How Does Technical Assistance Work?
What is technical assistance?
CDBS technical assistance basically means consultation with CDBS staff to address specific challenges you are experiencing with a child or young adult who is deaf-blind. CDBS staff members understand the uniqueness of deaf-blindness and the profound impact that a combined vision and hearing loss can have on all areas of development. You might request technical assistance for a number of reasons. Here are some of the reasons individuals have requested CDBS technical assistance:
- Your child/student has been recently diagnosed with vision and/or hearing problems
- You have concerns about a child/student’s hearing and/or vision
- You have a new student in your classroom and aren’t sure how to best meet his or her needs
- You are puzzled by one or more aspects of your child/student’s development
- You need ideas on how the child/student can be more actively engaged in valued home and school activities
Technical assistance is different from direct services and therefore technical assistance is not written into IEPs/IFSPs. Technical assistance is also different from assessments. In education, “assessment” is a legal term with specific definitions, processes, timelines, etc. Technical assistance can, however, support the assessment process in many cases.
How does technical assistance work?
Technical assistance can be conducted on-site (e.g., children’s homes, early intervention programs, school programs, other environments where children/students spend time), by telephone or email, and/or using the “Ask the Expert” feature on the CDBS website. Technical assistance can also include the sharing of resources from the CDBS professional reference library or linkages to other helpful resources.
What can we expect with on-site technical assistance?
A typical on-site technical assistance activity includes an observation of the child in his or her natural environments. The observation is usually followed by a team meeting to discuss challenges and strategies. During an on-site visit, CDBS staff members may interact directly with the child/student, or may not. For a child who has difficulty with new people or changes in routine, the CDBS staff member(s) will probably observe the child interacting with those individuals with whom the child is most familiar and comfortable. Following the visit, CDBS staff will disseminate written notes that highlight the main strategies discussed during the visit.
Is there any cost for CDBS Services?
California Deaf-Blind Services (CDBS) is a statewide technical assistance and training project federally funded through the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. All CDBS services are provided at no cost.
Who can request technical assistance?
Anyone who needs help can request technical assistance. This includes family members, educators, staff of public and private agencies, as well as students themselves. Technical assistance seems to be the most effective when requests for technical assistance come from those who need the help. How do we get started? CDBS Project Coordinator Maurice Belote handles all new referrals for services. He can be reached at 800-822-7884 ext. 1. The referral process is conducted by phone and just takes a few minutes. After getting basic information about the child/student, a CDBS service coordinator will be assigned to the child/student. This CDBS staff member will gather additional information from team members and begin planning services.
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