Center for Interdisciplinary Learning and Leadership
A University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research and Service

Graphics Version | Center Home Page (Text) | Projects Home (Text)
Benefits Planning (Text) | Community Leadership Solutions (Text)
Faculty Development Program (Text) | OK Family Support (Text) | OK LEND (Text)
SoonerCare Health Education Partners (Text) | OK Teacher Registry (Text)

Registry Training in Deaf/blindness and Multiple Disabilities

Description:
This four-day workshop provides information to help participants understand the impact of severe and profound disabilities on individuals and their families. This understanding forms the foundation for learning how to serve and support these students in an environment that honors their choices and respects their right to self-determine. The training offers strategies and tools for functional assessment and programming, successful inclusion, functional behavior analysis, transition and team building. The practicum or outside assignment component provides a tool and a process for determining student preferences and utilizing these preferences to build programs and supports.

About the presenter:
Dr. Lisa Lawter began her career in Special Education in 1986. She has worked with students with all levels of abilities including students with emotional and behavioral problems, students with learning disabilities, students with mental retardation and students with severe and multiple disabilities. Lisa has spent several years providing technical assistance to general and special educators across the state first through a federal inclusion grant and currently through the Oklahoma Deaf-Blind Technical Assistance Project. She works closely with teachers, administrators and parents to develop programming and supports so for students with deaf-blindness. Lisa completed her doctorate in Special Education at OU. She has worked as an assistant professor at East Central University and is currently adjunct faculty at OU in the special education department.

Jan Watts is the mother of three children. Her oldest child, Adam, was born with Down Syndrome. Jan comes with a variety of past and current experience: general educator, parent, disability organization board member, special educator, early interventionist, university instructor, and author and coordinator of two Special Education Federal Grants awarded to The University of Oklahoma. Jan has been the Project Coordinator for the Oklahoma Deaf-Blind Technical Assistance Project (OKDBTAP) for the last eight years. OKDBTAP provides technical assistance to families, teachers, providers, and school districts that serve children with vision and hearing impairments. Jan has been a collaborator for this registry training for the past six years. She is responsible for much of the content and delivery of the training information and for insuring that the family viewpoint is represented. Jan is a frequent speaker to university students and parent groups on the topic of Parenting and Educating a Child with a Disability.

What participants say:
I have a better understanding of my student with deaf-blindness. I have become a lot more aware of students being "acted upon" and have been able to share ideas with my assistants about how we can involve the students with severe and multiple disabilities in every aspect of their day.

We don't feed our kids anymore, we help them with their meals. We don't change the kids, we take them to the bathroom.

The Preference Indicators helped me understand the student from the parents' eyes so to speak. Beautiful bonds have developed and or been strengthened. Thanks!

Collaborative Partners:
Lisa Lawter
Oklahoma Deaf/blind Technical Assistance Project
Oklahoma State Department of Education, Special Education Services

Click here for other deaf/blindness and multiple disabilities related links.