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ABOUT CONNECTIONS
Connections
Beyond Sight and Sound
is a collaborative project between the Maryland
State Department of Education and the University
of Maryland. In 2006 there were 216 students reported on Maryland’s
census on deaf-blindness. Connections
is the only project in Maryland to provide specialized technical assistance
to enhance the capacity of local education systems to meet the intense
needs of these children. The primary focus of this project is to
deliver technical assistance and training throughout Maryland to foster
systems change, build partnerships, and increase the capacity of local
systems to provide educational services that will result in improved outcomes
for these children. The major strategies
of this project are:  
1. Conduct
ongoing, statewide, multilevel needs assessment to determine the array,
type and intensity of technical assistance and training necessary to
sustain students with deaf-blindness within the educational system as
outlined in the provisions of IDEA and No
Child Left Behind;
2. Provide
technical assistance and consultation
to families, Local School Systems (LSS), Local Infants and Toddlers
Programs (LITP), State Operated Programs (SOP), private agencies, and
rehabilitation programs that result in appropriate assessment, placement
and support services to all children who are deaf-blind, enabling these
children to make progress in their educational programs;
3. Provide
pre-service and in-service training
to administrators, educational professionals, paraeducators, and agency
personnel that focuses on research-based, effective, and promising practices,
and contributes to the State's provision of highly-qualified personnel;
4. Enhance
State and local capacity to improve services and outcomes for children with
deaf-blindness and their families;
5. Provide
training and support to families of children with deaf-blindness to
meet their needs in the context of the family, extended family, neighborhood,
school, and community; and,
6. Facilitate
ongoing coordination, collaboration
and dissemination among families, MSDE, local school systems, national
projects, and other relevant agencies and organizations to promote service
integration, systematic change, and interagency cooperation.
The ouctomes
will be achieved through a variety of activities and initiatives which include,
but are not limited to, the following:
Site-based,
child-focused Technical Assistance
provided by trained and experienced Connections
staff, and supplemented by Deaf-blind Support Teams within Local School
Systems.
Summer
Institutes on issues and exemplary educational practices in the
area of deaf-blindness, severe and multiple disabilities, and other
low-incidence conditions, providing graduate level coursework to build
a well-trained cadre of professionals.
B.E.S.T.
Program (Building Effective Student Teams) to develop, train and
support transdisciplinary educational teams which are child-centered
and include representatives from the family, administration, related
services and direct instructional staff in 5-7 LSS.
Quarterly Family Forums and annual
Family Weekend to provide training
and support to families and caregivers of children who are deaf-blind/severely
disabled.
Quarterly
Newsletter with state-wide dissemination
and Web Site which are project-specific, as well as inclusion of project
information and announcements in relevant publications of other agencies
such as MSDE, AER, AADB, and MSB.
Family/Professional Lending Library
to provide an extensive collection of resources on deaf-blindness, other
low-incidence disabilities and related topics including inclusive schooling,
collaborative teaming, early childhood education, and communication.
Cortical
Visual Impairment (CVI) Multi-state Mentorship Project to
train teams of mentors in the states of Maryland, Delaware, Vermont
and West Virginia, with the goal of providing leadership and support
in the area of CVI
Usher
Syndrome Screening Project, planned and conducted with Local
School Systems, Maryland School for the Deaf and the State Steering
Committees for students with visual impairments and students who are
Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing.
Advisory
Committee
with representatives from LSS, agencies, and families, who meet regularly
and provide guidance and feedback to Connections
project staff relative to project focus and activities, as well as facilitate
collaboration and dissemination of information.
Linkages with various state and local organizations, services, agencies and
committees which are involved in disability-related issues to foster collaboration
and partnership, share information, avoid service duplication, maximize use
of limited resources, and increase benefits for children and their families:
MSDE (Division of Rehabilitative Services, Division of Special Education,
and Early Intervention Services), Maryland School for the Blind, Parents’
Place of Maryland, Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education, State Interagency
Coordinating Council, Special Education State Advisory Committee, Center for
Technology Education (CTE) program, Coalition for the Universal Screening
in Newborns (CUSHION), State Steering Committees for Vision and Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing.
As a result
of these activities, the following outcomes are expected and have been realized
in part during the previous years of the grant:
Improved services to children who are deaf-blind which reflect an emphasis
on exemplary educational practices in natural and inclusive environments through
training and technical assistance efforts and collaboration with MSDE and
MCIE;
Increased
child identification with more accurate and complete information on children
with deaf-blindness;
Continuation
of an ongoing program of support, training, and information to families;
Increased involvement of families in the educational programs of their children
with a focus on building family-professional partnerships;
Increased use of collaborative, family-centered school teams to develop and
implement educational programs which result in desired outcomes for children
and families
Increase in the number and availability of qualified LSS staff within the
state to meet local technical assistance needs;
Demonstration of improved
knowledge and technical expertise by service providers.
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