1. Enriching Doctoral Preparation: The National Leadership Consortium in Sensory Disabilities Brooke Smith, Ph.D., COMS, Salus University Lou Tutt, Executive Director AERBVI Stacy Kelly, Ed.D., Northern Illinois University Sean Tikkun, M.S.Ed., M.S.Ed. COMS, NLCSD Fellow, Northern Illinois University AFB Leadership Conference New York, NY February 28, 2014 The contents of this publication were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, #H325V090001. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the US Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government Project Officer, Glinda Hill.

2. To increase the number and quality of leadership personnel competent in the areas of higher education and research to improve educational and support services. o for all individuals with sensory disabilities o through specialized doctoral training NLCSD Mission

3. NLCSD History Expansion of National Center for Leadership in Visual Impairment (NCLVI) started 2005. NLCSD Began 1/2010 Salus University is the coordinating center and fiscal agent.

4. NLCSD Community 23 Universities with doctoral programs in DB, DHH, BVI (18 have Fellows) 27 Fellows in 2 cohorts (4 DB, 11 DHH, 12 BVI) 24 Public Advisory Council members (advocacy, policy, parent & education groups) 4 Leadership Team members o Audrey Smith, BVI o Brooke Smith, BVI o John Killoran, DB o Heather Hayes, DHH OSEP Officer is Ms. Glinda Hill

5. Fellows OSEP Salus University Consortium Public Advisory Council NLCSD Collaborative Model

6. NLCSD Community : Fellows

7. NLCSD Community: Leadership

8. NLCSD Community: Consortium & PAC

9. Project Objectives 1. Produce doctoral leaders in D/HH, DB, B/VI 27 doctoral leaders 2. Create a working Consortium to design and implement a national, doctoral-level, leadership preparation program focusing on sensory disabilities 1. Develop and implement a Research-Based Enrichment Program 2. Create an inclusive Community of Learners!

10. Projected Outcomes The quality and quantity of leadership will be greatly augmented Research till inform practice in relation to teacher preparation Enhanced academic performance of students. Program focus is low incidence sensory disabilities. Target population is children who are: Deaf and Hard of Hearing Blind and Visually Impaired Deaf Blind

11. Opportunities for Interactions Fellow-to-Fellow Faculty-to-Faculty Fellow-to-Faculty PAC

12. Enrichment Program Focus on research and leadership in sensory disabilities Year 1: Research in Low Incidence Populations Year 2: Development of a Research Topic Year 3: Grant Writing Year 4: The Professoriate 12

13. A Fellow Perspective… Opportunities to have colleagues in Sensory Impairments. (Fellows) Opportunities to learn from the BEST! (Universities) Seeing the process of a well managed national initiative. (SALUS) Feedback from passionate advocates! (Advisory Council) Access to funding and grant knowledge. (OSEP)

14. An Consortium Perspective… Access to funding for students and value-added enrichment activities, recognition, and support. (OSEP) Collaboration and partnerships that create new possibilities and strengthen existing efforts. (Advisory Council) Leadership of a well managed national initiative. (Salus) Opportunities to work together on a unified projects. (Universities) Opportunities to mentor, share, and grow our profession in new ways. (Fellows)

15. Project Perspective…

16. A PAC Member Perspective… Access to the passionate future of the field. (Fellows) A formal place with universities, where some parties have connections, but not all. (Universities) The Opportunity to share, but not organize. (SALUS) Active consideration of diverse perspectives (Advisory Council) Bringing advisor and stakeholder views to process. (OSEP)

17. Collaboration and Networking Collaboration and networking… o Fellows  Diverse backgrounds, experiences and research interests o Leaders/professors/researchers  who understand the challenges of research on low-incidence populations o Universities resources  Beyond program of enrollment o Research opportunities o Internships

18. Impact of NCLVI & NLCSD Upon graduation, there will be: o 27 doctoral leaders trained in sensory disabilities (BVI, DB, DHH) through NLCSD o 19 doctoral leaders were previously trained in vision impairment (NCLVI) A total of 46 highly qualified leaders in our field

19. Students Parents Special Education (Expanded Core Curriculum) School (Common Core Curriculum) Public Advisory Council NLCSD Collaborative Model ? ?

20. Questions for Discussion How can this model be used for vision professionals, parents, and students? What would enrichment look like for this model? If you could have one ‘why’ or ‘how’ question answered about your student, what would it be?