NC Council for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing



NORTH CAROLINA COUNCIL FOR THE DEAF AND THE HARD OF HEARING

Quarterly Meeting Minutes

May 17, 2019

9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Joint Forces Headquarters, Raleigh, NC

Members Present:

Julie Bishop

Craig Blevins

Tim Boyd

Antwan Campbell

Mary Crump

Kathryn Dowd

Kevin Earp

Rebecca Freeman

Erika Gagnon

Pattie Griffin

Meredith Kaplan

Kerry Langhorne

Lester Latkowski

Betsy Moore

Denise Nelson

Claudia Pagliaro

Megan Pender

David Rosenthal

Brad Trotter

Jessica Urcuiolio

Tovah Wax

Ex Officio:

Jan Withers (Present)

DSB Liaison:

Kim Harrell (Present)

Members Absent:

Linda Amato

Rep. Hugh Blackwell

Tim Boyd

Rep. Carla Cunningham

Lester Latkowski

Senator Bill Rabon

NORTH CAROLINA COUNCIL FOR THE DEAF AND THE HARD OF HEARING

Quarterly Meeting Minutes

May 17, 2019

9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Joint Forces Headquarters, Raleigh, NC

Introductions, Announcements, Approve Minutes from February 8, 2018

February 8, 2019 minutes were approved.

Motion: Moved by Claudia Pagliaro approve the minutes from the February 8, 2019,

Council Meeting, Motion Seconded by Council Members. Motion passed.

None of the members acknowledged having a conflict of interest or appearance thereof on matters listed on this agenda

Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing: Overview of DeafBlind

Population and Services – Jan Withers, Director

Ashley Benton, Deaf/DeafBlind Services Coordinator

[pic]

[pic]

Collaboration = Success

• DeafBlind Interagency Team Partners:

- Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

- Division of Services for the Blind

- Department of Public Instruction-NC DeafBlind Project, ECAC and ECU

- Division of Mental Health-RHA Deaf Services

- North Carolina DeafBlind Associates

- Helen Keller National Center Southeast

Terminology

• Federal Definition of DeafBlind is any individual who has:

- Central vision acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with corrective lenses or a field defect of less than 20 degrees or a prognosis leading to one or both conditions.

- Chronic hearing loss so severe that most speech cannot be understood with amplification or a progressive hearing loss with a prognosis leading to this condition.

- When a combination of these impairments causes extreme difficulty in attaining

independence in daily life activities, achieving psychosocial adjustment, or obtaining a

vocation; or

- When unable to measure hearing and vision loss due to cognitive or behavioral constraints, but through a functional or performance assessment to have severe hearing and visual

disabilities that cause these difficulties.

Diversity Within the DeafBlind Population

• 83,648 individuals with combined hearing and vision loss in NC (HKNC 2019)

- Congenitally Deaf/HH, Adventitiously Blind

- Congenitally Blind, Adventitiously Deaf/HH

- Congenitally Deaf and Congenitally Blind

- Adventitiously Deaf/HH and Adventitiously Blind

DSDHH

• 2 DeafBlind Services Specialists

• Deaf and HH Services Specialists also provide direct services in their catchment areas

- Advocacy for Communication Access

- Information/Referral

- Capacity Building

- Consumer Education

• DBSAT and DBSAF

- Resource Development

• Interpreter and Support Service Provider Trainings

DSDHH: Ensuring Equal Access to Communication

• Sign Language: Visual to Tactile

- DeafBlind Interpreters

• Auditory/Verbal

- Assistance Listening Devices

- CAN/CART

• Haptics

• ProTactile

Support Service Providers (SSPs)

• Ensure access to environment/information

• Enhance independence

- DHHS Driver/Support Service Provider Vendor List (DSSPVL)

• DeafBlind employees as accommodation to be able to do their jobs.

• Consumers as accommodation to be able to access services/programs.

-SSP Needs Workgroup

• DSDHH, NCDBA, HKNC

• SSP Needs Surveys

National DeafBlind Equipment Distribution Program

Becky Rosenthal, Telecommunication Resources Program Manager

The Telecommunications Resources Program Manager of DSDHH, provides oversite to three programs.

• Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS)

• Equipment Distribution Service

• National DeafBlind Equipment Distribution Program (NDBEDP) or iCanConnect

NDBEDP or iCanConnect

• Established by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to comply with the 21st Century Video and Communications Accessibility Act (CVAA).

• Main purpose: Distance Communication

• Income-based and must be DeafBlind

Qualification criteria: Deaf-Blind

• Income within 400% of Federal Poverty Levels (based on household size)

• Significant combined vision and hearing loss

Expertise

• Administered by DSDHH through partnership with DSB

• DSDHH-seven Deaf Services Specialists; two are DeafBlind Services Specialists; two are DeafBlind Services Specialists

-Partners with the DeafBlind Services (DSB)- Five DeafBlind Specialists

• Assessment

• DSDHH and DSB staff are proficient and able to provide initial assessment

• Training

• DSDHH contracts with independent and experienced trainers

ICC Program Highlights

• We are completing our Seventh year of the program.

• 328 consumers have been served since beginning of the program.

• DSDHH along with DBS distributed 2,067 piece of equipment since inception of program.

Technology Advisory Committee

• Update and modernize equipment offered through the Equipment Distribution Services program.

• Example: Add mobile devices and tablets to the EDS program for ASL users.

• Update existing technology to the Telecoil Hearing Aid program.

• Update, modernize and train on technology that DSDHH uses.

[pic]

Division of Services for the Blind

Kim Harrell, DeafBlind State Coordinator & AT Program Specialist

Division of Services for the Blind (DSB) mission statement: To enable all North Carolinians who are blind, vision impaired and deafblind to reach their goals of independence and employment.

DSB District offices

Asheville: 828-251-6732/ 1-800-422-1881

Charlotte: 704-563-4168/ 1-800-422-1895

Fayetteville: 910-486-1582/ 1-800-422-1897

Greenville: 252-355-9016/ 1-800-422-1877

Raleigh: 919-527-6740/ 1-800-422-1871

Wilmington: 910-251-5743/ 1-800-422-1884

Winston-Salem: 336-896-2227/1-800-422-0373

DSB Programs

• Vocational Rehabilitation

- Rehabilitation, Training and Employment Services

- Evaluation Unit and DSB Career and Training Center

- Specialized Student/Youth Transition Services

- Business Enterprise Program

• Independent Living

- Independent Living Services

- Independent Living Rehabilitation

- Independent Living Older Blind

• Medical Eye Care Services

Specialized Vocational Rehabilitation Services

- Vocational Guidance and Counseling

- College Training and Job Preparation

- On the Job Training

- Supported Employment and job Coaching

- DeafBlind Services

- Orientation and Mobility Services

- Assistance with Voter Registration

- Assistive Technology Assessment and Training

- Purchase of Blindness/Low Vision-Related Assistive Technology

- Low Vision Aid and Appliance Provision

- Specialized Job Placement Services by Business Service Representatives

- Work Experiences and Internships

Student/Youth Transition Services

- Pre-Employment Transition Services

- Higher Education Preparation

- Work Experience Programs

- Summer Programs for Youth with Visual Impairment, Blindness and DeafBlindness

- Youth Summer Mini-Centers

- Specialized Job Placement Services by Community Employment Specialists

- Job Exploration Counseling

- Workplace Readiness Training

- Self-Advocacy Training

- Community Inclusion Activities

- Various Adaptive Summer Program Experiences

- Job Application Instruction and Resume Development

DSB Career and Training Center

- Adjustment to Blindness Counseling and Training

- Vocational Evaluator (Evaluation Unit)

- Psychologist Specializing in Blindness Assessment

- Low Vision Specialist Evaluation and Recommendations

- Assistive Technology Instruction and Evaluation

- Academic and Braille Instruction and Evaluation

- Independent Living Instruction and Evaluation

- Career Instruction and Evaluation

- Adaptive Recreational Instruction and Participation

- Orientation, Mobility and Travel Skills Instruction and Evaluation

- Summer Youth Programs including college preparation, work experiences and transition

instruction

DSB Career and Training Center, continued

• Equipped to serve DeafBlind consumers:

- DeafBlind equipped rooms – alerting devices

- DeafBlind individuals have access to the DeafBlind Specialist on campus as needed

- DeafBlind State Coordinator on Campus

- Interpreters for classroom instructors

- Video Phone

SAVVY (Three Summer Programs at the Career and Training Center)

• 25 Students Served

- World of Work (WOW) = 9 students

• One DeafBlind individual

- College Prep (CP) = 3 students

- Youth in Transition (YIT) = 13 students

DSB Referral Process

• Any person can call or visit one of our seven district offices to self-refer or refer

others.

• In addition, referrals come from:

- Within DSB

- Family members

- Doctor’s offices

- Sister agencies (VR, DSDHH, DPI, etc.)

• Note: Governor Morehead School is part of the Department of Public Instruction (DPI), not DHHS

Eligibility for DSB Services

• Each program has its own eligibility criteria.

• Each person must have some degree of vision loss. The visual disability must cause an

Impediment to employment or independent living.

DSB Specialists

• Deaf/Blind Specialists

• Assistive Technology Instructor

• Assistive Technology Consultants

• Rehab Engineer (also ATC for Raleigh District Office)

• Nursing Eye Care Consultants

• Orientation and mobility Specialists

• Business Service Reps

• Community Employment Specialists

• PRE-ETS Associates

DSB Flow of Services

[pic]

DSB DeafBlind Services At A Glance

• Five DeafBlind Specialists covering all 100 counties

• Provide a comprehensive assessment in home

-Recommend alerting devices (NOTE: all devices will be amplified, light flashing or

Vibration.)

• Doorbell ringing, phone ringing, alarm clock going off

• Smoke detector through the Wake Assure program/FD

• CAD sign up (for emergency management)

-All recommendations are made to case managers for purchase

• Counseling on hearing loss including education on types of hearing aids and tips for

Communication with others

• Assist with getting hearing evaluations, hearing aids or a pocketalker

• Provide Job Development and Job Placement, continued

-take consumer to DMV to get updated state ID card

-provide sensitivity training and/or job coach at the job site

-work with employers to hire consumers

-consult with Community Rehab Programs (CRPs) and their job coaches with Supported

Employment (SE) on tips on working with DB individuals

• Provide Information about Equipment Distribution Services (EDS)

-Make referrals

• National DB Equipment Distribution Program (NDBEDP)

-Explain Program and equipment choices

-Provide “Consumer Interest Survey” and assist with completion, if needed

• Provide info on Resources in Community and Community Inclusion

-Support groups, NCDBA Camp Dogwood weekend, NCDBA Conference, local community

groups, etc.

DSB collaborates with:

• DSDHH

• DVR

• DPI DeafBlind Project

• HKNC NCOP and the regional rep

• NCDBA

• Lions Clubs

• And many others!

[pic]

DPI-NC Deaf-Blind Project and ECAC – Andrea Blackwood, Family Specialist

Debra Pickens, Parent Educator, Dorothy Snyder, Educational Consultant for Deaf-Blind, Sherri Vernelson, Section Chief, Sensory Support and Assistive Technology, Exceptional Children Division

NC Deaf Blind Project OSEP Grant

• Current grant cycle: 2018-2023

• This the 6th grant cycle (30 years of supporting learners who are DB!)

Project Partners

• East Carolina University

• Exceptional Children’s Assistance Center

• NC Department of Public Instruction

Structure of NC Deaf-blind Project

• Lead Project Director and Overall Project Management

• Dottie Snyder – DPI

• Co-Project Directors

• Debra Pickens – ECAC

• Family Engagement Coordinators-Mary Espinola and Rowena Barker

• Sandra Warren – ECU

• Teacher Support Program – Andrea Blackwood

Project Partner: ECU

• Technical assistance, coaching and support to teams supporting learners with deafblindness (in-person and virtual)

• Professional development and training to teachers and other team members

• Person Centered Planning (PCP) – training PCP facilitators and supporting teams implementing PCP plans

• Intervener mentoring for national certification

Definition of an Intervener

• Interveners provide access to information communication and facilitate the

development of social and emotion well-being for children who are deafblind. In

educational environments, intervener services are provided by an individual, typically a para-educator, who has received specialized training in deafblindness and the process of intervention. An intervener provides consistent one-to-one support to a student who is deafblind (age 3 through 21) throughout the instructional day.

National Center on Deaf-Blindness

Project Partner: ECAC

• Educational training for families, educators and service providers

• Assistance in developing education and transition plans

• Person Centered Planning

• Family networking opportunities through in-person events, phone calls, social media, etc.

• Informational Resources & Materials (National Center on DeafBlindess)

• Lending Library

Project Partner: NC DPI

• Oversee all of the grant objectives and performance measures

• Annual Child Count (DB Census)

• Technical Assistance

• Professional Development

• Financial support for conferences and workshops for educators, service providers, and

Family members

Grant Expected Outcomes

1. Provide technical assistance and training on improving outcomes to personnel

2. Increase early identification and referral of children

3. Facilitate emerging and developing literacy and numeracy by promoting access to the general education curriculum

4. Continue/expand support during transition to postsecondary education or

employment

5. Increase support to families to facilitate their involvement in education and transition

6. Collect information to provide state needs assessment

7. Increase the number of certified paraprofessionals and qualified teachers

8. Increase the use of paraprofessional evaluation systems

Federal Definition

• “Deafblindness means concomitant hearing and visual impairments, the combination

of which causes such severe communication and other developmental and educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special educations programs solely for children with deafness or children with blindness”

(IDEA 2004, Section 300.8 (2), 2004)

NC DB Census

• Part of the National DB Child Count

• Supplement to the IDEA child count

• Annual count of DB children 0 – age 21 based on December 1 headcount in LEA

• Must have both a vision and a hearing loss

• May be DB + additional disabilities also

Who is eligible?

• Any infant or toddler or youth (0-21) with identified hearing and vision loss

• Any infant or toddler or youth (0-21) at-risk for hearing and vision loss

Child Count Numbers

• 2017-18 National Child Count

10,000 total children and youth 0-21

631 infants (0-2)

9,301 children and adults (3-21)

• 2017-18 NC Child Count

280 total children and youth 0-21

17 infants (0-2)

263 children and adults (3-21)

Contact Information

• NC DPI Website

• For questions or clarification please contact:

• Dottie Snyder Dorothy.Snyder@dpi.

• Debra Pickens dpickens@

• Sandra Warren warrens@ecu.edu

Division of Mental Health/RHA Deaf Services

Brad Trotter, Deaf Services Program Manager

DMHDDSAS Deaf services contract

• DMH contracts directly with RHA Behavioral Health to provide specialized MH service to

sign language users. The contract requires RHA to provide culturally and linguistically

appropriate MH services to the DeafBlind.

-Services provided in all 100 counties. Service staff deployed in Lenoir, High Point, Raleigh,

Wilson, Wilmington.

-Face to face interaction preferred. RHA travelled more than 225,000 miles in SFY18 to

Deliver services.

-Teleconferencing (e.g. telepsychiatry) utilized when fact to face not possible.

RHA service array

• Comprehensive Mental Health Assessment

• Counseling/therapy

• Substance use counseling

• Psychiatric (M.D.) services and evaluation

• Crisis intervention

• Peer Support

• Mental Health First Aid

• Consultation and Education

• Outreach and Support

• New – Substance Abuse intensive Outpatient Services (Raleigh)

Other state supported initiatives

• Annual state allocations Liberty Corner/Clearview group home, a five-bed facility for the

DeafBlind in Asheville.

• SAMHSA interpreter funding for AA/NA

• DB consumers invited to participate in the Mental Health Advisory Council. Next meeting is

June 4, at DVR administrative offices.

• Inpatient psychiatric services provided at Broughton hospital in Morganton. Program

Administration is with DSOHF.

North Carolina Deaf-Blind Associates – Erin Bradord, 2nd Vice President

Jess Urcuiolio, Member at Large

President – Bernice “Bud” Cayton

1st Vice President – Lee “Lee Bob” Hartline

2nd Vice President – Erin Bradford

Secretary- Katie Pocock

Treasurer – Grace Moon

1st Member at Large – Kimberly Jones

2nd Member at Large – James Barrow

3rd Member at Large – Jess Urcuiolio

Number of Members

❖ Approximately 75

❖ About 50 DeafBlind

❖ Some Support Service Providers (SSPs) and interpreters

❖ Some state employees

Mission Statement

❖ The mission of the North Carolina Deaf-Blind Associates is to advocate for the needs and rights of individuals who are DeafBlind and to enable individuals who are DeafBlind and to enable individuals who are DeafBlind to achieve their maximum potential by being independent and productive in the mainstream as citizens of the state of North Carolina.

❖ Mission is on our website

Quarterly Newsletter

❖ Each issue has letter from president or editor, past and upcoming events, and section “DeafBlind Living” that is for everything related to the DeafBlind community

❖ Submitted articles and poetry, items from the news, etc.

Annual Conference

❖ Noramlly held at Atlantic Beach at the Inn at Pine Knoll Shores

❖ Open to the public, but most attendees are deafblind, SSPs, interpreters, and state

employees

❖ Theme each year with goal to be education to Deaf-Blind community

❖ 2019 first year fully presented by DeafBlind community

CAMP DOGWOOD DEAFBLIND WEEKEND

❖ Every September

❖ Each year has a theme, goal is more of a fund weekend

Past themes include:

• Hawaii, Mexico, Motorcycles, 1950s, Wild Wild West

• 2019 will be Cinderella

SEVERAL FUNDRAISERS

❖ Poker Run – first Saturday each June

❖ HKNC SE Run – money split between HKNC and NCDBA to help with an SSP fund

❖ NCDBA 5K – only had one with the goal of money for conference 2019

DEAF-BLIND AWARENESS EVENT

❖ White Lake (Elizabeth City) – Held at Camp Clearwater (2038 White Lake Drive).

Time to socialize. This year: June 15, 11am-4pm.

❖ Raleigh – Held at Governor Morehead School for the Blind dining hall

- educational components as well as time to socialize. This year will be on

June 29th from 11-4 at 329 Ashe Avenue.

❖ Event for western NC varies. This year is May 24 at Craggy Mountain Railway 10am-4pm

CONCERNS

Equal access to info

❖ All members have different needs

❖ Ensure no variations between signers and non-signers

❖ May need more help from the council to ensure we get information to those not online

HOW THE COUNCIL CAN HELP

❖ SSP training improvements

❖ ProTactile training for both SSPs and DeafBlind

To contact NCDBA, please email admin@.

Closing/Wrap-up – Ashley Benton, Deaf/DeafBlind Services Coordinator

❖ Marilyn Trader, Helen Keller Southeast Regional Representative

❖ We communicate using American Sign Language

❖ We have a wide variety of communication modes that are represented in our community

❖ 2019 first year fully presented by DeafBlind community

❖ Communication Services for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing supports the conference and the

Hard of Hearing

❖ Haptics is a touch communication signal system

2011533314024328:12:33:44

Reports from Committees

Education Committee

Discussed vision screenings and the way those are carried out in schools related to criteria for eligibility for Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA). Antwan Campbell shared the state is looking at some changes as far as criteria and requirement. There will be an upcoming public comment period. As a committee, we decided to wait until that upcoming public comment period regarding the revised criteria and save our concerns about vision screening for that point and provide input into that process at that point.

Discussed our concerns about interpreters for parents who are deaf for school-based events. Antwan Campbell shared there have been two deaf parent forums and another is scheduled to happen in the fall. They’re planning webinars and training sessions for superintendents and EC directors revolving around this issue.

Discussed update on educational interpreter quality. It’s in process and recommendations will be made by stakeholders’ group. At the August meeting of the Council, we may put together some type of letter of support for what the stakeholder group and Department of Public Instruction (DPI) is putting forward to the Board of Education. Not something we want to do right at this moment.

Discussed Spoken Language Facilitators. It’s moving forward. There are some trainings, being developed and a job description. Antwan wasn't sure where that was so what we decided as a group that I will as a representative of our committee send an email to Jenny's Stroupe, the consultant working on this at DPI. Denise Nelson will ask Jenny Stroupe what’s the status and the timeline for that.

Discussed the Congenital CMV and the information regarding that and there’s a committee working on that. Erika Gagnon gave us the update on that. The committee is working on some recommendations. We’ll revisit that issue when that committee has come up with those recommendations and possibly the council could accept a letter or support of those recommendations once that happens.

Discussed ASL classes for parents. We’ve come up with good ideas. Serena Fuller who was at the meeting last time was Interim Director at The North Carolina School for the Deaf. She is no longer there and they’re in the process of hiring somebody new. We’re on hold with looking at those ideas.

Talked about 3-5 years-old. We’ve learned that one of the key areas that's problematic with offering appropriate services for three to five-year old children who are deaf or hard of hearing is that licensure is an issue. Teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing have licensure for kindergarten through 12th grade. They do not have licensure for serving 0 to 5-year-olds. UNCG is in the process of developing a master’s level program that would focus on early intervention, early childhood, linguistics and ASL.

Community Committee

Discussed services for inmates that are deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing. A way to provide direct services. There is a partnership with the Department of Corrections (DOC) to revamping the screening of inmates when they come regarding their hearing loss and vision. Recently, there has been awareness of phone apps and technology that’s available for screening. There was also discussion about prevention of trauma situations in the system and how that is accessible for deaf and hard of hearing inmates. Materials are being developed to be presented in ASL and to make that accessible.

Discussed support service specialists (SSP). Talked about having a personal SSP, Right now, that’s not available. The system is not set up in North Carolina. There was some discussion about that and what's available in other states. DSDHH is beginning to collate information regarding that.

Discussed the aging population in the healthcare system in nursing homes, skilled facilities, retirement centers. Studies show 80 percent of them have a hearing loss and of that 80 percent, 14 percent of them are deafblind or having issues with hearing loss and vision loss. There has been talk about accessibility. Several people in the group discussed what DSDHH was doing to improve the situation and support groups and referrals and there was a comment from the Division of Services for the Blind (DSB) and for the aging. DSDHH is revamping their curriculum that was developed in the past but never got off the starting block, so they’re looking at that and improving on it.

Announcements

The state of Hawaii has a law that requires open captioning in all movie theaters. More than just once or twice per show. Washington, D.C. apparently is considering similar legislation.

A&E has a reality type show called The Employable about the experiences of people with disabilities trying to get interviewed and hired. It’s on tv every Wednesday night.

Movie “Feeling Through” on May 31, 2019 1p.m. – 4 p.m. The Cary Theatre in Cary, North Carolina.

NCIOM meeting on June 17, 2019

Adjournment

Future Meetings: August 9, November 15, 2019

NC Joint Forces Headquarters, 1636 Gold Star Drive, Raleigh, NC

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download