Winter/Spring 2014
A Treasure Chest of Gems logo too. Stay tuned for further details and adventures to come as we Happy 2014! Happy Year of the navigate the Deaf-Blind seas Breaking Horse and Happy Spring Everyone! together. One boat instead of two… We hope this finds you all well into the new year with happy hearts and This issue is literally a Treasure News! energized minds and bodies. Chest of Gems as we have so much to share in the way of resources and All Hands are Waving! The Republic of As many of you know, we have been stories. So please join us on our the Marshall Islands has just been funded for another 5 years. However, voyage, ask questions, share and awarded a grant from Australia Aid for this time around instead of sailing 2 give us your feedback. We treasure $30,000 to support Deaf WorldTeach separate canoes, we are navigating learning and hearing from you! You volunteers and Sign Language the seas together in one big can LIKE us on FaceBook, Follow Interpreters for WorldTeach volunteers. boat. Our new name us on Pinterest and be added to is the Hawai`i & our listserv for lots more ongoing Congratulations are due to Dr. Hilda Pacific Deaf-Blind news. Heine and the MOE staff for taking a Project (HPDBP) and lead in providing quality education for you might have Deaf and Deaf-blind students. Stay noticed, we have a new tuned for more great news to follow!!!
All Hands on Deck for Hands & January, we kicked off 2014 with a bang by Voices Gatherings hosting an ice cream social for families who could by Jennifer Blohm and Bernadette not only enjoy ice cream sundaes but also meet Goodness-Glory other families with deaf and hard-of-hearing children. Families could also learn more about the Over the past several months, Hands & ways Hands & Voices supports them. Voices Hawaiʻi has been involved in outreach events for families on Oʻahu. We are looking forward to meeting more families In October, we had a Fall Festival throughout this year and looking forward to where families with deaf and hard-of- expanding our network to the other Hawaiian hearing children painted pumpkins, islands in the near future. played games, enjoyed ASL storytelling Please check out our Facebook page to see a list time, and socialized. In December, the of events we are planning on Oʻahu in 2014! Hawaiʻi School for the Deaf and Blind Events that you can look forward to include these: held a Winter Carnival that we were also workshops by the Learning Disabilities a part of. Visitors to our booth could Association of Hawaiʻi (topics will include have their faces painted, get a balloon Transition, Individualized Educational Plans, and animal, or even play with snow! In Advocacy); a parent panel at the annual Special Parents Information Network (SPIN) Conference; a email us at [email protected], or find us on Summer Picnic; and, in October, our second annual Facebook at “Hands & Voices Hawaii.” Fall Festival. Jennifer Blohm and Bernadette Goodness-Glory are Please contact us for specific details about any of Board Members of Hands& Voices. these events. Our phone number is 808-223-9229, or
Wisdom from the Island of Wisconsin showed a wealth of resources and research that can be by Amy Downard readily applied to many children in a variety of situations.
On February 27 & 28, 2014, participants were treated to a Active learning centers can create perfect independent hands-on workshop in Honolulu to learn early sensory and sensory play time. The highlight of the workshop included movement strategies for developing Orientation & Mobility hands-on centers. One learning center allowed participants for very young children with vision loss. Mary Tellefson, to see the value in helping a child use tinted sunglasses that Orientation & Mobility Assessment Instructor at the block out ultraviolet light while reducing glare and Wisconsin School for the Blind, shared her research and promoting contrast. Orange, plum, and rose tints seem to strategies with Teachers of the Visually Impaired/ provide the best level of contrast and glare reduction. Orientation & Mobility Instructors, Deaf-Blind Specialists, Darker sunglasses, with black and gray tint, block out light Early Intervention and also reduce clarity and contrast, making seeing clearly teams, and related more difficult. service providers. Another learning center allowed participants to test their Mary said that we use “echolocation skills”––monitoring the sound of an object as vision to motivate sound is reflected off surfaces like walls or other objects. movement and imitate When we were blindfolded, the sound of a clicker clearly others. However, a gained an echo type quality when the clicker was child with vision loss moved closer to a wall. Echolocation skills help needs a well-defined persons with vision loss detect objects in their sensory space to environment. develop these same actions. Many opportunities for tactile A favorite learning center showed how using a cane stimulation and exploration can be can help a person with vision loss have a better sense applied to any child, regardless of of time and space. Participants who were blindfolded physical abilities. Development of and pushed in a wheelchair found that movement should start by interacting not knowing time and distance was with the child and the child’s body. You very disorienting. Using a cane and can place materials on child’s body to placing a hand on a wall (called encourage the child to move hands to the object, “trailing”) were both helpful in keeping if possible. sense of time and space.
Materials that individually incorporate sound, Gatherings like these are so very smell, feel, and vision can be suspended on a helpful for educators and service frame in various positions over the child. To providers. Participants can collaborate, stimulate movement of hands and feet, materials share ideas, and add more resources to their toolkits. The can also be attached to a board and placed in different Hawai‘i Association of the Blind made a generous donation positions above the child. You can also create “tactile bibs” to provide this much-appreciated training opportunity. You by attaching materials to a towel or oversized t-shirt placed can find a wealth of resources outlined on Mary Tellefson’s on the child’s body for the child to explore. blogspot at http://www.wcbvi-oandm.blogspot.com/
After the child works within his own body, the child can Amy Downard is a Teacher of Visually Impaired/ explore distances within arm’s reach and beyond. Mary Orientation & Mobility Instructor, Honolulu District. !"#$%&'%(')%!*'+,*+$%%
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!"#$%&'( ()( Paddling Together to Support Deaf- The Gallaudet University Regional In another example, the Gallaudet blind Students Center-Northeast at Northern Essex University Regional Center-Pacific by Judy Coryell, Mellanie Lee, Kathy Community College (Massachusetts) collaborated with the Gallaudet Vesey, and Pam Snedigar serves nine states across the Northeast University Regional Center-Northeast(!%&'" to ( region of the U.S. Directed by Kathy establish a Hawai‘i Shared Reading Over the past few years, you’ve read Vesey, this Regional Center revised the Saturdays program in 2013, serving stories about the collaborative efforts of Shared Reading Program to provide a O‘ahu families with deaf and deaf-blind the Gallaudet University Regional monthly gathering of family members to children. This program is now in its Center-Pacific and the Hawai‘i-Pacific learn to read children's storybooks with second year. Deaf Blind Project (formerly the their children who are deaf and hard of !"#$%&'( Hawai‘i Deaf Blind Project and the hearing. This program has successfully In the western states, the Gallaudet Pacific Deaf Blind Project). The included family members who speak University Regional Center-West, Gallaudet University Regional Center- Spanish. directed by Pam Snedigar, and located at Pacific and the Hawai‘i-Pacific Deaf Ohlone College in Fremont, California, ()( Blind Project have co-sponsored events, An ASL related program operated by the serves eight western states One of their including statewide trainings on Early Northeast Regional Center is the collaborative programs is the Family Intervention; joint presentations for Massachusetts Family Sign Language Learning Weekend, a program sponsored families, students, and service providers; Program, made possible through a by the Montana School for the Deaf and Shared Reading Saturdays; and the Deaf contract with the Massachusetts the Montana Office of Public WorldTeach volunteers teaching deaf Department of Public Health. The Instruction. (!%&'"( and deaf-blind students at the Deaf Massachusetts Family Sign Language Center. Program provides ASL instruction in the For the past 14 summers, entire families, home for families with children who are including deaf and deaf-blind children, The Gallaudet University Regional deaf or hard of hearing 0-3 years of age. gather at the West Regional Center Center-Pacific is one of six Gallaudet This state-wide program works closely during the summer for a weekend filled University Regional Centers across the with Early Intervention Centers and has with deaf-related activities. In the country. (See the flyer about all of the been operated by the Northeast Regional summer of 2013, more than 150 children Gallaudet University Regional Centers Center for the past four years. and adults participated in this three-day at the back of this newsletter. Also see event. Activities for adults included http://www.gallaudet.edu/ Also in the Gallaudet University informational and inspirational outreach_programs/ Regional Center-Northeast, families and workshops by national experts. regional_centers_.html) In the next few caregivers receive instruction by a issues of this newsletter, we will be trained tutor who is deaf or hard of The deaf and deaf-blind kids and their sharing more information about outreach hearing. Many families in the program hearing brothers and sisters participated services of Gallaudet University have deaf children with low vision as in fun activities (swimming, making new Regional Centers. Services include well as other challenges. Meeting a deaf friends, ASL, the musical performing activities with deaf and deaf-blind or hard-of-hearing adult early on in the group “Expressions of Silence”) and children, their families, and the educational process is of great benefit to other fun team-building activities that professionals who work with them. Not family members. Annually this program help to strengthen sibling relations. For only do the Centers share resources serves approximately sixty families. all, this is a weekend where everyone across the regions, they partner with can share the challenges as well as the other organizations and agencies for Another program, Shared Reading joys of being a family with deaf or deaf- many of their programs. Saturdays, has been offered to families blind children. One parent summed up since 2004 in Lawrence, Massachusetts. the experience: “The presentations are Here are examples of programs from Between 10-15 families participate helpful but the connections we make two of the Gallaudet University monthly. Many families who have with other families are priceless.” Regional Centers that involve deaf and participated have deaf children who deaf-blind children and their families: have low vision. We hope there can be additional collaboration between various Gallaudet University Regional REGIONAL CENTERS Centers and Deaf-Blind Projects across the U.S. As stated byJoAnn McCann, the Project Officer for the Deaf-Blind Projects, “By accessing, developing, Midwest and sharing the collective expertise, knowledge, and John A. Logan College Carterville, Ill. resources that exist across the network, we plan to Sheri Cook, Director continue to improve outcomes for children and Pam Snedigar, Director Kathleen Vesey, Director families.” Working together, the impact of our Northeast outreach programs can be magnified. West Northern Essex Community College Ohlone College Haverhill, Mass. Fremont, Calif.
Judy Coryell is Director of the Gallaudet University Southeast Regional Center of the Pacific; Mellanie Lee, is Director/ Gallaudet University Education Specialist for the Hawai‘i & Pacific Deaf- Washington, D.C.
Blind Project; Kathy Vesey is Director of the Gallaudet Judy Coryell, Director Paci!c University Regional Center-Southeast, and Pam Kapi`olani Community College Southwest Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands Honolulu, Hawaii Austin Community College Karen She!er, Director Snedigar is Director of the Gallaudet University Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Austin, Texas Commonwealth of Northern Marianas, Republic of Palau and Regional Center-West. Republic of Marshall Islands
Arlene Gunderson, Director
Catching the Big One: Pearl City High School Academic Several of the Pearl City High School players are interested Bowl Team Wins Sportsmanship Award! in attending Gallaudet when they graduate from high school. by Judy Coryell They also received a huge honor—an award voted on by 46 Academic Bowl players and coaches. The Pearl City team Four Pearl City High School deaf and hard-of-hearing spread their Aloha spirit, winning the Academic Bowl students (one with low vision) competed in the West Sportsmanship Award! Regional Academic Bowl Competition in February 2014. The regional Academic Bowl competitions are sponsored by Actually, it was more than just the Aloha spirit—it was a Gallaudet University and the Gallaudet University Regional Pacific Island spirit that spread good will amongst the teams. Centers (West and Pacific). This year, the competition was One of the Pearl City players is Marshallese (from Ebeye), held at the California School for the Deaf, Riverside. The one is Samoan, another is Filipino and the forth is Pearl City team competed against 17 other teams from eight Caucasian. CONGRATULATIONS to the 2014 Pearl City western states. High School Academic Bowl Team and their coaches! For more information about the Academic Bowl, visit the Like all regional and national Academic Bowl competitions, Gallaudet website: www.gallaudet.edu/academic_bowl/ the Pearl City team competed against 8 of those teams from frequently_asked_questions_%28faq%29.html seven western states, answering fast paced questions in the following categories: Social Studies; Language and Literature; Science and Technology; Mathematics; The Arts; Dr. Judy Coryell is the Director of the Gallaudet University Deaf Studies; Current Events; and Pop Culture, Leisure, and Regional Center-Pacific. She can be contacted by email at Sports. At the end of the two-day competition, the Pearl City [email protected] team had won 2 of their 8 matches and met or exceeded all of their personal goals for the competition.
It wasn’t all serious competition—there were also fun social activities where the team got to make new friends during the long weekend. The Hawai‘i School for the Deaf and Blind was also there, so the Pearl City students were excited to have friends from their home state as well and enjoyed supporting the new team members. The students even met and chatted with the Gallaudet University President, Dr. Alan Hurwitz. Did you know?????… 4. Studies show that 75% of emotions are triggered by The Nose Knows! smell which is linked to pleasure, well-being, emotion, by Jennifer Tarnay and memory.
5. One of the most evocative smells from childhood is Did you know that, of our five crayons. A survey found that 85% of all people senses, the sense of smell is the only remembered their childhood when they caught the smell one that has a direct line to our of Crayola crayons and the newer crayon-scented brains? Information that we take in colored pens. using our senses makes it way to our brains in the same way a person taking a trip around the Pacific Islands 6. The sense of smell gets bored easily. When entering a would––it has to stop and make transfers along the way. bakery or florist you are very aware of the aroma, but by But not our sense of smell. It is the only one with a direct the time you reach the check-out you will no longer be flight to our brain. It is believed that this could be the able to smell the different aromas around you. reason our sense of smell can evoke strong physical 7. The sense of smell is the first of all our senses to reactions. For example, something that smells delicious, develop. Even before we are born, our sense of smell is like fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, can make us fully formed and functioning. salivate; something smells gross, like week old rotting fruit, may make us gag; and something that smells really 8. The sense of smell peaks when we are in our late teens strong, like perfume or a gas leak, may cause us a and begins a gradual decline. People who have an headache. impaired ability to smell, and therefore taste, tend to follow diets that are less healthy. It is also a common belief that people with sensory impairments “make up” for the lack of one sense with the 9. The human brain can process roughly 10,000 smells in strength of their other senses. This is especially true for an area the size of a postage stamp, each triggering a many deaf-blind persons. Where they may not be able to neural response. see or hear a person entering a room, they can smell them 10. As it turns out, the phrase wake up and smell the and with that, be able to know who they are. They might not be able to see their favorite food, but they can smell it coffee is more true than you would imagine. When you cooking and know what’s to come––the nose knows. So, are asleep, your sense of smell shuts down. You can smell when planning for teaching a deaf-blind child, don’t only the coffee after you have woken up. forget the nose! 11 Your sense of smell accounts for 75-95% of the impact a flavor has. Without being able to smell the difference Here are some fascinating facts about our sense of smell. between onion and potato, it’d be difficult to tell them 1. You can smell as fresh as a daisy every month––your apart. scent cells are renewed every 28 days, so every four weeks you get a new “nose”. 12. People who cannot smell have a condition called anosmia. 2. Smell is the most sensitive of the senses. People can remember smells with 65% accuracy after a year, while (This article was adapted from http://www.mirror.co.uk/ visual recall is about 50% after three months. lifestyle/health/20-fascinating-facts-sense- smell-1977351#ixzz2vyaw0JWo ) 3. Research has shown that smell is the sense most linked to our emotional recollection. Let’s Check In with the Republic of the Marshall Islands 13 Home Visits and designed Learning Plans for 10 children. EHDI Project Three toddlers were referred for physical therapy; by Nancy Rushmer and Chinilla Pedro ophthalmological evaluation was requested for two. Alex, age one month, enjoyed his first day of school with his EHDI Project Spearheads the Identification and mother and new teacher. Three-year-old Jomur worked on Enrollment of Marshallese Children with Hearing Loss his volleyball skills during his home visit. During the quarterly visit to Majuro in October, 2013 by Dr. Yusnita Weirather, Pediatric Audiologist, over 45 children were seen for diagnostic audiology. Many of these were identified as having hearing loss or deaf-blindness and several have other special needs. Chinilla Pedro, EHDI Project Coordinator, and Agnes Flood, EHDI Jomur surprises his teacher with a volleyball "bump" when she invites him to catch the ball. Coordinator of Newborn Hearing One month-old Alex on his first Screening visited the newly day of school. Dr. Weirather prepares a sleeping child for diagnostic. identified infants and their families at home and enrolled them in early First Sign Class for RMI EHDI Families intervention. Older children were EI families and some kindergarten families attended the Sign enrolled in the school-age program at Class taught at the MOE Deaf Education Center by Deaf the new Ministry of Education Deaf World Teacher April Bottoms and Ministry of Education Education Center at the Marshall teacher, Jelina Capelle. EI Teachers picked up the families in Islands High School or referred to the two cars and even the babies enjoyed the class. “Hats off” to Ministry for Special Education teachers April and Jelina for a wonderful collaboration Services. Dr. Weirather is pictured between EHDI, the Ministry of Education, and Deaf World here preparing a sleeping child for Teach! Dr. Jean Johnson calms Jomur testing while Dr. Jean Johnson as he waits for audiological evaluation. comforts another child prior to his test.
EHDI Is Off to Ebeye The RMI EHDI Project continues to make headway on its Is this fun or what? course to serve all infants and young children with hearing loss on Majuro Atoll and Ebeye Island. Of Ebeye’s population of 15,000, over half are under 18, and there is Off to sign class. We're going to need considerable hearing loss. In October, 2013, the EHDI a bigger bus! Project Coordinator, Chinilla Pedro, and Jean Johnson flew Kids and parents captivated by Sign to Ebeye where Chinilla trained nurses in Ebeye Hospital in Class. techniques of Newborn Hearing Screening. Agnes Flood, Coordinator of EHDI Newborn Hearing Screening, followed Programs Collaborate up with further training later. on first Early Childhood Deaf Family Support Group This wonderful Saturday morning get together was another EHDI-sparked activity that was possible because of close collaboration between the RMI Ministry of Education Deaf Education Center, Deaf World Teach, and the Ministry of Agnes Flood, EHDI NHS Coordinator, with Chinilla Pedro Agnes Flood, EHDI NHS Education Administration, EHDI, and Robert Reimers Coordinator, with Chinilla Pedro. Resort. On Saturday November 9, 2013. Robert Reimers Resort made their Bokanake meeting house available to Chinilla Pedro trains Ebeye Hospital staff over fifty children, parents and other extended family in Otoacoustic Emission (OAE) screening of a newborn. members, Ministry of Education administrators, teachers, educational aides, and Deaf students and young adults. EHDI EI Enrollment Grows By Leaps and Bounds This special gathering allowed families of young deaf, deaf- During October and November of 2013, Chinilla Pedro and blind, and hard-of-hearing children meet other parents and, Nancy Rushmer visited as many families of the 23 children perhaps for the first time, see other deaf children and adults. on the EHDI EI/Child Find rolls as they could. They made The families and staff were delighted to receive a warm Quinones facilitated a panel that included Deaf World Teach greeting from Dr. Hilde Heine, Minister of Education. Volunteers Mike Sidansky and April Bottoms, and two Deaf Special Education Director Ruthi also spoke to the parents. Marshallese young adults. He gave them hope for the future of educational services for their children in the RMI. Christmas Brings New Resources from the EHDI Project to Deaf Center Kindergarten The highlight of the day was an inspirational panel of Deaf The year 2013 was capped off with a wonderful surprise young adults who talked about what it was like growing up from Chinilla “Claus” when she delivered the EHDI gift of Deaf They also talked about their families and their many new learning materials to early childhood students in accomplishments. Deaf World Teach Volunteer Karen the Deaf Center.
MOE Special Ed Administrators, Deaf Center staff and students receive Family Support Group several boxes of new learning materials from the EHDI Project.
Navigating Communication in the ASL students from the CMI were The event was enjoyed by all! What Sea of Sign Language thrilled to meet deaf high school a great feeling to see all of our by Mike Sidansky and Judy Royka students and use the language students communicating openly and they’ve spent all semester learning. interacting with each other. In November, the ASL I class at the The deaf students were equally Amazingly, only 15 weeks ago at College of the Marshall Islands thrilled to meet the ASL students the beginning of the fall semester, (CMI) hosted a gathering with deaf and jump into the delicious spread they were just learning the manual high school students so that the that was set before them. alphabet (fingerspelling). And today ASL students could have a chance they were enthusiastically to use their sign language in a real After eating and conversing a bit, communicating with their deaf setting. The deaf and hearing the deaf students provided a peers. students snacked on healthy food wonderful ASL adaptation of The and enjoyed lots of conversation in Giving Tree, which received rave Mike Sidansky is Deaf WorldTeach sign language and gestures during reviews from the ASL students. The volunteer and ASL teacher at the this cross cultural/language ASL students, in turn, told their CMI. Judy Royka is Coordinator of exchange. Many staff at the CMI childhood stories that they had the First Year Experience and Co- generously provided donations that prepared for their final video project Instructor of ASL classes at the allowed us to purchase food and and got helpful critique and CMI. drinks for all of the students. feedback from the deaf students on their use of ASL. Diving Into Sound Waves: Hearing Of the 1723 students screened during, 396 appeared to have Screening & Testing in Marshall Island hearing loss were referred for further testing and evaluation Schools by the audiometrists. With the concurrence of the by Ray Miner consulting audiologist, Ray Miner, 337 of the 396 students referred were found to have a hearing loss. The Special Education Program of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) Ministry of Education has Screenng and testing have occurred for three school years. established and is expanding a hearing screening and Table 1 shows the data for three school years. testing program in early childhood programs and schools as part of their child find activities. Similarly, the Majuro and Ebeye Hospitals, in conjunction with the University of TABLE 1: HEARING SCREENINGS AND TESTS Hawai‘i and a grant from the U.S. Department of Health, OVER THREE SCHOOL YEARS have established a program of hearing screening and testing Hearing of newborn infants and young children in order to identify Hearing Referred School Year 2010-2011 Loss hearing loss as early as possible. Thus, with both programs, Screenings for Testing hearing screening and testing is available from birth Found through high school. (Definitional Note: screening is the Number of Students 1392 152 94 initial examination of a person’s hearing. If a hearing loss is suspected, the person is referred for further testing and Percent of Screened Students 11% evaluation to determine if hearing loss is indeed present Tested Percent of Screened Students 7% and, if so, the severity of hearing loss.) with Hearing Loss Percent of Tested Students with 62% The Ministry of Education program has trained local Hearing Loss technicians and audiometrists in hearing screening on Majuro, Arno, Kwajalein, and Jaluit atolls and continues to School Year 2011-2012 maintain local capacity and resources to sustain the Number of Students 1793 289 244 program on these atolls. The Ministry hopes to build capacity on other atolls as resources became available. Percent of Screened Students 16% Tested During an event for training and practicum for Percent of Screened Students 14% audiometrists on Jaluit atoll, a community hearing with Hearing Loss screening and testing fair was held in Jabwor as a first time Percent of Tested Students with 84% event in the RMI. On that Saturday morning, 92 individuals Hearing Loss from the community were given hearing screenings and School Year 2012-2013 hearing tests to inform the community of the new equipment and service provided in the schools. Number of Students 1723 396 337 Percent of Screened Students 23% In schools, during the 2012-13 school year, technicians Tested conducted hearing screenings with 1723 students in grades Percent of Screened Students 20% 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9. Also among those screened were students, with Hearing Loss Percent of Tested Students with 85% regardless of grade, who were sent for screening by a Hearing Loss teacher or parents and families.
Diving into Diving into Bone Diving into Jaluit Diving into Jaluit Tympanometry Conduction Testing Community Fair Screening and Testing on Ebeye on Ebeye
Diving into EC Diving into One Attentive Tympanometry Guy
Diving into Tympanometry Diving into Testing on on Majuro Arno Hearing testing not only identified children with a hearing Students found with a conductive or mixed type hearing loss, but also the type and severity of hearing loss. There loss are referred to a hospital or health clinic for medical are three types of hearing loss: 1) conductive hearing loss follow-up. Students with a mixed or sensori-neural hearing that typically involves the sound conducting mechanisms of loss are educated in the general classroom with the outer and middle ears, 2) sensori-neural hearing loss accommodations and special education services, or they are that typically involves the inner ear where the sensory referred based on the extent of the hearing loss for possible nerves are, and 3) mixed hearing loss that includes a placement in the recently established Center for the conductive loss and a sensori-neural loss. Education of Students with severe and profound hearing loss. Conductive hearing loss is usually the result of an ear infection, a hole in the eardrum, or substance in the ear As highlighted in this article, the Ministry of Education canal such as the excessive buildup of earwax or cerumen. hearing screening and testing program has sustained notable This type of hearing loss responds to medical treatment success over the years, and is continuing to expand. In usually returning hearing to normal. response to the humanitarian efforts of the program and its success, Special Education Programs of the RMI Ministry A sensori-neural hearing loss is characteristically of Education has received hearing screening and testing permanent since it involves the inner ear and the nerve equipment from the International Coalition for Hearing endings. Table 2 below reveals the types of hearing loss Health to continue expansion of hearing screening and found within the 337 students with a hearing loss found testing in the RMI. In mid-December 2013, the RMI during the 1012-2013 school year. Ministry of Education received notice that the Oticon Foundation is providing a grant that will allow for calibration of audiometric equipment and additional testing TABLE 2: THE PREVALENCE OF DIFFERENT equipment for an outer atoll of the RMI. TYPES OF HEARING LOSS If you would like more information on the RMI MOE NUMBER hearing testing program, please call the MOE Office of NUMBER NUMBER. OF OF NUMBER OF Special Education Programs, 692-625-6023, or contact Ray CONDUCTIVE SENSORI- OF MIXED HEARING Miner, [email protected] or 808-261-5794. LOSSES NEURAL LOSSES LOSSES LOSSES 337 327 2 8
Percent of Hearing 97% 1% 2% Losses
Percent of Students 19% .1% .5% Screened Diving into Tympanometry Training
Building Bridges Through Cultural Awareness teachers better support youth from the different by Randee Golden cultures of Micronesia.
Bridges of understanding are being built by the UH Hiloʼs Program Director, Vidalino Riaator, who is Hawai`i & Pacific Deaf-Blind Project, University of Chuukese, along with help from former student Hawaiʻi Hiloʼs Pacific Islander Student Center, the Jesse Robert, from Kosrae, talked about life on their Asian American, Native American, Pacific Islander- home islands. Vid shared information about the Serving Institution Project, and UH Mānoaʼs Growing history and geography of this region, along with Pono Schools Project/ Staff members collaborated some strategies to help youth and families who have on a presentation shared with over 150 DOE migrated to Hawaiʻi. Through vivid PowerPoint teachers on Hawaiʻi Island. The primary goal of both slides, Vid and Jesse helped teachers better sessions, held for Waimea Elementary and Middle understand both similarities and differences between educators on February 5, 2014, and Kealakehe High island cultures. staff members on February 12, 2014, was to help Both afternoon presentations were organized by youth, grades 4-12, develop deeper understandings Mellanie Lee, coordinator for the Hawaiʻi & Pacific about themselves, the place they come from, and the Deaf-Blind Project, and Randee Golden, from the community that supports them. The curriculum can Growing Pono Schools Project, along with support be found at www.growingonoschools.com. from West Hawaiʻi District ELL teacher Leslie Koziol. Mellanie also helped set up a display of beautiful Much appreciation is extended to Vid and Jesse for handmade items from different Micronesian islands. sharing from the heart about their island cultures. A big thank you is also extended to the DOE One activity offered in Waimea asked small groups administrators requesting this information for their of teachers to collaboratively create a “Community staffs, and the DOE teachers who attended the Feast,” with each participant drawing a special food sessions. from their home culture on a big sheet of paper. Teachers then learned about curriculum created by Randee Golden provides Educational Support with the Growing Pono Schools Project that offers the Growing Pono Schools Project. lessons on social life skills. These lessons help
Avoiding the Tsunami - Tips for Successful Toilet Training Her kindergarten class had a bathroom break every two by Stella Chang hours or so. It kind of worked for her, too. The teacher told me to put her in pull-ups instead of diapers. When the rest Toilet training can be challenging for parents with typical of the kids had their restroom breaks, she would go sit on developing children. Parents with special needs children the toilet for a few minutes. If she did not urinate, then the often time face greater challenges for each milestone that nurse would bring her back to the toilet every 5 or 10 their children achieve, including potty training. minutes until she did. The nurse would check her in between the bathroom breaks to see if she had wet her pull- In my previous articles, I’ve shared that my daughter has ups. They gave her very positive encouragement every time CHARGE Syndrome and is medically fragile. She has both she used the toilet. vision and hearing impairments and had very weak muscle tone. One of the main focuses for the first few years of her Soon enough, the teacher asked me to continue the training life was to improve her gross motor skills. With that, she at home. I felt anxious and pressured because it was one started walking at four and half. more thing on my plate, but I know the importance of working with the teachers for the development of my My experience of toilet training our daughter was quite a daughter, so I borrowed a book and a video on potty long journey. Since she is my first child, I had no idea when training from the library. I bought a potty seat and kept it in or how to start training her to use the toilet. Diapers seemed the living room because our bathroom is quite small, and it to be more convenient for us. I owe it to the teachers at the is where she spent most of her day when at home. After a Deaf School that started the training process with her after few weeks, I let my daughter put on underwear. Once she she learned how to walk. experienced the underwear, she felt so light and free. She very quickly wanted to do away with the pull ups. I had a schedule for her tube feedings and kept a record of when she wet her diaper and/or had a bowel movement. As a precaution, I put a waterproof mat wherever she sat. The nurse at school who assisted my daughter also kept a Sure enough, she had accidents and it was no fun changing record. Therefore, we were able to see a general pattern that and washing her dirty clothes, but thinking that one day she she usually wet after her feedings. would be able to master the skill kept me from getting too frustrated. I do not remember exactly how long it took *Getting Ready for Potty Training before we were accident free, but the frequency of her http://www.familyconnect.org/parentsite.aspx? accidents got fewer and farther between. FolderID=21&SectionID=75&TopicID=350&DocumentID =3850 While she was doing pretty well without diapers during the day, she still wore diapers during the night for a few more Most parents don't begin potty training until their child is years because we gave her feedings throughout around age 2, and most children aren't developmentally able the night via a pump. She usually wet her to exercise the control needed until they are at least 18 diapers one time during the night. Only months old. Still, your everyday routines around diapering when we gradually cut down on the and elimination can start helping your child get ready long volume of her feedings was she able before that time. These routines will also help her learn to stay dry through the night. about herself and the world.
Many times she took off her *Toilet Training Children with Special Needs diapers in her sleep, http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages- especially during summer. I stages/toddler/toilet-training/pages/Toilet-Training- knew she did not like to wear Children-with-Special-Needs.aspx them, so I decided to put a waterproof mat under her body. For a While no parent wants to push an already challenged child period of time she still wet her bed to perform in ways that are impossible, the sense of occasionally, but then she had no problem accomplishment experienced when he does succeed in this at all. I think it helped her self-esteem greatly important aspect of self-care can make an enormous being able to use the toilet like other children. difference in his level of self-esteem.
Every child’s development is different. The following *Potty Training Special Needs Children excerpts are from some great articles I have found online on http://www.rifton.com/adaptive-mobility-blog/blog-posts/ the topic of potty training. You can follow the links to read 2011/september/potty-training-special-needs-children the entire articles if interested. After you and your child have determined that it is time to * When is the Child Ready? http://www.sheknows.com/ potty train, take him or her to the store and buy a potty. parenting/articles/967825/potty-training-a-special-needs- After choosing and buying the potty chair, start having him child ) or her sit on the potty, clothes on, while you sit on the toilet. (If your child needs special support, such as a backrest, you These questions will help you determine if your special may want to look at adaptive toileting equipment such as needs child is ready to begin the potty training process: Rifton’s Blue Wave Toileting System.) You can give your ● Does your child recognize the difference between child a snack or read aloud to keep him or her sitting on the being wet and dry? potty in order to establish a daily routine. ● Can your child sense if he or she needs to urinate or have a bowel movement? *Toilet Training Children with Deafblindness: Issues ● Can your child get to the toilet in time with or and Strategies http://www.tsbvi.edu/seehear/summer00/ without your help? toilet.htm ● Can your child dress and undress him or herself? ● Can your child stay dry for at least two hours at a *Tips on Toilet Training for The Child With Visual time? Impairments ● Is your child motivated to begin the process? https://www.tsbvi.edu/tx-sensabilities/3117-tips-on-toilet- training-for-the-child-with-visual-impairments *Toilet Training When Your Child has Multiple https://www.tsbvi.edu/tx-sensabilities/3117-tips-on-toilet- Disabilities training-for-the-child-with-visual-impairments http://www.familyconnect.org/parentsite.aspx? SectionID=79&TopicID=381&DocumentID=4226
The use of a bathroom routine will give your child a framework for understanding what is going to happen and what is expected of her.
Use the hand-under-hand or hand-over-hand method when guiding your child to pull clothes up and down, tear off toilet paper, or wipe herself. A Treasure Chest of Resources….. College of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) - University Center for Excellence on Developmental American Samoa Community College University Disabilities (UCEDD) Center for Excellence on Developmental Disabilities http://www.nmcnet.edu/content.php? id=146&cat=151&mnu=148 http://www.amsamoa.edu/academicssupportucedd.htm
The ASCC UCEDD seeks to support, enhance, and This Program is committed to developing culturally improve the quality of life for persons with developmental complimentary outcomes while promoting equal disabilities. This is accomplished opportunity, independence, productivity, promoting self- through cooperation, coordination, and collaboration determination, and supporting an improved quality of life among disability agencies to develop programs that for people with developmental disabilities promote self-determination, integration, full inclusion, and in their villages, the Commonwealth, person-centered planning with family involvement and and the world around us. family advocacy. The ASCC UCEDD contributes to improving the lives of individuals with disabilities through Our Goals and Responsibilities are to a variety of initiatives and activities focused on education, provide training, technical assistance, research, and service. This includes trainings such as the and information-sharing with the focus “Use Your Voice” Parent Workshop which provide parents on building the capacity of the College with information and knowledge to help parents of the CNMI to fully include persons with understand and seek appropriate services for their developmental disabilities. We are an in-direct service children; “Accessing Services” provider, collaborating and coordinating with all the which was a training geared agencies serving people with DD in the CNMI. The towards introducing parents and purpose of UCEDD programs remains concise to meet the families to the various agencies dynamic needs of a group of people historically unserved of the government that provides and underserved in our country. services for children with DD; and trainings on People-First The NMC-UCEDD has an awesome opportunity and Language and Signs of Abuse privilege to support and empower wonderful individuals (Quality Assurance). and this community-based program is very dynamic in its changing and progressive focus.
DIVISION OF VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION toward economic self-sufficiency, independence, and (DVR) – WHAT IS IT? inclusion and integration into society.
Vocational Rehabilitation is a state-federal program for OUR MISSION individuals with The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) exists to disabilities, who require serve its participants. Staff works as a team so participants assistance to prepare for, can achieve their hopes and aspirations for meaningful secure, retain or regain employment through timely and individualized vocational employment. The Hawai‘i rehabilitation services. Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) OUR VISION administers three To Move Forward to Work programs that have separate but related OUR VALUES functions to provide for RISE the rehabilitation needs of R “Respect for the Individual” persons with disabilities to Being aware of differences, treating everyone as we secure employment and to want to be treated, respecting one another’s ideas and lead full and productive choices, listening to what others have to say lives. The underlying I “Integrity” philosophy and goal of the taking pride in what we do, being transparent and DVR is that through honest in our actions, doing what we said we would employment, individuals with disabilities are empowered do, taking social responsibility S “Service with Compassion” Metro Oahu going the extra mile, providing timely services, being a. Margaret Ishida [email protected] dependable and reliable, caring with commitment E “Empowerment” Hawaii providing growth and development, providing hope a. Christopher Campbell [email protected] for aspirations providing informed, choice thinking b. Ellen Okimoto [email protected] outside of the box for success Kona For more information about DVR services in Hawai‘i for Mandie Guerra [email protected] deaf and deaf-blind, contact: Maui Veronica Moore [email protected] Oahu a. Claudia Madruga - Employment Section Molokai [email protected] VACANT b. Gisella Tomita - DSS [email protected] c. VACANT - DSS Kauai d. Keano Nakamaejo - East Branch a. Angeline Kaleiohi ([email protected] [email protected] b. VACANT
Hawai‘i’s Parent Training and Molokai August 22, 2014 Information Center Lanai August 29, 2014 Learning Disabilities Association Kauai September 6, 2014 of Hawaii (LDAH) Hilo September 12, 2014 North Kohala/Waimea September 13, 2014 Learning Disabilities Association Maui September 16, 2014 of Hawaii (LDAH) is a non-profit Oahu September 27, 2014 organization founded in 1968 by parents of children with Mark your calendars and stay tuned for more information disabilities. It is the Parent on the Traveling Mini-Conference! Training & Information Center (PTI) for the state of Hawaii. Their mission is to enhance For more information on LDAH go to http:// education, work and life opportunities for children and www.ldahawaii.org/index.html youth with disabilities by empowering them and their families through information, training and mentoring, and by public outreach and advocacy. LDAH supports parents of children with any disability and the professionals who serve them throughout Hawaii in a variety of ways:
Information/Referral Education and Training Mentoring and Advocacy Persons-In-Need Program (PIN) (small grant awards to benefit children with disabilities) School Readiness Project Sharing the Commitment (STC) -- Po`okela Project One of the many supports LDAH provides is their Annual Traveling Mini-Conference that travels to each of the Hawaiian Islands. The Hawai‘i & Pacific Deaf-Blind Project has the joyful opportunity of collaborating with LDAH for these trainings and workshops. Valuable information coupled with fun activities and a Make and Take are what you can look forward too. Locations are still pending but dates are as follows: What is the National Center on Deaf-Blindness? Ø Improving opportunities for high-quality by Kathy McNulty and Gail Leslie, NCDB family engagement and partnerships. Special emphasis will be placed on increasing The National Center on Deaf-Blindness collaborative efforts with the Parent, Training and (NCDB), began a new five-year cycle of Information (PTI) Centers at the national, funding in October 2013. The NCDB is regional, and state levels. funded by the US Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). Along with Ø Conducting and maintaining an annual child the NCDB, OSEP also funds a project in count of children who are deaf-blind. This each of the nation’s states and territories information is often of critical importance in to ensure that quality programs exist to identifying national or state needs, resource serve children who have combined allocation, prioritization of product development, hearing and vision loss. Together, the NCDB and the state and other needs. projects create a national network of technical assistance projects working together to help improve the quality of To learn more about the NCDB areas of work, visit the life for children who are deaf-blind and their families. In NCDB website nationaldb.org . Create a profile and join a writing for this new five year cycle, the NCDB committed group that is working on one of these activities. As our to specific activities that will increase collaboration across work develops over the next months, ongoing activities our national landscape and provide for more efficient ways and information will be disseminated thru the NCDB to work together to create resources and train personnel. Network News on the home page, thru blog posts, and in group forums. Family members may want to visit the For These are some of the specific activities: Families section on the website to find new information Ø Promoting collaboration across the Deaf-Blind and discussions. Network. Extraordinary resources and levels of expertise exist across the 52 state deaf-blind Highlighting the NCDB Family Engagement Work projects that, if shared and harnessed, can be of The NCDB has a long-standing commitment to developing great benefit to all members of the DB Network. activities that involve families. Parent engagement, which The use of technology, particularly the NCDB is often called parental involvement, means that parents website, will play an integral role in connecting are prepared to participate in meaningful communication project personnel, families and other members of involving their child’s academic learning and other school the community. You can be part of the activities. collaboration. Visit us at nationaldb.org. We know that parents play an integral role in assisting Ø Developing and disseminating products that their child’s learning and that for the parents of a child provide easy-to-understand information about who is deaf-blind, this can be a daunting task. Rarely is evidenced-based practices. Easy-to-use there more than one student in a school district with deaf- information and products (e.g., video clips, fact blindness, and the vast majority of service providers, sheets, modules, etc.) that families and educators including early interventionists and preschool staff, do not can use to better understand the unique needs of have the necessary knowledge or resources to children who are deaf-blind will be produced over appropriately address the needs of their students with a the course of the grant cycle. All of these will be dual-sensory loss. promoted and available via the NCDB website. In response to this challenge, the NCDB will work to Ø Increasing the capacity of the DB Network to leverage and maximize the collective resources of several deliver effective, outcome-based technical systems to better support and assist parents of children assistance. The NCDB more intensive technical who are deaf-blind. These systems include the Deaf-Blind assistance to states will focus on a smaller number Network comprising of the NCDB and the 52 state deaf- of initiatives in carefully selected, high-need blind projects, the PTI Network that is made up of one content areas ( e.g., early identification and National Project, six Regional Parent and Technical referral, transition, distance mentorship, families) Assistance Centers, and one-hundred and one state PTIs, resulting in greater long-term impacts and more the two national parent organizations––the National efficient use of resources. Family Association for Deaf-Blind and the CHARGE Syndrome Foundation––and other partners from within a Ø Expanding the use of intervener services state that will be identified as technical assistance is nation-wide. Key to this effort will be the on- delivered. going development of the national-open-access intervener learning modules and increasing their The goal will be to bring all of these systems together on use for training personnel. an on-going basis to address the parent engagement issues of parents of children who are deaf-blind. Through this collective partnership, we hope to offer parents greater Nā Mamo 'Ōiwi Hawai'i – OHA Hawaiian Registry access to the information and support they need to be Program positively engaged in the education of their child and receive the foundational supports that parent advocates Calling all Native Hawaiians!!! If you haven’t yet need to grow into parent leaders. registered, it’s time!!! The Office of Hawaiian Affairs Hawaiian Registry Program provides Hawaiians, Start-up activities for the first year of the grant will worldwide, with a card that verifies their Hawaiian include these: ancestry. After submitting your application and • Webinars. A series of webinars, which will appropriate documents, OHA will issue you a card that begin in February 2014, will address a range of you can use to apply for other OHA programs such as topics related to family engagement. The first loans, grants, and scholarships. Registering is FREE! webinar will focus on the need for individualized supports for students who are For more information or to download the application, deaf-blind; check out their website at http://www.oha.org/registry • Training Materials. A website is under development that will serve as a community- based repository of training materials focusing primarily on parent advocacy and leadership. Working with our partners, we anticipate this website to be available by September 2014; • Discussions. Using the Family Engagement Group space on the NCDB website, we hope to create lively and informative forum discussions on a wide range of topics pertinent to families. We hope to create a comfortable and inviting space where family members and service providers can share problems, solutions, resources, and valuable information.
We know that when many join together to create and problem-solve, we can make great strides towards change and building long-lasting supports. We look forward to our collaborative efforts. Join us. Our community needs your voice.
Pinterest-ing Treasures; Fun Ideas for Simple Living Announcement: Parent Guidebook is OUT!!! We have to admit it, we have fallen in love with Pinterest, and we are having A LOT of fun pinning stuff on our boards! The Parent Guidebook is finally in print and ready to go. Join us on Pinterest and check out cool and interesting posts We will be sending a copy to all parents/guardians whose from sensory activity ideas to engage your keiki, to IEP children are on the Hawai‘i Deaf-Blind Project census. If information to help you through those tough meetings, to you are a professional working with deaf-blind children, simple solutions for activities of daily living, to inspirational we’d like to send you a copy. Please contact our Family quotes that'll help get you through a tough day...and more! Specialist Stella Chang at (808) 222-8466 or email her at Check out our site at www.pintrest.com/hpdbp and share in [email protected]. the fun! Hawai`i & Pacific Deaf-Blind Projects You can also download Parent Guidebook the Guidebook from our website at http:// www.pdb.hawaii.edu under For Family section.
a resource for parents and service providers I am thankful for the ability to I'm thankful for family Waves of Gratitude Across send my family weekly "we and friends who speak to love you" text messages. my heart. And for the Pacific… ~ Kaysie Smith knowing that no ma er what I do, where I go, As I remembered all that has happened to me over the past year, I am thankful for and how old I get, The being cer fied as RSA by the University of Hawai’i RSA Project because I have worked Good Lord is right beside with so many special children and their different kinds of disabili es really touch my me, guiding me every heart; and that I have dedicated so much of my me helping them, their parents, and step of the way. assis ng the Special Educa on Program staff here in Chuuk. Even though I am a staff in ~ Corey Kekipi Keohohina the ECE program here with responsibili es with the program, but I arranged my daily work schedules to accommodate my mes to the special children in the communi es. Thankful to God for His ~ Roman Olobuy, Chuuk FSM love, grace & mercy upon me... for blessing me with loving parents (Papa Harris I'm thankful for wonderful friends that I am able I am thankful for the ability to & Mom Tonie), wonderful to spend me with in real life and on Facebook. express myself through art. families, amazing friends, ~ Kaimi Watson ~ Jessica Ke'ala Kim-Campuspos and an awesome career serving individuals with I am really thankful that my husband and my blindness/visual I am thankful for the breath daughter are loving and caring. I am thankful to have impairments in Chuuk, of life...for HE is good! such beau ful family in my home. Micronesia. ~ Chanel Kinilau DeSilva ~ Lisa Soram ~ Chelsea Mori Phillip, Chuuk
I am thankful for so many things, I am so grateful for all the wonderful I am thankful that I am especially for being Telloi's mom blessings that we all so enjoy. Blessings as blessed with the love that because she has taught me so much the sisterhood we have sharing knowledge, constantly surrounds me but that just personally speaking. taking care of those that are entrusted in because when you cannot Professionally, I am very thankful for our care, the health and strength, differen ate between family this job at Palau Parents Empowered physically mentally spiritually and socially, and friends, it's a wonderful that teaches me to help other parents and many,many more. We are also grateful thing! advocate for their children. Parents to you for always including us in your ~ Staci Farias have to deal with so many issues in sharing of new and current trends of addi on to their child's disability and per nent informa on that we need. May I am thankful my kuleana think language is one of the big you have a very Merry Xmas and a very has found me. Very thankful challenges. Joyous New Year. God bless. I have friends who share this ~ Francesca Morei-Misech, Palau ~ Tele, American Samoa passion with me. ~ Duffy Chang I am thankful for: being able to help developing countries improve their educa on systems, wonderful group of volunteers, my family and friends I have so many things to be thankful endless support, making new friendships. being happy and healthy….. with, but the most important for me ~ Todd Mulroy, Majuro right now is the safety of my family, they are all healthy and doing just I'm thankful for all God has blessed me with-- fine. I am thankful too that my kids loving family, caring friends, a teaching posi on I are ge ng be er in school. I am thankful for the love love, students that are beyond awesome, health ~ Zoey, CNMI and strength--and that everyday I can share His and kindness I am shown everyday. blessings with those around me. Since I just had a baby.... epidural! ~ Jeane e Mawae ~ Lauren Takao Thankful for whoever created that wonderful drug hehe. But To live and I am thankful everyday I'm thankful that we spent me seriously, my happy healthy kids breath each that I live in one of the together to celebrate a happy that drive me nuts at mes, my day period most beau ful places on new year, we're blessed to have husband, mom and friends who are ~ Summer Earth, Waimea, Hawai’i. a beau ful ohana. more like family. Drabczyk ~ Beth Maile Wong ~ Sharon Solomon, Iowa ~ OB N Shauna Ainu'u I have a long list of things that I am I am thankful for great family & friends, the I'm thankful every day thankful of but I’m just going to write ability to earn a living, a roof over our heads, for the ability and the best ones that so far. Mama: So food on the table and to begin each day fresh opportunity to both many things in my mind that I am so & new! learn and teach. grateful and want to thank God for. ~ Sheri Lutu-Hanashiro ~ Kehau Agena First I want to give thanks to those who are out there that support the deaf Families who love and take care of me, I am grateful. I may be the youngest but I am students in RMI, and most of all thank the best for them because I will be there to help them out in any ma er if ever they to our Lord in Heaven for answering my need me. My way of saying, "thank you for taking care of me and loving". Work is prayer on opening opportuni es to like my second home however, I am working the special educa on. Being part of the meet deaf students from Gallaudet, to special educa on is one of the best things . I learn along the way from the students come and share their language, culture, and the other teachers. I am proud to be a teacher for the deaf/blind and the deaf and ways of living with the deaf students. I am so grateful to be part of their lives. At work, some mes it takes a lot community here in Majuro and Ebeye. of pa ence to get through the day and with the kids. But with the help of those who Second, I want to say thank you mom come from far away, we are so grateful. We wouldn't have done a be er job if it for raising me to become a public weren't for them. They are so helpful and generous to lend a hand to us on the ny servant to all disabled people as well as island. We are so overwhelmed to meet new fantas c deaf teachers and mee ng deaf people in RMI. I love you! Stay them has eased up our headaches and heartache because they are there to help us healthy! with them. Thank you so much. ~ Jelina, Majuro ~ Anida Timothy, Majuro
I am most grateful for the I am thankful for my hearing and sight. Not being a I'm so thankful for the ability to give love and the douche but really. We take it for granted and people in gi of life, which comes honor to receive love. this program are amazing despite the limita ons. with so many blessings. ~ Melody Cosma-Gonsalves ~ Tam-e Coco Faagau ~ Cindy Saimon, Pohnpei
Eh you get questions, ask Auntie...ʻcause if Dear Auntie... Auntie donʼt know she gon find out fo you. Aloha! Please help Aunty search for the following words. Aloha Sarah,
Roles and responsibilities of team members can be a bit confusing, especially when they’re related to something we don’t deal with often in schools, like Dear Auntie, feeding. According to the American Occupational Therapy Association (2002), My daughter recently came off of tube “Occupational therapy’s long-standing expertise in activities of daily living feedings, is on a modified diet, and receives includes involvement in the feeding, eating, and swallowing performance of thickened liquids at snack and meal times individuals across the life span. Interventions focused on occupations of daily at school. I talked with the teacher about living include facilitating an individual’s ability to participate in feeding and who is going to oversee her feeding eating activities that are valued and meaningful to that person, such as learning to progress at school. She said I should talk eat independently, joining friends for lunch, or feeding a child.” Additionally, to the occupational therapist on the team. according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, “As more When I talked to the occupational therapist, medically fragile children are educated in the schools, a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) must take on roles and responsibilities that traditionally were she said she doesn’t do that and that the considered those of medically based SLPs. For example, students may continue speech-language pathologist is the one I to attend school as they transition from tube to oral feeding, requiring the support should contact. When I talked to the of the SLP in the school (McKirdy, Sheppard, Osborne, & Payne, 2008 speech-language pathologist, she said that ).” it’s not her job and that I should talk to So the answer to your question, both the OT and the SLP are educated and the occupational therapist. If it’s not the qualified to oversee your child’s feeding progress. It might be best to ask to meet occupational therapists or the speech- with both the OT and SLP together so that everyone can be on the same page and language pathologist responsibility, then take a team approach to helping your little girl learn to love food! whose is it? All the best, Hoping for some clarity, Sarah Auntie
Good Luck! Aloha! Please help Aunty search for the following words. Dear Concerned Mama,
Dear Auntie, I agree with your daughter, the sound of the ocean is beautiful and peaceful to many of I have 2 children. My oldest is 4, since he us. Instead of using your iPod, check out Amazon.com and type in the words “White was a baby he has had lots of toys that noise machine” I think you will be plenty surprised at all the pictures of things that he loves to play with. My baby is 15 come up, I was! You might try getting one of these machines and hooking it up to a months old and does not like many things. switch so your daughter can learn to turn the ocean on and off when she wants. She is totally blind and only sometimes responds to sounds…her favorite is the As for other toys she might like…...I am sure you have tried your son’s toys, but don’t sound of the ocean on my iPod. It calms give up if it seems like she still does not like those, sometimes it takes time for young her and helps her relax when she is crying ones to understand what the toy is and what it does before they learn to like it. Also, or upset. When I give her a toy, she will think about things you might have around your house like pots and pans or spoons. In hold it for a second then drop it. I should my ripe old age, I have learned that some of the most ordinary things we have in our say she has a hard time holding things homes make the best toys ever. because she has CP. I would like her to have more toys like our son. Is this Learning to like new things is about having access to them too, so don’t give up, normal? I worry that she doesn’t like much. continue to try new toys and things that feel and smell different, think “out of the box” and have fun with your daughter experimenting. Thanks, Concerned Mama Best of luck, Auntie Dear Auntie, My deaf-blind son is 6 years-old and often times Hello Dear Auntie, when we are out in public he will reach out to I see there are kids at my son’s people and things nearby and try to smell them. school that use Sign Language. Is This, at times, can be very embarrassing. Why does that something that my deaf-blind he do this? daughter can learn too? Thanks, Embarrassed Mommy Thank you, Mary You’re not alone, Mommy…... Many children with sensory impairments Dear Mary, like to smell things. Since your son gets a limited amount of information from his eyes and ears, he’s using his nose to explore the world around Yes, some deaf-blind children are able to use him. It is a natural way for many deaf-blind children to explore who and ASL (American Sign Language) to what is around them. I can see why you might be embarrassed if your communicate while other children might son grabs a complete stranger or picks up the napkin holder at a communicate by using gestures, tactile sign restaurant and smells them/it. While others may think this type of language (hand over hand), and pictures behavior isn’t “normal”, it is normal for your son. In a way it is really combined with signs. Deaf-blind children exciting too, as he is showing youGood that he is eager to learn! have many different ways they might Luck! communicate. It depends on how your child One way you can help him explore and learn in a more appropriate sees, hears, and learns best. Talk to your manner is to set aside some time each day, or during specific activities, child’s teacher about this and his/her Speech and give him things and encourage him to smell them. For example, at and Language Therapist. Also you might want the beginning of bath time you can give him a bar of soap or the open to take a Sign Language Class or purchase a shampoo bottle and encourage him to smell it and then explore it with DVD so you can begin to learn some signs his hands. If you always use the same soap/shampoo, over time when he and teach your son. Most definitely contact smells it, he may associate the smell with the bath time routine. You can the Hawai`i & Pacific Deaf-Blind Project do this for any activity, place, or person. As long as the scent stays the folks, they can help for sure! This is a short same, he’ll learn the unique smells for each. answer for a hard question but I hope it helps. Good luck! Yours Truly, Auntie Auntie From Deaf-Blind News to Your House A direct line to what is happening: latest news and announcements...
Save the Date! September 18-19, 2014 for
Therese Willkomm !Yo u r Te c h ! ! Lo-Tech. !High-Tech.
Assistive Technology Strategies for Multiple Disabilities Including: blind, low vision, deaf/blind, autism, communication impairments, multiple & severe, cerebral palsy, and Intellectual disabilitiesBrought to you by the Hawai’i & Pacific Deaf-Blind location and registration details to follow InterventionProject, Section DOH Early , Easter Seals Hawai‘i & Aloha Special Technology Access
Center
Therese Willkomm, PhD, is the Director of New
Hampshire’s State Assistive! Dr.Technology Willkomm Program is known with nationally the Institute on Disability at the “TheUniversity MacGyver” of New ofHampshire Assistive (UNH) and is an assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy. and internationallyand has designed as and fabricated thousands Technology She is also known throughout the of solutions! A.T. for Pad individuals Stand,!! awith multi-use disabilities assistive including technology her patented mounting device. ! has presented her work in 42 states, !! She country for her trainings on awesome iPAD apps and !! “Assistive Technology adaptations. seven foreign countries book and titled: three U.S. Territories; has new written 22 assistive technology related publications ; and has appeared on RFD TV, including her Solutions in Minutes – Book 2 – Ordinary Items,
ExtraordinaryCNN and Solutions most recently NPR Science Friday.
Low-Tech. !High-Tech. !Your Tech! Registration Form Assistive Technology Strategies for Keiki with Multiple Disabilities Including: blind, low ! vision, deaf/blind, autism, communication impairments, multiple & severe, cerebral Cost: $130.00 palsy, and intellectual disabilities (includes breakfast, lunch & afternoon snack) Pagoda Hotel Location: presented by: 1525 Rycroft Street Therese Willkom Honolulu,m Hawaii 96814 808.954.7423
Additional Information: Brought to you by the Hawai’i & Pacific Deaf-Blind Return this form and payment orto mailVelina 1410 Sugiyama Lower Project, DOH Early Intervention by, email, [email protected] Campus Rd., 171F, Honolulu, Hawai`i 96822 Seals Hawai‘iSection & Aloha, Easter Special Technology Access Center Make Purchase Orders & Checks payable to RCUH#2282 , contact Velina Sugiyama For accommodations at (808) 956-9855 or email, Thursday & Friday by August 28, 2014 Sept. 18-19, 2014 [email protected] 8:30AM -4:30PM
Name:______Agency:______Position: ______
Address: ______
City:______State: ______Zip: ______
Phone: ______Email: ______
Payment method: ႒PO #______႒Check #______
Would you like a Certificate of Completion for this workshop? ႒Yes!! ႒No
Travel accommodations requested? (limited amount of travel sponsorship will only be available on a first come-first serve basis) ႒Yes!! ႒No Message In a Bottle from Contact Information
our Ohana Paci ic Outreach Initiative Center on Disability Studies Technical Assistance (TA): Mellanie Lee, Jennifer Tarnay and Stella Chang are University of Hawaiʻi at available to provide free consultative assistance to families/caregivers and Manoa service providers for children who are Deaf-blind ages 0-21 both in the 1410 Lower Campus Rd., child’s home and school/community setting. Information can be provided via #171F email, telephone, and by postal mail. Please contact us and let us know your Honolulu, HI, 96822 technical assistance needs, we are waiting! The request form is available on Phone: (808) 956-5142 our websites at www.cds.hawaii.edu/dbprojects/ Ph: (808) 956-5861 Fax: (808) 956-7878 www.pdb.hawaii.edu
Project Staff
Mellanie Lee Project Director/Education Specialist (808) 753-0981 [email protected] Shout out of Mahalo to Bob Johnson Stella Chang for his magically, wonderful editing Family Specialist skills. Thank you for making us SHINE! (808) 222-8466 [email protected]
Kelly Roberts I long to accomplish a great and Principal Investigator noble task, but it is my chief duty (808) 956-2303 [email protected] to accomplish humble tasks as Helen Keller Deaf and Blind though they were great and noble. Jennifer Tarnay Educator The world is moved along, not only 1880-1968 SLP, Deaf-Blind Outreach Specialist by the mighty shoves of its heroes, (808) 753-2351 but also by the aggregate of the [email protected] tiny pushes of each honest worker. Mautumua Porotesano Graphic/Multimedia Designer Funded in collaboration with the Pacific Basin University Centers on Excellence in (808) 956-0891 Developmental Disabilities (Northern Marianas College, American Samoa [email protected] Community College, and the Center on Disability Studies) grant award number H326T130023.