Louisiana Deaf Education Newsletter

We are quickly approaching the end of the year! This year, our services and supports for families, students, and schools have grown, and we are proud to have served many of you. We can't wait to continue the fun during our summer program!

In this newsletter, you will find:

• Service request forms and intake forms
• Upcoming events and training opportunities
• Additional resources
• Resource Spotlight: Louisiana DeafBlind Project and Helen Keller National Center
• Spotlight: Introduction to Protactile
• Misconception Alert: What does "verbal" really mean for a DHH student?
• Information about learning sign language
• ASL Classes & Resources
• Support for families
• Updates and Professional Development re: DeafBlind Students
• Information on assessing students' sign language skills
• LA Deaf and Hard of Hearing Resource Binder
• Louisiana School for the Deaf (LSD) Outreach Vision
• Job Postings
• And more!

Please note that if a photo depicts an event or list of information, it is clickable and will take you to a link for more information and how to access the event.

As always, thank you all again for your dedication to our Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, and hard of hearing (DDBDDHH) students throughout Louisiana. Please feel free to reach out with any questions regarding Deaf education, requests for information, or other ways I can support you.

Best,

Dr. Natalie Delgado

Fill out this form if you are referring a deaf or hard-of-hearing child under the age of 5 that is not enrolled in an LEA. This form is used for children that would benefit from early intervention services for DDBDDHH children. Use our pre-K-12th form for children currently enrolled in an LEA.

We support and collaborate with all parishes throughout the state of Louisiana that serve deaf and hard of hearing children. Contact us for consultations, professional development, assessment services, and other support. See our Outreach Vision below to see our full array of support services being worked on and those we currently offer.

Also, check out our social media pages to see more of what we're doing and sharing! Find us on Facebook or Instagram @LSD_outreach_ece

Email: NDelgado@LSDVI.org
Website: https://lalsd.org/outreach
Location: 2888 Brightside Lane, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
Phone: (225) 769-8160
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LSDoutreachece
Twitter: @LASchoolDeaf

• Access Vine: Ongoing trainings
• California School for the Deaf CORE: topics change monthly, webinars are primarily aimed at families with deaf and hard of hearing children, and the professionals that work with them; view them here
• FREE Virtual Workshop Series: Topics change monthly--see the website for upcoming listings and past recordings.
• Hearing First: Professional Development and information for professionals using listening and spoken language
• Helen Keller National Center: Offers professional development, training, and events for professionals and DeafBlind students (ages 14+). Listings available here.
• Language First: Professional Development for Speech-Language Pathologists and other professionals, upcoming events listed here
• LSD Professional Developments: Deaf Education 101; FREE individual professional developments provided to districts upon request, in person or virtually
• Moog Center: Professional development, ongoing, listed here
• NCHAM: Ongoing workshops available here
• NTID DeafTEC: Offers professional development and math videos in ASL.
• Paul Glaser, CDI: Workshops on Interpreting Math Classes, ongoing
• The Online Itinerant: Ongoing workshops available here, under Trainings

Who can come: Deaf or hard of hearing children (PPEP, ages birth to 5) and their family members! Former PPEP students are also welcome to join and meet some new friends. Deaf community members and select guests are also welcome--we invite our students' service providers as well.

Cost: Our events are always free, but admission may be charged at select locations we visit (like the zoo), so be sure to check before you go!

Note: Should an event be cancelled or moved due to unexpected events, information will be posted on the website and on our social media pages, linked in our intro above. Our social media pages are updated the fastest, so check there first!

June is DeafBlind awareness month! Given that this newsletter only goes out bimonthly, we are sharing some information on DeafBlind supports this month ahead of June.

Below, we will highlight the Louisiana DeafBlind Project, and our regional representative for Helen Keller National Center.

Tell me about your role--what agency do you represent and what can you offer educators working with DeafBlind students or students who have combined reduced hearing and vision sensitivity?
I work for the Louisiana DeafBlind Project at LSU Health. We support educators working with DeafBlind students throughout the state by providing training, consulting, and access to resources. We can share information on DeafBlind-specific strategies to improve students’ access to education. We can also offer intervener training to paraprofessionals working with DeafBlind students, and we can support teachers in taking coursework specific to working with DeafBlind students. Our definition of DeafBlind is broad, so please reach out even if you’re not sure whether a student will qualify.

What can you offer families with DeafBlind children, or children who have combined reduced hearing and vision sensitivity?
We work with families across the state who have children (0-21) who qualify as DeafBlind (which includes any combination of reduced hearing and vision sensitivity). We can provide support in navigating the early steps, special education, or vocational rehabilitation system, including attending meetings with families, coordinating outside assessments, providing workshop or conference opportunities, referring to outside resources, and connecting families to our state and national network of families of DeafBlind children.

What would you say is the most powerful service or support you can offer to educators and families?
We are an educational program located within a medical university, so we are able to support families in coordinating between the complicated worlds of educational planning and medical care. We are also proud to work with DeafBlind individuals from infancy through young adulthood, so we can be an especially useful resource during times of transition.

What is the overall goal of your agency or your work?
The overall goal of our work is to ensure that DeafBlind students are offered a meaningful and accessible education, to provide information and a network of support for families of DeafBlind students, and to assist professionals working with DeafBlind students in implementing best practices to ensure success.

What advice would you like to share with educators reading this?
If you have any questions, please reach out so we can have a conversation! We are here to support you in any way possible.

Nicky Gillies, MS, NIC

Louisiana DeafBlind Project, Outreach and Education Coordinator

Human Development Center

Louisiana’s UCEDD

Email: ngilli@lsuhsc.edu

Office: 504 556 7532

Mobile: 504 252 6612

Fax: 504 556 7574

Tell me about your role--what agency do you represent and what can you offer educators working with DeafBlind students or students who have combined reduced hearing and vision sensitivity?

• I am the HKNC South Central Regional Representative and I cover the following states: AR, LA, NM, OK, & TX.
• My role is to provide consultation, technical assistance and learning opportunities to professionals and DeafBlind individuals.
• Collaborate with educators and transition teams for youth ages 15 to 21 to adult services.
• Connect individuals with local, state, and national services and resources.
• Coordinate the referral process to community rehabilitation programs for vocational training options toward employment.

What can you offer families with DeafBlind children, or children who have combined reduced hearing and vision sensitivity?

I work with youth ages 14 and older to ensure they have a transition plan in place in preparation for adult services. I connect with families who have children of all ages to share information about local, state, and national resources. I also provide consultation and support to ensure that the DeafBlind individual receives appropriate services.

What would you say is the most powerful service or support you can offer to educators and families?

The most powerful service we can offer is resources, training, and continuous support.
I would like to share an example of how we connect youth and families to mentors:

We hosted a virtual youth peer learning group and assigned youth ambassadors to facilitate the sessions. They chose DeafBlind mentors to participate each week and was able to connect with peers across the country. These youth have become friends. Some of the participants never met another DeafBlind peer, nor have their parents met a DeafBlind adult. These sessions helped expose families to a community that was unknown to them prior. The result was that the youth became friends and are learning about all of the various services available nationwide and in their home states.

What is the overall goal of your agency or your work?
HKNC's mission is, 'Giving people who are Deafblind the tools to live, work, and thrive in the communities of their choice.'

What advice would you like to share with educators reading this?
The advice I would like to share with educators is to be sure there is a transition place for all transition age students. Connect the youth and their families with resources that will help prepare them for adulthood. Mentorship and community connection is key in supporting a young person in becoming a confident adult.

Natasha Aymami | Regional Representative

she, her, hers

Helen Keller National Center

P.O. Box 82762

Baton Rouge, LA 70884

(p) 225-330-8192 VP

(m) 516-965-1039

Natasha.Aymami@hknc.org

helenkeller.org

"She's nonverbal--she uses American Sign Language."

"We're trying to encourage verbal language by having him use his cochlear implants."

"This student is minimally verbal, but they can sign 3-word sentences."

Ever heard a statement like one of these?

Guess what--these statements are wrong: Deaf kids who use American Sign Language (ASL) are verbal! Confused? Hang tight.

Professionals often get thrown off by the difference between oral and verbal. To help you distinguish the difference between the two:

Oral refers to the mouth; or things done with the mouth, like speaking. Therefore, oral language refers to spoken language, or language spoken with the mouth.

Verbal refers to having and using language, in any form. A child who has fluent written English is verbal even if they do not speak, for instance.

This means that individuals who use ASL (or other signed languages) are verbal, but they are not necessarily oral if they don't use spoken language. Individuals who use oral language are verbal, and so are individuals who use written language, even if they don't speak.

When discussing a student's abilities, we refer to their language usage as signed, written, and/or oral. If a student is able to use any of these three forms of language, they are verbal. It is only when they cannot use any of these three formats, that we can refer to them as nonverbal.

There are many resources available for you, your students, and your students' families to learn American Sign Language (ASL)!

• Check out our list of Favorite ASL Resources for a list of websites to learn from, apps to download, and videos to watch. Our favorite is Lifeprint.com for adults.
• The Louisiana School for the Deaf plans to return to face-to-face community classes beginning Fall 2022. If you're interested in signing up, email our ASL coordinator at atarasyuk@lsdvi.org.
• Check with your local Deaf Association, Deaf advocacy organizations, and Deaf Action Centers to see if they offer face-to-face or virtual classes near you! If you aren't sure what's near you, send Dr. Delgado an email.

If your student is an ASL user, be sure to check the class or site you are perusing--not all classes or websites teach ASL, some teach Signed Exact English (SEE) or even a foreign signed language. Be sure you are matching your students' needs!

Share our FREE virtual workshops with parents and professionals working with deaf and hard of hearing students--each month we feature a different topic supporting students from birth to age 22. See our monthly selection of workshops and share our resources for families page here.

This LiveBinder is chock-full of resources for children who are deaf or hard of hearing--some of the information is specific to Louisiana, while other information is generally about having a deaf or hard of hearing child or student.

Explore simulations that can show you how your student hears with or without amplification, sign language resources, local agencies, and more.

• Audiology Outside the Box: Resources for understanding hearing levels, amplification devices, auditory rehabilitation, and more
• ASL Connect: Online American Sign Language (ASL) courses
• ASL Clear: STEM signs in ASL; toggle the top button to switch to English
• Atomic Hands: STEM videos in ASL
• CSDLearns: Deaf education tools and courses for both students and professionals, designed by Deaf educators who are Deaf themselves; courses range from content areas to life skills
• DeafVerse: An online game for deaf and hard of hearing teens to hone their life and career preparation skills--available in ASL, spoken English, and English captioning. See their presentation on using it in the classroom and at home here
• English by Eye: Improving literacy through ASL
• Language First: Resources for families and professionals, therapy resources, and more
• The Moog Center Store: Contains resources and printables pertaining to listening and spoken language, and amplification devices such as hearing aids and cochlear implants
• The Moog Center Main Page: Contains a language calendar for use in classrooms, at the bottom of the page; changes monthly
• SignOn Connect: Live immersion in ASL with a Deaf Ambassador; can be added to a Deaf or hard of hearing students' IEP
• Supporting Success for Kids with Hearing Loss: Website with multiple articles, assessments, and resources

• National Center on Deaf-Blindness - has general resources, family resources, news, and events.
• The CHARGE Syndrome Foundation - has free, recorded webinars that are helpful for educators and families (even for DeafBlind students that do not have CHARGE).
• Helen Keller National Center - offers many resources, tons of events, webinars, and other support materials for working with DeafBlind youths and adults.
• iCanConnect - offers free equipment including smartphones, tablets, computers, screen readers, braille displays, and more to those who qualify

The Louisiana DeafBlind Project can provide:

• Information on how to support children and youth with atypical hearing and vision levels,
• Family support
• Webinars
• Training
• Technical assistance

Information about the LA DeafBlind Project and its technical assistance offerings can be found on its homepage. To refer a child, there is an informational packet to be filled out online.

Don't forget to also register the child on the National DeafBlind Registry if they aren't registered already!

Further information about our school and our admissions process is available on the LSD website. Check out our virtual tour videos, and contact our district admissions coordinator, Ebonie Raby for any questions you may have.

Ebonie E. Raby

Special School District

Admission & Records Coordinator

225-757-3202 (Office)

225-341-6536 (Video Phone)

225-757-3486 (Fax)

eraby@lsdvi.org

Our flyer and brochure are linked below in English and Spanish.

Dr. Natalie Delgado is a Deaf Indigenous Latina educator. She is the statewide outreach director of Deaf education, housed under Louisiana's Special School District (SSD). The SSD is home to the Louisiana School for the Deaf. In this role, Dr. Delgado provides support to districts serving deaf and hard of hearing children of all ages throughout the state of Louisiana as well as oversees the statewide early intervention program for these students. Dr. Delgado is also trilingual and knows American Sign Language (ASL), Spanish, and English. She has worked in Deaf Education for approximately eleven years, teaching and serving students (and their families!) from birth to age 22. Mainstream settings, self-contained classrooms, and residential school settings are no stranger to her--she has taught in them all! Dr. Delgado currently represents 12 states in the southern United States on the National ASL and English Bilingual Consortium for Early Childhood board.

Dr. Delgado has her doctorate in Deaf Studies and Deaf Education and is also a researcher in the field. She primarily conducts research on Deaf Latinx children, early childhood, language development and literacy in deaf and hard of hearing children, and bimodal bilingualism. Dr. Delgado has also worked as an adjunct professor for Lamar University's online Masters in Deaf Education program and for Gallaudet University's Infants, Toddlers, and Families Program. Examples of her research can be found here.

Email: ndelgado@lsdvi.org
Website: https://lalsd.org/outreach/
Location: Louisiana School for the Deaf, Brightside Drive, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
Phone: (225) 341-1141
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LSDoutreachece