1. Summit 2016 – Family Engagement Initiative Update
Megan Cote & Peggy Malloy
nationaldb.org
The contents of this presentation were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education #H326T However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Teaching Research Institute, nor the US Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Project Officer, Jo Ann McCann.

2. Initiative Goals
Provide training and resources to state deaf-blind projects to help them ensure that families have the support they need to partner effectively with early intervention and education service providers.
Build the capacity of national family organizations to create a cohesive network of family leaders across the country.

3. Work With Parent Centers
What was promised at Summit 2015?
Working Together For Families: State Deaf-Blind Project and Parent Center Collaborations
Report released on the NCDB and CIPR sites (April 2016)
2 national webinars - 7 state pairs shared their collaborative work (NJ, NC, MI, MD, WV, PA, NY) Archived webinars:
Part 1:
Part 2:

4. Work With Parent Centers – Survey Results
Parent Center Survey (n = 25)
63% would like TA related to evolving a relationship with SDBP
38% “sometimes” refer children with combined vision/hearing loss; 58% “always” refer
Only 25% rated themselves “very knowledgeable” about conditions of combined vision & hearing loss

5. Family Specialist Support
What was promised at Summit 2015?
Monthly Mastermind Calls for individuals serving as the family specialist for their SDBP
Started February 2015 (so we’ve been meeting for 16 months)
27 participants

6. Family Specialist Support Training
What was promised at Summit 2015 (cont.)?
Family Specialist Training (Pre-NFADB Symposium)
“Serving on Groups that Make Decisions: A Guide For Families”
Action planning
Knowledge and skill training needs
Support/training needs of families in their individual states.
33 participants (560 combined years experience serving families!)

7. Family Specialist Support Recommended Knowledge and Skill Sets Work
What was promised at Summit 2015? (cont.)
Recommended Knowledge and Skill Sets for State Deaf-Blind Project Family Engagement Coordinators
Work group comprised of members from 5 state deaf-blind projects, NCDB, NFADB, PTAC, CHARGE Foundation
Multiple iterations
Focus group of SDBP directors and coordinators

8. Family Specialist Support Recommended Knowledge and Skill Sets Work (cont.)
Recommended Knowledge and Skill Sets for State Deaf-Blind Project Family Engagement Coordinators (cont.)
Conducted survey of family specialist training participants (self-ranked their knowledge and skills)
Survey results used for the action planning portion of the training in Austin

9. Families Matter Stories
What was promised at Summit 2015?
“Families Matter” Stories
2 completed (KS and AZ)
A few more are in the works (MI, PA)
Goal: to have at least one story from every state
How are they being used?
By universities in their training programs
By school districts in staff training
By providers
By families

10. Friday Family Fun Facts
Started September 2015
Facebook reach 43,960!
Family specialists report that families feel empowered and honored when asked for their individual contributions

11. Online Study on Interveners
The Role of Interveners in Educational Settings using OHOA Module 3 – for families only
Offered by NFADB with support from NCDB
7 cohorts conducted since Spring 2014 (2 since Summit 2015)
approximately 70 participants have completed
Next: October 3 through November 7
Registration begins August 22 (NFADB and NCDB will send out announcements)

12. Other Family-to-Family Pilot Expansion
Webinar describing the project held June 8
Follow-up call for states interested in taking part is set for August 12 PT
Familieslead.org website
Tours conducted for the Regional PTACS as well Mastermind group
Plan to use this site for family specialist work going forward

13. Discussion Topics/Questions
What type of support from NCDB would be most helpful related to collaboration with parent centers?
Family specialists
Use of the knowledge and skills document by the network and in individual states
Implications for your family specialist
Implications for professionalizing the role
Re-naming from Family Specialist to Family Engagement Coordinator
Identification/development of family specialist training materials
What level of participation do you want in this process?
As a network, how do we want to support family specialist training?
Action planning around needs of individual families – national needs survey. What should be included?