federation of the Blind (NFB) and others
• Training centers
• The Lighthouses for the Blind
• Criss Cole Rehabilitative Center
• Parent advocacy groups including
• The Deaf-Blind Multihandicapped Association of Texas (DBMAT)
• Texas Association for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments (TAPVI)
• Texas Chargers
• Texas Parent to Parent (TxP2P)and others

The combined contributions from each of these stakeholders are often vital to the lifelong success of this incredible population of children.

DARS Mission Statement

To work in partnership with Texans with disabilities and families with children who have developmental delays to improve the quality of their lives and to enable their full participation in society.

DARS Vision Statement

A Texas where people with disabilities and families with children who have developmental delays enjoy the same opportunities as other Texans to pursue independent and productive lives.

The Children's Program supports children with vision impairments and their families in their efforts to get the greatest benefit from school and learn to be as independent as possible. Through the program, families get all the information they need to develop a successful futures for their children. The program also offers early detection and intervention to prevent blindness and conserve eyesight.

Children between the ages of birth and 22 years who live in Texas and have vision impairment are eligible for services that include:

• Assisting children in developing the confidence and competence needed to be an active part of their community
• Educational support
• Training in areas like food preparation, money management, recreational activities and grooming
• Assisting families in coordinating medical services
• Information to families about additional resources

Referral Information for the Blind Children’s Program

To find your local Blind Children’s Program, call the DARS Inquiries Line, 1-800-628-5115, TDD/TTY Line 1-866-581-9328, or go to

Young child walking with her parent ECI logo

and ECI specialist

The DARS Division for Early Childhood Intervention Services (ECI) helps families with young children from birth to age 3 with developmental delays or disabilities access the resources and supports they need to reachtheir developmental potential.

ECI provides services through 51 programs which serve every county in Texas. Services are individualized based on the needs of the child and family, and are provided in the child’s home, daycare or other places the child and family spend time.

ECI services are provided by a team of licensed or credentialed professionals, such as physical and occupational therapists, speech and language pathologists, early intervention specialists, nurses, dietitians and social workers. Parents and other caregivers are an important part of the team and learn to integrate activities to enhance their child’s development into common daily activities, like mealtime, dressing and diaper changing, bath time and playtime.

All families enrolled in ECI receive case management services to help them access resources and coordinate services within and outside of ECI. Case management services include helping families develop a plan for continuing needed services through other providers when their child turns 3.

Anyone can make a referral to Early Childhood Intervention. To find your local ECI program, call the DARS Inquiries line at 1-800-628-5115or search by county or zip code at

The 20 Texas Educational Service Centers

Role of Education Service Centers for Serving Students Who are Blind or have Visual Impairments

Education Service Centers offer an array of services for students who are blind, who have serious vision loss or are identified as deafblind.Each service center through needs assessments determines areas of services to be addressed to improve student performance in academics,as well as the Expanded Core Curriculum, which consists of nine areas of specially designed instruction necessary for transitioning to further education beyond high school or employment.

The Expanded Core Curriculum includes:

Instruction in Assistive Technology, Braille,Vision and other Sensory Efficiency Skills, Independent LivingActivities, Social Interaction Skills, Recreation Skills, Self Determination Skills and Transition/Career Education.

The Expanded Core Curriculum areas include many skills that are typically learned by seeing persons through observation and imitation. The State Supplemental Funds which Education Service Centers received are used to supplement school district funds to hold summer and weekend programs to provide intensive instruction in Expanded Core Curriculum areas to include, independent living skills, grooming, cooking, using power tools, orienteering skills to practice independent travel, performing plays, shopping for making choices and determining what to buy based on a budget and many more activities.Camps including students and parents are also held in several cities to engage the parents who can reinforce skills at home.

Other events include Sports Extravaganza, held in theDallas area, which is open to all students in the state to compete in athletic events annually.

Technology Olympics events are held in several cities, where students compete using technology devices.

Education Service Centers offer staff development for Teachers of Students who are visually impaired and often bring in the Outreach staff from the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired to provide current teaching strategies.Funds are used to purchase instructional materials and assistive technology items.

Olivia Chavez M.Ed. - Project Manager, Services for Visually Impaired

(915) 780-5344 Fax: (915) 780-5058

ESC – Region 19 - 6611 Boeing Dr.El Paso, Texas 79925

Mission: East Texas Lighthouse for the Blind’s mission is to empower blind Americans through rehabilitation, education, training, and employment.

Children’s Programs -

Employment –

Careers on the Horizon is a three part program for VI high school students. Students work with Lighthouse employees who are blind or visually impaired.

• Job Shadowing – once a month for five months, students explore various careers such as graphics/print shop, accounting, customer service, human resources, production/operations, and retail management
• Mentoring – students stay with a particular career path for the five day program and dig deeper into what it takes to do the job
• Internships – a paid work experience offered to some students after they have completed job shadowing and mentoring

Education –

• Instruction in Assistive Technology including connecting directly to districts through Remote Access and/or Skype
• App Camp teaches students and their teachers and/or parents how to use iDevices such as iPhones and iPads to read, organize and get around safely and efficiently. Boot Camp takes place at the Lighthouse with follow up sessions taught via satellite at the students schools
• Instruction in Independent Living in our model apartment - A 3 part video series to help parents and teachers know how to help VI children learn to cook and clean. These videos are posted on YouTube with a link to them on the website above.
• O&M training with a certified instructor, on site or in the flied – We also have some O&M videos posted on YouTube with a link to them on the website above.

Fun Activities that Address the Expanded Core Curriculum

• Mini Golf Clinic – blind golf pros work with students to help them understand the game of golf
• Beeping Easter Egg Hunt at a local park

For more information about the East Texas Lighthouse for the Blind,

contact Ann Phillips at 903-590-4350 or

/ Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
William Daugherty, Superintendent
- 512-454-8631
1100 W. 45th St. Austin, Texas 78756

An Overview of the Mission and Services of TSBVI

The Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) was created and funded in 1856 by the Texas Legislature to educate Texas students who are blind or visually impaired, including those with deafblindness and additional disabilities.

Since that time, TSBVI has undertaken a broad statewide mission to serve all students in the state regardless of where they go to school. Services are provided through a combination of campus-based services and statewide outreach services.

Additionally, the school’s website ( and its curricular publications have developed into highly valued resources on the national and international level. All TSBVI programs and services are free to students and families.

Campus-Based Programs and Services

• TSBVI operates a K-12 school program with a residential component for students requiring intensive and specialized educational supports. Students must be referred for enrollment by their local school districts through the ARD process. The K-12 program offers a wide variety of academic, career development and independent living courses during the regular academic year. It is the goal of TSBVI to collaborate with school districts and parents to develop high quality transition plans for the student to return to their home community as soon as they and their ISD are better prepared for the student to be successful in their local school.

• TSBVI also offers a variety of short-term programs during the school year and summer that are designed to assist students enrolled in their local districts to gain skills in the Expanded Core Curriculum that will help them be more successful in school.

• For information about enrollment inthe Comprehensive (academic year) Programs, go to , or for admission to Short Term Programs, go to or contact the TSBVI Office of Admissions at 512-206-9182.

Statewide Outreach Services

• TSBVI offers a broad range of training and technical assistance services to local school districts in the areas of visual impairment, deafblindness and multiple disabilities, orientation and mobility and assistive technology.
• TSBVI collaborates with ISDs, ESCs, DARS/DBS, family group and others to build local capacity across the state aimed at service improvements.
• For information about assistance from the Outreach Programs, go to , or contact the Outreach Director at 512-206-9242.

For more information about TSBVI please contact William Daugherty, Superintendent at 512-206-9133.

Participation In A Consumer Organization

My involvement in a consumer organization has been a "labor of love”. I'm going to use some words that describe what my involvement has been like in a consumer organization so you'll have a clear understanding of why my involvement has been one of both labor and love.

Advocacy- Becoming involved will allow you the opportunity to work alongside people who are blind in an effort to advocate for things like talking ATM's, keypad point of sale machines, the right to vote privately and independently, website accessibility, accessible pedestrian signals, accessible educational materials for parents who are blind, working with manufacturers of exercise equipment to make their equipment accessible, and accessible currency. These issues are just a very small sample of the kind of advocacy that you too can get involved with.

Active- Your involvement will afford you not only the privilege, but also the pleasure of being one who can be active in advocating for many of the issues listed above.

Commitment- The commitment that you will have to such an organization is at the core of your being because this type of involvement gives you or your child improved quality of life and that improved quality will mean greater independence.

Commonality- All of us like to do things with people with whom we have something in common. Well, involvement in a consumer organization gives you that common bond. Everybody's working with the same common goal. Then when that goal is achieved, you do two things. First, you celebrate the victory of that achievement, then you begin working on the next common goal.

Benefits- The benefits are many for a person who decides to join a consumer organization. Not only can you work on global issues that affect all of us as people who are blind, but you can get involved in special interest groups such as aging, braille, teaching, library users, blind attorneys, rehab issues, employment issues, just to name a few. As you get involved in the interest group that best meets your interest or needs, you can then narrow your scope in the areas that you feel are best suited to you or your child. One very important benefit of being a part of a consumer organization is that it's just plain fun!!!

Bonding- Wow!! What can I say about this aspect of belonging to a consumer organization? Well, many of the people whom you will meet throughout this summit are some of my dearest and closest friends. As all of you know, bonds are formed out of similar experiences that people share. You can be certain that the bonds that you will form as a result of your involvement with a consumer organization will not only be life-changing, but they will be life-long ones too.

At its heart, blindness consumer organizations constitute a group of people who are blind or visually impaired, who are seeking to increase the independence and self-sufficiency of people who are blind or visually impaired. They believe that people who are blind or visually impaired can and must be at the heart of developing and implementing laws and policies that affect their lives.

For more information, contact:

Judy Jackson

Email:

Home phone: 512-366-5111

Cell: 940-255-9241

DBMAT

The Deaf-Blind Multihandicapped

Association of Texas

The Deaf-Blind Multihandicapped Association of Texas (DBMAT) was started in 1973 when parents and professionals got together to improve the quality of life of all Texans who are Deaf-Blind with multiple disabilities. Lacking both “distance senses”, some deaf-blind individuals do not have the opportunity to access their environment like most people or even like a people who have only one disability like blindness or deafness. They have dual sensory impairments which makes it very difficult to get information about their environment and the people in it without direct contact with a person.

When intervener services are needed for access to learning and are provided from the age of diagnosis, the person who is deaf-blind is most likely to develop to their full potential through meaningful and positive experiences with other people and the world. As the person who is deaf-blind grows, his/her needs will change, but quality intervener services may always be required. It takes so much more to teach our children/adults and having a trained intervener for those whose sensory impairments require an intervener to access their worldmakes a big difference in the quality of the deaf-blind individual's life. DBMAT’s mission is to ensure that all people who are deaf-blind receive the provision of lifelong quality intervener services.

Whatisanintervener? An intervener provides a bridge to the world for a person who is deaf-blind. By definition an intervener is a one to one service provider with specialized training and skills in deaf-blindness. The intervener helps a person learn concepts and skills, develop communication and language and establish relationships that lead to greater independence. An intervener is a support person who does with--not for - the person.

DBMAT promotes family education and understanding of our deaf-blind family member's abilities and disabilities. We offer resource information to families, professionals, state agencies, the Texas Legislature, and provider agencies serving people of all ages who are deaf-blind with multiple disabilities. We help parent-to-parent linkage in geographical areas statewide and nationwide.

DBMAT offers a scholarship program to people who work with deaf-blind individuals in community or school settings to become a trained intervener. Paul Welch - DBMAT President 909 Mt. Park Drive Big Spring, TX 79720 Voice/Fax: (432) 264-6780 Home: 432-263-1658 Cell: 432-935 3900