Consortium Programs

·        Louisiana Tech University and the Institute on Blindness

·        The University of New Orleans – College of Education and Human Development 

·        Louisiana State University – Human Development Center (HDC) 

·        Advisory Committee Member Agencies

o   Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE)

o   Louisiana Higher Education Board of Regents (BOR)

o   Louisiana LEA Special Education Administrators

o   Louisiana Department of Health & Hospitals

o   Families Helping Families of Greater Baton Rouge

Organizations & Resources

·        National

o   Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving educational outcomes for individuals with exceptionalities, students with disabilities, and/or the gifted. CEC advocates for appropriate governmental policies, sets professional standards, provides continual professional development, advocates for newly and historically underserved individuals with exceptionalities, and helps professionals obtain conditions and resources necessary for effective professional practice. 

o   National Association of State Directors of Special education (NASDSE) For 70 years, NASDSE has been providing dedicated leadership to continuously improve educational services and outcomes for students with disabilities in the states and federal territories. Focusing on aligned policies and practices to improve educational outcomes for students with disabilities is critical to ensure their full participation and contribution in education, employment and society.

o   National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and certification (NASDTEC) The National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification is dedicated to licensing well-prepared, safe and wholesome educators for our nation's schools. NASDTEC represents professional standards boards, commissions and state departments of education in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Educational Activity, the U.S. Territories, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario, which are responsible for the preparation, licensure and discipline of educational personnel. Associate members include Canadian provinces and representatives of other constituent groups with an interest in the preparation and certification of educational personnel.

o   Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT) MERLOT is a leading edge, user-centered, searchable collection of peer reviewed and selected higher education, online learning materials, catalogued by registered members and a set of faculty development support services. MERLOT's vision is to be a premiere online community where faculty, staff, and students from around the world share their learning materials and pedagogy. MERLOT's strategic goal is to improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning by increasing the quantity and quality of peer reviewed online learning materials that can be easily incorporated into faculty designed courses.

o   Special Connections : Strategies for Accessing the General Education Curriculum

·        Regional

o   Southeast Regional Resource Center (SERRC) The Southeast Regional Resource Center is one of six Regional Resource Centers funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs. The RRCs assist states in carrying out activities that support programs for special education and related services for infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities and their families.  SERRC serves the following areas:  Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands

o   Southern Regional Educational Board (SREB) Founded in 1948, the Southern Regional Education Board is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works with leaders and policy-makers in 16 member states to improve pre-K through postsecondary education. Through many nationally recognized programs and services, SREB’s mission is helping states achieve the 12 Challenge to Lead Goals for Education.

·        State

o   DOE – Division of Educational Improvement & Assistance

o   Families Helping Families (FHF) Families Helping Families is a coordinated network of nine resource centers, with all of the executive directors being parents of children with disabilities. Families Helping Families is recognized in Louisiana as the place to go for information and referrals, education and training and peer support for all persons with disabilities and their families. Families Helping Families also serves as a resource for professionals.

o   DHH: Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities

o   State Library of Louisiana

Disability Specific

·        Autism Spectrum Disorders

o   Autism Society of America (ASA) ASA, is a grassroots autism organization, existing to improve the lives of all affected by autism by increasing public awareness about the day-to-day issues faced by people on the spectrum, advocating for appropriate services for individuals across the lifespan, and providing the latest information regarding treatment, education, research and advocacy.

·        Deaf/Hard of Hearing

o   National Association of the Deaf (NAD) The mission of the National Association of the Deaf is to preserve, protect and promote the civil, human and linguistic rights of all deaf Americans. The National Association of the Deaf was established in 1880 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The NAD has a long history of defending the rights of deaf and hard of hearing people.  Throughout the history of the NAD, new challenges always rise and breakthroughs and achievements have created a better life for deaf and hard of hearing people.

o   A.G. Bell Association The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing helps families, health care providers and education professionals understand childhood hearing loss and the importance of early diagnosis and intervention.  Through advocacy, education, research and financial aid, AG Bell helps to ensure that every child and adult with hearing loss has the opportunity to listen, talk and thrive in mainstream society.  With chapters located in the United States and a network of international affiliates, AG Bell supports its mission: Advocating Independence through Listening and Talking!

o   PREPIT Professional Rural Education Program PREPIT is designed for teachers serving deaf and hard of hearing students in rural areas.  The site offers suggestions for developing the language and reading skills of deaf, hard of hearing, and English limited proficient students.

o   Deafed.net The purpose of the deafed.net web site is too enhance the preparation of new teachers, to support the ongoing professional development of existing teachers, to expand the array of learning resources and opportunities that are available to deaf/hard-of-hearing (d/hh) students and to increase collaborative activities between all those individuals involved in the education of d/hh students. This site is a result of two projects funded by the U.S. Department of Education's PT3 initiative. These grants, awarded to the Association of College Educators of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, are referred to as Join Together and Catalyst Projects.    

o   The Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education (JDSDE) Author's Corner Wikispace  

Each year a worldwide community of scholars publishes hundreds of pages of research concerning topics of critical importance to parents of children who are deaf/hard of hearing (d/hh) and the professionals who work with them. Unfortunately, many of us lack the time or resources required to find, read, understand and discuss this research. As a result, “what we know,” rarely informs, “what we do” and “what we do” is rarely researched. Consequently, the performance of children who are d/hh continues to lag significantly behind both their own potential and the performance of their hearing peers. We are presenting YOU with a possible strategy to address this problem. It is a strategy that will cost you nothing and is available from any Internet access point in the world.

o   National Literary Society of the Deaf (NLSD) The NLSD promotes deaf culture, books, and literacy through programs and exhibits at libraries.

o   Hands and Voices Hands & Voices is a nationwide non-profit organization dedicated to supporting families and their children who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as the professionals who serve them. Hands and Voices is a parent-driven, parent/professional collaborative group that is unbiased towards communication modes and methods. Their diverse membership includes those who are deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing impaired and their families who communicate orally, with signs, cue, and/or combined methods. They exist to help our children reach their highest potential.

o   American Society for Deaf Children (ASDC) The American society for Deaf Children supports and educates families of deaf and hard of hearing children and advocates for high quality programs and services.

o   Rochester Institute of Technology Resources list This is a listing of websites pertaining to a large variety of issues affecting deaf and hard of hearing children their parents and deaf and hard of hearing adults.

·        Deaf/Blind

o   Helen Keller National Center (HKNC) Authorized by an Act of Congress in 1967, the Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults (HKNC) is a national rehabilitation program serving youth and adults who are deaf-blind.

o   National Consortium on Deaf Blindness (NCDB) The National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB) is a national technical assistance and dissemination center for children and youth (from birth to age 26) who are deaf-blind. NCDB works collaboratively with families, federal, state and local agencies to promote academic achievement and results through technical assistance, model demonstration, and information dissemination activities that are supported by evidence-based practices and to assist in addressing state-identified needs for highly qualified personnel who have the necessary skills and knowledge to serve children and youth who are deaf-blind.

·        Significant Disabilities

·        Visual Impairment/Blindness

o   Service Providers

§  LCB

§  Louisiana Rehabilitation Services: Blind Services Blind Services is a section of Louisiana Rehabilitation Services’ Vocational Rehabilitation Program and provides services to eligible individuals who are blind or visually impaired. The Randolph-Sheppard Business Enterprise Program and the Older Blind/Visually Impaired Program are parts of Blind Services.
 

o   Organizations

§  La-POBC

§  NOPBC

§  Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) AER is an international membership organization dedicated to providing all possible support and assistance to the professionals who work in all phases of education and rehabilitation of blind and visually impaired children and adults.

§  American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) AFB is a national nonprofit organization that expands possibilities for people with vision loss. AFB's priorities include broadening access to technology; improving the quality of information and tools for the professionals serving people with vision loss; and promoting independent and healthy living for people with vision loss by providing them and their families with relevant and timely resources. AFB maintains a presence in Washington, DC to ensure that the rights and interests of people with vision loss are represented in public policies.

§  American Council of the Blind (ACB) ACB is a membership organization of people with vision loss and blindness. The purpose of the ACB is to improve the well-being of all  persons with vision loss; to elevate the social, economic and cultural levels of people with blindness; to improve educational and rehabilitation facilities and opportunities; to cooperate with the public and private institutions and organizations concerned with blind services; to encourage and assist all persons with vision loss to develop their abilities; and to conduct a public education program to promote greater understanding of blindness and the capabilities of persons who are blind or visually impaired.

§  CEC Division on Visual Impairments Activities focus on federal, state, and local issues and policies related to education of infants, children and youths with Visual Impairments. Current Professional Practice position papers such as “Role and Function of the Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments” (2007) and “Student-centered Educational Placement Decisions” (2006) can be found on this site.

§  American Printing House for the Blind and Visually Impaired (APH) APH is the world's largest nonprofit organization creating educational, workplace, and independent living products and services for people who are visually impaired. Founded in 1858 in Louisville, Kentucky, APH is the oldest organization of its kind in the United States. In 1879, Congress passed the Act to Promote the Education of the Blind which designated APH as the official supplier of educational materials to all students in the U.S. who meet the definition of blindness and are working at less than college level.