Interdisciplinary Transition Team
Planning & Other Approaches for
Transition-Age Young Adults who are
Deaf-Blind
Amy T. Parker, Ed.D. & COMS
National Center on Deaf-Blindness
Transition
• To increase the ability of educational and
adult service systems to be responsive to the
unique transition needs of deaf-blind youth
and their families, supporting them in
achieving valued life outcomes.
Diversity of Deaf-Blind Experiences
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Deaf-Blind
Deafblind
Deaf, Visually Impaired
Hard-of-Hearing,
Visually Impaired
• Dual sensory loss
 Dual sensory impaired
sensory impaired
 Combined hearing &
vision loss
 Your term?
The federal government defines deaf-blindness as:
"concomitant hearing and visual impairments, the combination that
creates such severe communication and other developmental and
educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education
in programs solely for children with deafness or children with blindness."
FR Dept. of Education, 34 CFR Parts 300 & 303. Vol. 64, No. 48.3/12/99
Types of Deaf-Blindness
• Significant variability in life experience,
communication and overall development:
• Congenitally Deaf, Adventitiously Blind
• Congenitally Blind, Adventitiously Deaf
• Adventitiously Deaf-Blind
• Congenitally Deaf-Blind
Transition Age Young Adults
• All students have diverse vision and hearing
loss, with the presence or absence of
additional disabilities.
• Some individuals go on to college and/or live
independently while others will require
varying degrees of lifelong support.
• Interdependence is a theme that should be
explored in transition planning for all young
adults.
What is the same? Access Barriers
• What binds people who are deaf-blind are the unique
communication needs and the challenges experienced with
limited access to the social and physical world that surrounds
them.
Best practices in transition planning for
young adults who are deaf-blind
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•
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Student centered (preference based)
Comprehensive and interdisciplinary
Long term and Evolving
Build Social Capital
Planning Process Begins Early
Individual Examples- Let’s explore a bit
about transition with two young adults
Two young men who are deaf-blind sit in lawn chairs at an outdoor
event. One is touching the other’s arm and leaning forward.
Student and Family Centered- example
of interest based assessment
A young adult stands in a greenhouse with a job coach. He is placing eggs in a carton.
Kenny at Work
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty55ZAJy
Yrw
• (a portion of this video will be shown and it is
in the process of being audio described)
Sharing of Captioned and Described
Videos
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQu3duf
otPM (will share a portion of this video)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ASqlcSz
OIE (will share and discuss a portion of this
video)
System Approaches
• Now, let’s look at two examples of approaches
that have been tried to address transition
needs of young adults who are deaf-blind.
• The Transition Toolkit- Developed out of a
collaborative multi-state effort
• The Interdisciplinary Transition Team Initiative
(community of practice)
Transition Toolkit: Enhancing Self Determination
for Young Adults Who are Deaf-Blind
• This Transition Toolkit is a free repository of
information, tools, resources, and information
about a suggested model for hosting a
workshop for deaf-blind teens ages 14-22 and
their families.
• This model was devised after eight years of
hosting Transition Institutes for this
traditionally underserved population.
Let’s Watch and Discuss a Few Videos
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzMyqCy
EX7I
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMMjKI
mnBZY
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ycVp0G
4k_k
Interdisciplinary Transition Team
Initiative (ITTI)
• The Interdisciplinary Transition Team Initiative
(ITTI) is a transition planning initiative that
incorporates evidence based practices for
young adults who have combined vision and
hearing loss, their families, and educational
team members.
• Began as a pilot project and now has become
a multi-state initiative.
Interdisciplinary Transition Team
Initiative (ITTI)
• The ITTI is a multi-year long process with a hybrid
design
• Two large-scale face-to-face sessions
• Webinars for content
• Monthly web-based meetings
• Monthly transition planning tasks
• Face to face transition team meetings
• Online Community of Practice
• Technical Assistance Agreement
Requirements for ITTI Participation
• The team is centered around a student who is
deaf-blind between 14-21
• Commitment on behalf of the family,
transition team members and administrator
• Permission to use school/agency technology
• Access to high speed internet, webcam &
computer
• Participation in online community of practice
ITTI Community of Practice
• Now, let’s explore a bit about an online
community of practice that is growing
• https://nationaldb.org
Benefits of Collaboration
• Enhanced interdisciplinary collaboration
• Smoother IEP planning process
• Person-centered goals designed to meet the
student and family’s wishes
• Enhancement of self-determined behaviors
• Increased knowledge for families of the planning
process and services outside of the educational
environment
• Enhanced quality of life for the student.
Transformation for Parents and Young
Adults
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCFzRO7
AWX0
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1E_2rT
hKks
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmEFuoi
GPCg