Washington Programs for Children and Youth who are Deaf-Blind

"We’re here to support the developmental and learning needs of children aged birth to 21 who are deaf or hard of hearing, are blind or visually impaired, or have a combined hearing loss and visual impairment.

You may be a parent wondering where to start, or a birth-to-three professional looking for a family-centered curriculum for that same parent.  You may be a teacher who just learned that a student with a sensory disability will join your classroom next week.  Or, perhaps you’re a teacher of the visually impaired or the deaf, a speech/ language therapist, or an educational interpreter with a specific question about a learning strategy or assistive technology. We’re here to help you find resources such as state and national organizations and the most helpful websites.  We conduct trainings and workshops on topics relating to sensory disabilities.  We also can visit a child’s home, school, or birth-to-three program to help with specific concerns.

Our on-site technical assistance services vary depending on your questions.  Our educational or family consultants might help the family and school team observe how the child is currently functioning and figure out next steps, develop an appropriate assessment battery, establish a workable communication system or improve an existing one, develop outcomes or goals for a child’s Individualized Family Service Plan or Individualized Education Plan, modify the environment to make it easier for the child to be included in family life or the general classroom curriculum, and start planning for life after high school." 

 

Regional Offices:

Wenatchee (North Central ESD) – Terri Thurston, 509-665-2619, territ@ncesd.org

Renton (Puget Sound ESD) – Nancy Hatfield, 800-572-7000 V/TTY, 425-917-7828 V/TTY, nhatfield@psesd.org

Ellensburg (Central Washington University Staff) – Christy Camarata, 509-963-1670 V/TTY, camaratc@cwu.edu