Purpose, Satisfaction and Joy
in the Lives of Students with Deafblindness and the People Who Care
February 12-14, 2009 - Austin, TExas
Sponsored by
Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired
Texas Deafblind Outreach
Time / Location / Event
4-9 PM / Lobby / Registration
7:00 PM / Phoenix Ballroom / Welcome and Valentine Dessert Social
Please join us for dessert and socializing prior to our keynote address.
7:30 -8:30 PM / Anindya “Bapin” Bhattacharyya, Technology Development & Training Specialist, Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youth and Adults, San Francisco, CA - Technology Empowerment for Work and Personal Success
Begins at
7:00 PM
Runs thru out the Symposium / Robertson / DBMAT and Texas Chargers Exhibit
Artwork from Individuals with Deafblindness
Friday 8:00-11:30 AM – Phoenix Ballroom – General Session
Time / Location / Event
8:00 AM / Pre-function Area / Continental Breakfast
8:30 AM / Phoenix Ballroom / Announcements and Presentation of the Trail Blazer and Intervener Awards
9:00 AM / Linda Mamer, Deafblind Consultant, Vancouver, BC
Purpose, Satisfaction and Joy for Deafblind Students and the People Who Care
10:00 AM / Jamie Pope, Executive Director of American Association for Deaf-Blind and
Randy Pope, Private Consultant on Support Service Providers, Silver Springs, MD
Living the Good Life
George and Christina Givens, Parents of Skye, Spring, TX
Reaching Out for Skye
Amanda Huston, Student, Houston, TX and
Patsy Izaguirre, Student, Killeen, TX
Our Lives So Far
11:30 AM -1:00 PM / Austin / ESC Deafblind Specialists Brownbag
(Other participants are on their own from lunch.)
Friday - 1:00-2:30 PM Breakout Sessions
Phoenix South / Phoenix Central / Phoenix North / Austin / DeWitt / DeZavala
Brad Carlson, Deaf-Blind Specialist, DARS – DBS, Austin, TX
ADAMLS a Tool for Assessing Access to Manual Language Systems for Deafblind Students / Kat Stremel, Senior Fellow, Teaching Research Institute, Shawnee Mission, KS
The Use of Progress Monitoring and Response to Intervention to Improve Communication / Jill Brown, TVI/COMS, Crowley, TX
Wiggle and Jiggle; Let’s Get Moving / CC Davis, Reg. Rep. HKNC, Kathi Montalbano, DADS DBMD Medicaid Waiver, Rachel Simpson, DARS DBS Deaf-Blind Specialist
Community Support and Services Designed for Students and Adults with Deafblindness in Texas / Tracy Johnson, Parent, Sharon Harrison, Intervener, and JoAnne Fifield, Classroom Teacher
Using the Intervener Model to Support Students with CHARGE / Dale Rudin, Licensed Psychologist, Austin, TX
Recreating the Dream: From Grieving to Coping
2:30-3:00 PM / Pre-function Area / Break
Friday - 3:00-4:30 PM Breakout Sessions
Phoenix
South / Phoenix Central / Phoenix
North / Austin / DeWitt / DeZavala
Linda Mamer, Deafblind Consultant, Vancouver, BC
Communicative Intent: The Challenges Faced by the Student with Deafblindness and Motor Problems / David Brown, Education Specialist, California Deaf-Blind Services, San Francisco, CA
Self-Regulation, Stress, and the Elusiveness of Emotional Equilibrium / Kat Stremel, Senior Fellow, Teaching Research Institute, Shawnee Mission, KS
Social Interactions: The Framework for Communication / Jamie Pope, Executive Director of AADB and Randy Pope, Private Consultant on Support Service Providers, Silver Springs, MD
A Glimpse into Our Lives as a Deafblind Couple / Anindya “Bapin” Bhattacharyya, Technology Development & Training Specialist, Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youth and Adults, San Francisco, CA
Becoming a Travel Pro with aGPS and a Communica- tion Pro On the Go / Amy Parker, Doctoral Student, Texas Tech, Lubbock, TX, Robbie Blaha, Holly Cooper and Chris Montgomery, Deafblind Specialists, Texas Deafblind Outreach, Austin, TX and Melanie Knapp, Parent, Houston, TX
National Trends Related to Deafblind Teacher Certification
5:00-7:00 PM / Dovers Room / Family Socialhosted by DBMAT/TX Chargers
8:00-9:00 AM / Pre-function Area / Breakfast
Saturday 9:00-10:30 Breakout Sessions
Phoenix
South / Phoenix Central / Phoenix
North / Austin / DeWitt / DeZavala
Linda Mamer Deafblind Consultant, Vancouver, BC
Social Issues that Impact Communication Between Students who are Deafblind and their Peers / Robbie Blaha, Deafblind Specialist & Holly Cooper, Deafblind Specialist, TSBVI, Austin, TX
Academic Learners With Deafblindness: Providing Access to the General Curriculum / Jessica Lampert, OTR, CLVT, COMS, Dallas, TX and Sabrina Casteneda, OTR, CYI
Body Awareness Through Yoga / Jacqulyn Carter, Deaf-Blind Specialist, DARS-DBS, Dallas, TX, Gina Dagrella, Sister of Danny, Houston, TX, Sara Hinds, Sister of Rebecca, LaPorte, TX Sarah Khan, Sister of Tania, Bellaire, TX and
Dugan Thompson, Sister of Caleb, Sweetwater, TX
In the Mind of the Sibling / Tish Smith, Speech/ Language Therapist and Kate Hurst, Statewide Staff Development Specialists, TSBVI, Austin, TX
Using Drawing with Students Who Have Low Vision and Deafblindness / Mike Fagbemi, Technical Assistance Specialist, National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness, Sands Point, NY and
Jamie Pope, Executive Director, American Association of Deaf-Blind, Silver Springs, MD
The Joy of a Self-Determined Life
10:30-11:00 AM / Pre-function Area / Break
Saturday 11:00 AM-12:30 PM Break-Out Sessions
Phoenix
South / Phoenix Central / Phoenix
North / Austin / DeWitt / DeZavala
Dr. Fareed and Dr. Rubina Khan, Parents of Tania, Bellaire, TX
Understanding Congenital Deafblindness: a Family's Lifetime Quest for Communication with Doctors / Craig Axelrod, Co-Author of You Make the Difference: An Educator-Oriented Process for Supporting High Quality Interactions with Students Who are DeafblindDripping Springs, TX
You Make the Difference / Carolina Gonzales, COMS, Round Rock, TX and Ruth Ann Marsh, COMS, TSBVI Outreach, Austin, TX
Teaching O&M to Students with Deafblindness / Matt Schultz, TVI, and Fran LaWare, TVI, TSBVI, Austin, TX
All About Sarah: Planning an Individualized Transition / Mike Fagbemi, Technical Assistance Specialist, National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness, Sands Point, NY
Customized
Employment / Stacy Shafer, VI Early Childhood, and Gigi Newton, Deafblind Early Childhood Consultants, TSBVI, Austin, TX
Suggestions and Activities for Infants and Toddlers with Dual Sensory Losses
12:30-1:30 PM / Dovers Room / Intervener Brownbag Lunch
(Other participants are on their own for lunch.)
Saturday – Phoenix Ballroom – 1:30-3:30 PM General Sessions
1:30 PM / Phoenix Ballroom / Presentation of the Ann Silverrain and Marty Murrell Awards
1:45 PM / Robbie Blaha, Deafblind Specialist, TSBVI Outreach, Austin, TX
The Relief of Being Understood and Other Joys for Children with Deafblindness
2:45 PM / David Brown, Education Specialist, California Deaf-Blind Services, San Francisco, CA
Sense Memories or Failing Better: An Alien’s Valentine to Texas
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2009 Texas Symposium on Deafblindness