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Services and Supports:
A Model Program in Colorado

By Jennie Germano, Dinah Beams, Deb Branch, and Stephanie Olson

It has been a busy year with a lot of exciting changes and events!  We’ve created an Early Education Department here at the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind (CSDB).  The Early Education Department consists of programs for families who have children who are either deaf, hard of hearing, blind or visually impaired, or combined vision and hearing.  The following programs are for families who have children who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have combined vision and hearing loss:  The Colorado Home Intervention Program (CHIP), The Early Years Regional Programs, The Early Literacy Development Initiative, The Family Literacy Packs, and The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Connections Program.

Colorado Home Intervention Program (CHIP)

This year CHIP has served approximately 260 families statewide. Some of the newer program components this year include:

Assessment:

• The Communication Matrix is being used by (0-5) CHIP as an alternate assessment to assess children with combined vision and hearing loss.  CO-Hear Coordinators and facilitators have been trained on implementation and reporting.
• Supporting children with unilateral hearing loss:
  The Colorado Home Intervention Program (CHIP) has developed a new set of protocols to provide support for families with children with unilateral hearing loss (UHL).  The family of each newly identified child receives a home visit from the CO-Hear Coordinator for the region.  The family is then provided with the expanded UHL packet.  An abbreviated FAMILY Assessment is provided to these children beginning at age nine months.  If a speech/language delay is noted on the assessment, the child is eligible for direct services with CHIP. 

Guide By Your Side:

Colorado Families for Hands & Voices is piloting a new aspect of their program, “Guide by Your Side” which incorporates a visit by a parent with the Co-Hear to the families of newly identified children birth through three years of age. (The program also is extended to families raising children birth through age 21.)  This exciting new project involves yet another way that we are collaborating to provide support for these families.

Transition Packet:

A new transition packet has been developed by Hands & Voices and CHIP to assist parents as the child moves from Part C to Part B.  CHIP Parent Facilitators were recently trained on the use of this packet at the Colorado Symposium on Deafness, Language, and Learning and are using it with each family who transitions to Part B.

Early Literacy Development Initiative (ELDI): 

During the past year, over 130 families throughout Colorado participated in the ELDI programs.  ELDI provides statewide in-home family literacy training.  It is composed of two individual projects:  The Shared Reading Project (SRP) and The Integrated Reading Project (IRP).  Through these programs families learn how to read to their children who are deaf and hard of hearing.  This is an essential element to every child’s later academic achievement.

Deaf and Hard of Hearing tutors and sign language instructors teach parents and caregivers to effectively read popular children’s books to their children using sign language.  Parents are taught strategies to support early literacy skill development.  They are learning new ways to support literacy with their children and improving their sign skills.  An added benefit for families is the opportunity to meet and get to know a Deaf adult. Parents participating in SRP and IRP have enjoyed the programs and report improved communication skills. Research shows that parents who read to their children improve the children’s ability to learn to read.  Also, new assessment procedures have been developed to monitor outcomes and are currently undergoing implementation.

ELDI believes in respect for all communication choices made by families.  We are currently developing a plan for supporting early literacy skill development with families who have chosen on auditory/oral option.

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Connections

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Connections (also known as The Role Model Program) was established in 1987 and continues to evolve with the support of the Colorado Department of Education and CSDB. Susan Elliott and SPRINT originally recognized the need and desire for families and children throughout Colorado to have a natural connection with Deaf and Hard of Hearing Adults.  The program has grown with the guidance of Susan Elliott, Jeannette Scheppach, Heather Abraham and Dinah Beams.  Stephanie Olson currently serves as the interim coordinator of the program.  The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Connections Program and CHIP recently presented at the 2007 National Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Conference in Salt Lake City.

• The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Role Model Team consists of positive and motivated people who enjoy working and being with children and adults.  The diversity of the role models and their respect and desire to be supportive of family choices is what makes the Colorado program unique.
• Role Models are able show families of deaf/hh children the potentials and strengths of their child as well as new ways to communicate and build strong families in the community.  The involvement of adults who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing brings leaders and trendsetters into our systems of care for the benefit of all our children.
• Schools are also encouraged to request Role Models to give both hearing and deaf/hard of hearing students the opportunity to meet successful adults.
• Families and schools who have or serve children who are deaf/hard of hearing, experience first hand that the issue is not if you hear, what you hear, or how you hear, but rather that children learn to communicate and express themselves well.  Of course, the fact that many Role Models travel the world, snowboard, rock climb, are mothers and fathers, bike, run, and ski makes it all the more fun.

For more information about the CHIP program, contact Jennie Germano, jgermano@csdb.org. For more information about the ELDI program, contact Dinah Beams, IRP Coordinator at dbeams@comcast.net or SRP Coordinators Deb Branch, dbranch@csdb.org or Cathy Bennett, cbennett@csdb.org.  ~