Workshops are being hosted for parents and persons who provide services for the deaf/hard of hearing, visually impaired, and persons who are dually sensory impaired, according to a press release from State Director for the Office of Special Education Carrie Johns. The meetings are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 22 and 23, at the Buccaneer Hotel on St. Croix; and on Friday, Sept. 24, at Marriott’s Frenchman’s Reef Resort on St. Thomas.
Interpreters, vocational rehabilitation professionals, disability and advocacy organizations, and teachers are encouraged to attend sessions on Wednesday evening from 6-8 p.m. on St. Croix, as well as sessions from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday on St. Croix and St. Thomas respectively.
School administrators and Department of Education officials are encouraged to attend the 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. sessions on Thursday and Friday on St. Croix and St. Thomas respectively.
Members of the deaf community, deaf/hard of hearing and visually impaired students and parents are urged to attend the evening sessions on Thursday at the Buccaneer Hotel (6-8:30 p.m.) and Friday at Marriott’s Frenchman’s Reef Resort (6:30-9 p.m.).
“This series of meetings are targeted toward specific groups of professionals, young adults with disabilities, parents of children with disabilities, and members of the community who are involved with these populations. The meetings will focus on the various materials and resources available to young adults, youth, parents and organizations that serve those who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf-blind,” said Johns. “We are gathering for the primary purpose of sharing information, to hear the views of stakeholders in terms of improving the department’s capacity to work with these populations, as well as to hear concerns related to serving these very unique populations of students.”
The information will be presented by the staff of three federally funded grants, which include:
· Post-Secondary Education Programs Network (materials will primarily focus on middle to high school student needs);
· National Consortium of Interpreter Education Centers
· Florida Outreach Project for Students who are Deaf-Blind
Resources will include transition materials, materials for teaching English skills, information on the IDEA and ADA, Deaf Advocacy Training and more.
A panel discussion will also be included and will consist of professionals who are deaf, featuring Astrid Jones, a former resident of St. Croix, who is currently working at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, New York.
For more information or to RSVP (Deadline is Thursday, Sept. 16), contact Attorney Jill Singer, assistant state director at 776-5802, ext. 2255or via e-mail at jsinger@doe.vi.
