reSources CDBS Newsletter - Fall 2017

Fall 2017 (Vol. 22, No. 1)

In this issue:

• What Can CDBS Do For You? - by Maurice Belote, CDBS Project Coordinator

• Promoting Literacy for All: Thinking Beyond Just Reading & Writing - by Julie Maier, CDBS Educational Specialist

• Early Tactile Communication: Touch, Cues, and Signing - by Stacy Aguilera, CDBS Educational Specialist

• Stories of Discovery and Advocacy: CDBS-SFSU 2017 Deafblindness Symposium

• Juggling Life’s Demands and Finding Balance as a Parent of a Child with Special Needs- by Myrna Medina, CDBS Family Engagement Specialist

To Download Entire Fall 2017 Newsletter as PDF, CLICK HERE

Contents|pdfs

We invite your feedback about these articles -
please post on our  Facebook  and Twitter pages

What Can CDBS Do For You?
by Maurice Belote,
CDBS Project Coordinator

As CDBS enters the fifth and final* year of our funding cycle from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, we want to provide a brief overview of CDBS activities between now and next September.  All CDBS services are provided at no cost. Despite the fact that we are a small project with only four full or part-time field staff members, we provide services everywhere throughout the state. Here is what we can do for you this school year:

 ....What Can CDBS Do For You?

Promoting Literacy for All: Thinking Beyond Just Reading & Writing
by Julie Maier,
CDBS Educational Specialist

This article shares information about the importance emergent literacy development for those children and youth who are deafblind and not yet proficient communicators and/or learned that symbols have meaning. In addition to discussing the purpose of emergent literacy instruction for all learners, suggestions for when and how to plan and provide meaningful literacy instruction both at school and home will be offered. The article also includes links to multiple literacy resources available on the internet.

 ....Promoting Literacy for All: Thinking Beyond Just Reading & Writing

Early Tactile Communication: Touch, Cues, and Signing
by Stacy Aguilera,
CDBS Educational Specialist

A question that is often asked when it comes to students identified as deafblind is, “What type of communication should be used and how do I get started?” Often the misconception is, if a student is identified as deafblind they should automatically be taught to use tactile sign language (signing using touch, usually by touching and making signs in the other person’s hand) as their first form of learning to communicate. However, this is not always the case. Most often, other forms of tactile communication need to be introduced first and then build up toward tactile sign language.

 ....Early Tactile Communication: Touch, Cues, and Signing

Stories of Discovery and Advocacy: CDBS-SFSU 2017 Deafblindness Symposium

On Saturday, November 4th CDBS held their 6th Annual Deafblindness Symposium at San Francisco State University. This annual autumn event serves as both a reunion and an opportunity for ongoing professional development training for current students and past graduates of the San Francisco State University Specialization Program in Deafblindness program. This collaborative personnel preparation project between Moderate-Severe Disabilities Program at San Francisco State University and CDBS provides additional specialized training in the education of students with deafblindness to student teachers working towards their moderate-severe teaching credential. Through this partnership close to 50 student teachers have graduated with additional specialized competencies to assess, teach and support students who are deafblind, with eight more graduates expected next summer.

 ....Stories of Discovery and Advocacy: CDBS-SFSU 2017 Deafblindness Symposium