Washington State: OHOA Participant Profiles

Katie Humes WA Deaf-Blind Project

June 10, 2014

Sherlock Investigates Profiles

Advertised as:

this four month

We sent out emails to all participants, before they started the training, and then on a weekly basis.

On to the Profiles…Armed with hat and brain. Equipped with technology.

How Many? From Where?

27 people registered for WA OHOA:

9 from MA (team of child who moved from WA) 1 from Texas 17 WA State (all but 2 working w a DB child)

Who Were They?• (5) Special Ed Teachers (for ages 0-3 & 3-21) • (4) Parents (for children ages 3, 5, 11) • (3) Para / Classroom Assistant • (2) PT, OT• (2) Administrators from a group home• (1) Interpreters • (1) Teacher of the Deaf• (1) Teacher of the Visually Impaired

Who Crossed the Finish Line?

• Four from Massachusetts, same team• One from Texas

•Three from WA state:•Two parents •One Special Education Teacher

Profiles

• Jenny – Mother of 9 year son with Combined Vision and Hearing Loss.

•Kim – Special Education Teacher (B-5)

•Becca – Mother of a 3 year old who is deaf-blind.

Jenny: Mom & NurseHi Katie,

A question about the courses. For the papers to complete, am I required to follow a specific format? Am I being graded on the content?

It has been over 30 years since I've had to write college papers.I am trying to gauge how much time I need to invest in writing.

Sincerely,Jenny

P.S. Every year, I invest in my own education by attending a class that applies to teaching my son.

Jenny: Mom of 9 Year Old Before

• Child home schooled. • No services from the

district at this time.• Hard to find courses to

take that applied to his sensory needs.

• Not sure what to ask for from anyone.

After

• Understood the impact of his vision loss better.

• Asked for help finding Orientation & Mobility Assessment & Training to try a cane.

• Received info about Department of Services for the Blind / Transition Services.

Kim: Special Education TeacherWhat the heck is Moodle?

“Lucky for me, my daughter was also taking an online course using Moodle. So, she sat and taught me how to get around on the site.”

Kim: Special Ed TeacherBefore

• Special Ed teacher, Early Intervention, in a rural district. (30 miles from Oso, WA).

• One child on WA Deaf-Blind census in her district, five years old.

• She participated in 4 WSDS live webinars but had never made a TA request.

After • After the OHOA training, we

asked if she wanted follow up. She said yes.

• A second child, age 18 months had just moved to the district. We visited the family together.

• She’s passing on info to parents, paras and staff.

• We’ll meet with the new Special Ed Director.

Kim: Special Ed Teacher

From Module 1: Think-Reflect-Share Assignment

Becca: Mom of a 3 year old

Deaf Family Camp, Ellensburg, WA 2013

Etiology Assignment: Becca wrote about

her daughter:• Brielle’s deaf-blindness was caused by

complications of prematurity, including severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) …and the high concentrations of oxygen whilst being ventilated to stay alive.

• Brielle is profoundly bilaterally deaf and wears cochlear implants (R -from age 2 years and L- from age 2.5 yrs)

• Brielle’s health issues stem from her premature birth and complications. She has low tone cerebral palsy, chronic lung disease and asthma and a G-tube.

Brielle

Responses to AssignmentsHost

“Becca, this is great information to give to anyone who will be working with Brielle, new staff, babysitters, or new school!”

- Kathee

Becca: Think-Pair-Share

“I think you are on the right track. This was my first online class and I found it difficult. The instructors were amazing and I will not hesitate to contact them in the future.”

- Teacher of the Visually Impaired

Final EvaluationThe presentation and materials were of high quality and professional: 4.7

I found the information useful: 4.6

The ideas and activities were relevant to the field of deaf-blindness: 4.6

Sherlock is back for another look!

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Face to Face TA vs. OnlineFace to Face TA

• Often builds trust quickly• Familiar rules of engaging• Consultant can see the

challenges & strengths of a classroom, team & student

• Can show a child-specific strategy in the moment

Online Learning

• Content is always there• Videos ready with diverse

examples of ages, people and settings

• Can be better than FTF for people who think well when alone, when not distracted by noise, social dynamics of a group or demands of job setting

Benefits of Each

Face to Face TA

• No need to learn new technology or face fears of being “behind the curve.”

• Verbal or signed conversation. Not a lot of writing required of participants.

Online Training Before TA

• Roles/expertise can be more clear before the TA visit.

• Focus can be on content rather than personality or verbal styles.

What is our TA / OHOA Recipe for Success Going to Be?

WA Recipe In Process

• Hybrid Model of TA – in person and online training

• Does not replace face to face TA • Customize use of the modules for different TA levels, different levels of commitment.

• Modules selected as a precursor and/or follow up to a visit?

It Takes a Team!

TV Team Real Life Team

What’s the Next Step?

• Post a question on NCDB Moodle Users Group, or have a conversation.

• Block out “chair time” to go through a Module (first time, or to review & rethink).

• At a team retreat, brainstorm possible ways to use the Modules next year.

Katie Humes, M.Ed.Director of Education & Distance LearningWA Deaf-Blind Project / WSDSkhumes@psesd.org800-572-7000

“Thanks for joining the conversation.”