Child hearing loss resources

Family support Connection part of the Lifetrack Resources has a 37 page resource directory available online.

Has your child recently been diagnosed with a hearing loss? If so, this resource directory of organizations may seem a bit overwhelming. There are so many issues and services under the general umbrella of "deaf and hard of hearing" that is it sometimes confusing to know what is relevant for your particular child and family.

We have some good ideas of where you might want to start. Specifically, these four organizations can be especially helpful to parents who have just found out that their child is deaf or hard or hearing.

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services (DHHS): page 7
Early Intervention Intake: page 9
Family Support Connection at Lifetrack Resources: page 9
PACER Center: page 20

These organizations have relevant information and services for you and your family whether your child:

• Has a hearing loss that is mild, moderate, severe, or profound;
• Has a hearing loss that is in one ear (unilateral) or both (bilateral).
These groups are also useful to your family whether you:
• Are already knowledgeable about deaf and hard of hearing issues, or have never met a deaf or hard of hearing person;
• Are considering oral communication, sign language, cueing, and/or any other communication systems; and/or
• Want more information, just want to talk with someone about your child, and/or want referrals for places to get additional information.
For information and links to information on specific topics, please see our website at www.familysupportconnection.com. Topics covered there include:
• Understanding hearing loss
• Communication options
• Education resource
• American Deaf culture
• Medical alternatives
• Hard of hearing children

Deaf Child Resource Directory

Family Support Connection

CTCNet Conference Session Proposal

Accessibility and Community Outreach –- Grassroots Experiences, Best Practices

Session Summary/Abstract:

The digital divide may no longer be making national headlines, but its effects continue to be seen daily in most CTCs. What practices can community technology professionals implement in order to narrow the gap between the technology haves and have-nots? How can we make our centers more accessible to historically disenfranchised populations? This session will explore the outreach and accessibility efforts of the Community Technology Empowerment Project (CTEP), a group of AmeriCorps members working to bridge the digital divide in the Twin Cities. Some of the barriers to technology access faced by immigrant, low-income, and disabled communities will be presented. Practices CTEP has implemented to overcome these barriers will be discussed. Concrete strategies for outreach to these communities will be offered. Presenters will demonstrate and distribute a set of easily-implemented accessibility tools, collected and packaged by CTEP members for use in local CTCs.

Full Session Description:

The digital divide may no longer be making national headlines, but its effects continue to be seen daily – both inside most CTCs and throughout our communities. As more and more information is only available online, but a monthly Internet access fee of as little as $10 is out of the reach of many, what practices can community technology professionals implement in order to promote equal access to information? What efforts can we make to narrow the gap between the technology haves and have-nots? What outreach and education methods best enable members of low-income, immigrant and disabled communities to use technology to improve their lives?

This session will explore the outreach and accessibility efforts of the Community Technology Empowerment Project (CTEP), a group of AmeriCorps members working to bridge the digital divide in the Twin Cities. The various efforts and experiences of a large number of CTEP members –- working at CTCs across Minneapolis and St. Paul –- will form the backbone of this presentation. Some of the barriers to technology access faced by immigrant, low-income, and disabled communities will be presented. Practices CTEP has implemented to overcome these barriers will be discussed. Concrete strategies for outreach to these communities will be offered. Presenters will also demonstrate and distribute a set of easily-implemented accessibility tools, collected and packaged by CTEP members for use in local CTCs. Participants will have ample opportunity to explore and react to CTEP's techniques and resources, as well as to share their own successes and challenges.

The session will be facilitated by CTEP's Accessibility and Usability Committee – AmeriCorps members who, in addition to serving at their local CTCs, have educated local immigrant communities on disability and technology, trained other AmeriCorps members on accessibility issues and promoted the use of assistive technology in Twin Cities CTCs. Curious about grassroots efforts to improve everyone's access to technology? Come and find out how one group is actively working to bridge the digital divide!

Use of Session Time:

The first hour of the session will be devoted to a multimedia presentation, while the final thirty minutes will consist of activities and discussion.

Session Outcomes/Objectives:

• Showcase the work of the Community Technology Empowerment Project


• Heighten awareness of various barriers to technology access


• Discuss methods of improving community outreach and accessibility in all CTCs

Resources and Handouts:

Printed material will include information about CTEP, sample outreach documents, and programming tools. The information and resources available on CTEP's blogs and vlog will be highlighted. In addition, each session participant will receive an electronic (CD) version of our Accessibility Toolkit, which includes software, outreach and presentation documents, multimedia presentations, curricula and annotated online resources. Participants with additional needs or concerns will be invited to continue working with the CTEP Accessibility and Usability Committee via e-mail.

Computer Curricula, Original and Adapted

Want to teach computer skills to a new user, but don't know where to start? There are free curricula online that will get you (and your client) up and running.

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In order to further local efforts at "digital inclusion" across the globe, Microsoft developed the Unlimited Potential Community Learning Curriculum. Designed for use in local CTCs, it includes 8 curriculum packages:

• Computer Fundamentals


• Using the Internet and World Wide Web


• Word Processing Fundamentals


• Spreadsheet Fundamentals


• Presentation Fundamentals


• Web Design Fundamentals


• Database Fundamentals


• Digital Media Fundamentals

Each package includes student lessons, an instructor's manual, PowerPoint slides, and practice activities and answers. The curriculum is free, but in order to download it, you must e-mail a request to upinfo@microsoft.com.

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Given the sometimes-complicated English vocabulary and the level of depth found in the original curriculum, several CTCnet member sites across the U.S. developed and field-tested modified versions of various sections of the Microsoft curriculum. These are freely available for download from CTCnet. The modifications include:

• an ELL-friendly English-language basic skill level version of Computer Fundamentals


• English-language versions of Computer Fundamentals, Word Processing, Spreadsheets, Presentations and Databases for novice computer users


• English-language versions of Spreadsheets, Databases and Presentations for those with intermediate skills


• and Spanish-language versions of Computer Fundamentals and Word Processing

Some of the changes made by local CTCs included simplifying instructions, inserting screenshots and graphics, adding examples relevant to local populations, and developing more practice exercises for novice users.

I don't currently use this curriculum at my site, because I don't teach long-term classes and our basic skills class is designed for a particular population. But I'd recommend it as a starting point for those beginning the curriculum development process, or to those who are looking for a few exercises or activities to share with a class.

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In addition to the Microsoft curriculum, the St. Paul Community Literacy Consortium has developed a computer curriculum that I found very helpful. The modules they've designed include Very Basic Computer Skills, Computer Vocabulary, Opening and Saving Files, Skills and Activities Practice, MS Word, MS Excel, Internet, and PowerPoint. I use a modified version of their Computer Vocabulary lesson to open our basic skills workshop, and I've incorporated their MS Word exercises into my formatting workshop. Novice users seem to find this curriculum easy to understand, which in turn makes them feel more confident as they pursue improved employability here in our lab.

CSUN conference

Last week, there was a very cool conference in California I wish I could have gone to. I'm referring to the CSUN conference. This conference is devoted to accessibility issues and assistive technology that's just been released, as well as totally new stuff.

There are several workshops, trainings, and presentations on a wide variety of topics and technology. People also have a chance to see and try some of the newest assistive technology products. This sounds like a blast to me, and I will make it there one year. This year was its 21st anual event, so I don't think it's stopping any time soon.