Distance Technical Assistance Pilot

Distance Technical Assistance Pilot

Administrative Form

Purpose: The Distance Technical Assistance (DTA) Pilot is designed to provide high-quality Technical Assistance to local teams working with children/youth who are Deaf-Blind through the I-Team and VT Sensory Access Project(VSAP). Even the best teachers and teams often need assistance in meeting the needs of these complex children. Parents and local teams can use the process to improve outcomes, build capacity, and make student transitions easier.

Consent/Ownership: The DTA Pilot is a parent-driven process. All videos, recordings, wikis, and conversations produced as part of the Distance Mentorship Project are considered property of the parents. Parents must consent to the capture of any videos, recordings, pictures, etc. as part of the DMP process. Further, it is understood that videos, recordings, pictures, conversations, and/or any other part of the process will NOT be shared beyond the local team and/or consulting team members identified in the initial agreement.

Professional Ethics: Local team members and I-Team and VSAP members are guided by professional ethics in this process and to honor the ethical codes established by their profession.

Privacy/Security: The consulting team will make reasonable efforts to guard individual privacy as part of the DTA process. All ‘cloud-based’or internet hosted content will be password-protected and made available only to those team members for whom parents have given prior consent. Parents will understand and be apprised of the risks inherent in using any cloud-based storage services. Once again, the consultant and local team members need to remember, and adhere to, professional ethics.

Relationship to IEP process: The DTA Pilot does not replace, in any way, the IEP document or process that is in place for a student who is Deaf-Blind. Rather, the DTA is designed to enhance the skill of a local provider (or providers) and help the local team provide a better educational experience for the student.

Expectations/Roles:

• I-Team and VSAP consultants are professionals who have experience and skill in Deaf-Blindness, Intensive Special Education and provision of Technical Assistance. Consultants are expected to be supportive and encouraging, and to guide the process so that the identified outcomes are achieved over the time period agreed upon. While a “mentorship” relationship often develops between the consultant(s) and a primary local team member working with a child who is Deaf-Blind, the DTA Pilot promotes and encourages all local team members to be engaged in the process. That means that local team members need support from administrators to access cloud-based wiki and video hosting services, capturing short video clips, and participating in web conference once monthly with consultants.
• Administrators are considered team members, granted access to the wiki site and all the materials produced as part of the process, and are encouraged to participate in the monthly web conferences with consultants.
• Local team members are expected to take videos weekly, engage in conversation on the wiki site, and participate in monthly web conferences.

VT I-Team and Sensory Access Project Distance TA Pilot 2012-13