ELIGIBILITY FOR THE ALASKA DEAFBLIND PROJECT
As with all SESA services, the Alaska Deaf-Blind project’s assistance is provided free-of-charge to families, schools, and community organizations. The Deaf-Blind project is different than other programs at SESA in that it’s under a federal, rather then a state, grant. The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) funds a project in each state to support and serve the needs of its deaf-blind infants, children and young adults.
The Alaska Deaf-Blind Project serves any individual from premature birth to age 22 with a hearing and vision loss as specified below. We serve those in urban as well as remote areas as well as individuals not enrolled in school and those in secondary school.
THE INDIVIDUAL MUST HAVE:
a. Deaf-blindness 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 education programs solely for children with deafness or children with blindness.
SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE ALASKA DEAF-BLIND PROJECT
- Provide functional vision assessments.
- Provide information and training on American Sign Language, Tactile sign language, pre-symbolic communication, braille and picture and object cues.
- Assist with the development and implementation of student's IEP or IFSP programs.
- Support the transition into an ILP program, into school, and into adulthood.
- Demonstrate and/or teach specialized strategies to local school personnel, parents, and community.
- Assist educators, group homes and families in obtaining specialized instructional materials and /or in adapting available material/equipment.
- Provide interagency liaison.
- Provide topical in-services and workshops.
- Provide culturally appropriate interventions.
PARENT & SUPPORT STAFF WORKSHOP
INTERVENER TRAINING
