The mission of the national deaf-blind network is to assist families, educators, agencies, and organizations to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to help children who are deaf-blind learn, access the general education curriculum, and successfully transition to adult life. By prioritizing family leadership, the network is increasing their focus on equity and addressing the cultural and linguistic needs of families. During this coffee hour, we will share our family engagement definition, direct service priorities, and systems change plan. Time will be given to allow you to identify how the network’s report, The Value of Family Engagement: Identifying Unique Needs and Priorities of Families with Children Who Are Deaf-Blind can be used in other networks and in your direct partnership with families.
Presenters include:
• Megan Cote, NCDB Technical Assistance Coordinator
• Donia Shirley, NFADB Vice President
• Jana Villemez, NCDB Family Engagement Initiative Lead
• Edgenie Bellah, Texas Deafblind Project Family Engagement Coordinator
• Patti McGowen, NFADB President
Captioning will be provided, if you need anything else, please email Kaycee Bennett. Some logistics will be different with our Coffee Hours, as compared to the past, but you can expect the same commitment to providing information, discussion, and collaboration on topics important to students who are blind, visually impaired, or Deafblind.