By Jen Chao What is CHARGE? It is an all-encompassing genetic syndrome that affects the entire body. CHARGE occurs in week 2 of pregnancy, when a chromosome flips to cause five defects, typically before the mother knows she’s pregnant. The diagnosis is identified by the presence of the same 5 defects, each letter standing for … Read more
by Patricia Dischinger As a technical assistance consultant who works with teachers of children with DeafBlindness ages birth-five, I am constantly talking with teachers about the importance of independence for children with DeafBlindness including helping them develop the ability to explore their environment independently and to actively participate in their daily activities. Two techniques that … Read more
The acronym T.E.A.M. stands for ‘Together Everyone Achieves More’. We must be sure to value and recognize the importance of understanding the child’s family perspective as part of the student’s educational team. Academic, functional, and communication success of the child can be achieved when home/school collaboration is present. When the team works together through collaboration … Read more
“A goal properly set is halfway reached.” — Zig Ziglar As parents and educational professionals, we work hard to ensure our children get what they need to grow into independent and productive citizens to the best of their abilities. We have plans for their future but those plans don’t come to fruition without targeted goals. … Read more
As a technical assistance consultant for teachers who work with learners with combined hearing and vision loss, I am often searching for just the right information to send to teachers. After I have explained something as well as I can, I like to send some follow-up information in a handout. I thought it would be … Read more
Susanne Morgan of the New York DeafBlind Collaborative presented about the importance of positive touch at the Southeast DeafBlind Conference in Huntsville, Alabama, in June 2022. There are two main ways the brain processes touch: discriminative touch and social and emotional touch. Before I delve into positive touch, let’s talk about our preconceived … Read more
How can I help my DeafBlind student with no vision and hearing gradually learn and make small progress? This was the question I had during the Alabama DeafBlind conference. Reflecting on this conference, there were many ideas to be considered for my student. Throughout the year, I had my first challenge. I had served students … Read more
It’s hard for us as hearing and sighted people to imagine what it would be like to have a dual sensory impairment. As I get older and my hearing and vision change, I am amazed at how dependent I am on my glasses! Sometimes when I go to the store I might come home with … Read more
The East Carolina University Teacher Support Program (ECU TSP) is reaching out to individuals working directly with learners with DeafBlindness in intervener or instructional assistant positions to join the latest Intervener Cohort. Cohort members will complete select Open Hands, Open Access (OHOA) DeafBlind Intervener online training modules to refine their work supporting learners with DeafBlindness. … Read more
The ECU Teacher Support Team is just that…SUPPORT for classroom teams who need guidance and collaboration on how best to guide/teach their learners with DeafBlindness. We are former teachers just like you and know what it’s like to feel overwhelmed, especially at the beginning of the school year. We are not here to judge. We … Read more
