The information on this page is not supported by State Support Team 9 but is provided for your information.
The Ohio Center for Deafblind Education provides services in Ohio for individuals from birth through 21 years with deafblindness, including free collaborative technical assistance to families, education personnel, and service providers through training and information dissemination.
The News & Events section on the right side of the OCDBE website provides a list of their current professional development opportunities.
These events are not sponsored by State Support Team 9, but are provided for your information.
OCDBE Resources
The OCDBE website offers an extensive resource page, including state and local resources; international, national, and state organizations; educational materials; and more. For state and local resources, you can use the interactive map to locate agencies near you. To find out more, visit www.ohiodeafblind.com and click the resources drop-down menu.
Plan for A Bright Future
Ohio’s Early Transition Planning initiative encourages families, educators, and partners to begin conversations about adulthood sooner rather than later. The idea is simple but powerful: the earlier we start planning, the more prepared students will be for meaningful adult lives. Take steps now to help shape dreams, goals, and a path forward. Visit the Early Transition Planning hub to explore these tools.
Story Boxes and Experience Books
Get expert insights when it's convenient for you! OCDBE offers a wealth of on-demand professional learning designed for parents, educators, and agency personnel to enhance awareness and apply effective practices for children who are deafblind. We'll be spotlighting a new training weekly, and you can access them all on our website anytime. This week’s training is Developing and Implementing Story Boxes and Experience Books For Learners who are Deafblind presented by Susan Bruce, PhD.
Self-Advocacy
Self-advocacy, what is it and how can you start practicing advocating for yourself? The video, Self-Advocacy Is for Everyone by the Exceptional Children's Assistance Center, illustrates how individuals can learn to speak up for themselves, make informed decisions, and actively participate in shaping their own lives.
School Communication Board
Kick off the school year with a new communication board from the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD). You can find the communication board, along with others, here.
Changing Spaces Ohio – A Conversation Around Inclusive Communities
Join host Nate Turner on the Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) podcast as he chats with Jennifer Corcoran and Kim Kirkwood, the mothers and advocates behind Changing Spaces Ohio. Their personal journeys with sons Matthew and Aiden have led to dynamic conversations around inclusive communities, resulting in new universal changing tables at rest stops and vital grant funding across the state.
Children Transitioning from Early Intervention to Preschool
Get expert insights when it's convenient for you! OCDBE offers a wealth of on-demand professional learning designed for parents, educators, and agency personnel to enhance awareness and apply effective practices for children who are deafblind. We'll be spotlighting a new training weekly, and you can access them all on our website anytime. This week’s training focuses on the transition from early intervention to preschool. Children Transitioning from Early Intervention to Preschool: What Parents Need to Know, presented by Sandy Brickner.
Family 2 Family Communities
F2FC brings families together to connect, share information and resources, and offer support to one another in the journey of supporting their deafblind family members. Registration for F2FC is now open for 2025-2026! Groups meet monthly on Zoom from September to May. For more information, view their flyer.
¡Queridas familias! Les invitamos a participar en nuestras reuniones mensuales por Zoom para personas con hijos sordociegos. Será un espacio acogedor para compartir experiencias, aprender información valiosa juntos y apoyarnos mutuamente como comunidad. La inscripción está abierta hasta el 1 de septiembre de 2025: https://tinyurl.com/F2FC2025sp
Space for Me: COSI
Space for Me: COSI
As part of the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) Space for Me Campaign, they recently visited COSI in Columbus to learn how they make science accessible for everyone. Visitors can check out sensory bags, explore tactile and braille exhibit features, use the universal changing table, take a break in one of their sensory rooms, and more! All of these accessibility features work together to ensure that visitors and families can experience COSI in a way that works best for them. To learn about COSI’s accessibility, visit here.
Center for Parent Information and Resources
CPIR shares information and resources for parents, schools, and early childhood programs about informal removals. The center describes how schools and early programs can collaborate with parents to address a child’s behavior; provides examples of evidence-based practices schools can implement to avoid relying on informal removals to address behaviors; and highlights resources parents can access to support their participation in their child’s education. Center for Parent Information and Resources | Your Central Hub for Parent Centers Serving Families of Children with Disabilities (parentcenterhub.org)
Sound shirts help deaf soccer fans feel the excitement.
Two sports fans who are Deaf in the U.K. have just experienced the crowd's excitement for the first time - thanks to sound shirts. Newcastle United and their sponsor Sela teamed up to bring the hi-tech shirts to fans. See the video from CBS News here.
Parent Scholarship Program
OCDBE offers parents/guardians of a child who is registered on the Ohio Deafblind Census the opportunity to support and increase their knowledge about deafblindness by assisting them in attending conferences, trainings, and workshops. To find out more about the program or to submit a request, visit https://www.ohiodeafblind.com/for-families/scholarships/
Voicecorps Reading Service
Voicecorps is a reading service for people who cannot read due to a medical condition, including
Ohioans who are blind or have low vision. Volunteers read aloud newspapers, print publications, and shopping flyers. To learn more, visit https://voicecorps.org
SignUp
SignUp is providing media accessibility for the Deaf community. SignUp is a free-of-charge Google Chrome Extension that provides sign language interpretation on several popular streaming channels. For more information, visit their website at https://www.signupcaptions.com/
National Family Association for the DeafBlind (NFADB)
NFADB exists to empower the voices of families with individuals who are deafblind and advocate for their unique needs. Want to become a member? For more information on joining NFADB, click here.
Families Matter Stories
Families Matter Stories
Every family has a story, and yours is important! Read stories from children and young adults who are deafblind and their families. See the “Families Matter” stories at https://www.nationaldb.org/products/families-matter-stories/. If you’d like to share your family’s story, contact Jodi Dowell at dowelljr@ucmail.uc.edu.
Authentic Choice-Making
The National Center on Deafblindness (NCDB) has a new publication by Susan Bruce entitled Authentic Choice-Making for Children and Youth Who Are Deafblind. Choice-making can be a valuable learning opportunity for children and youth who are deafblind. But when asked to make a choice, are they selecting what they really want at that moment? Making choice-making authentic takes careful planning and consideration.
Essential Tools of the Trade for Teachers of Students who are Deafblind
Essential Tools of the Trade for Teachers of Students who are Deafblind
The Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) presents the second edition of Essential Tools of the Trade for Teachers of Students who are Deafblind: A Guide for Completing Evaluations. In this new edition, they have updated content to reflect the most current research, practices, and perspectives. These changes are designed to enhance clarity, usability, and relevance, ensuring that the book continues to be a trusted resource. For more information or to order the book, visit here.
Exceptional Parent (EP) Magazine
Exceptional Parent (EP) Magazine
Summer presents unique opportunities and challenges for families raising children with disabilities. In EP’s annual Summer Fun and Travel issue, articles from recent years are revisited and address a variety of situations that parents will face during the upcoming weeks. Read the issue at https://www.epmagazine.com/. You can also sign up to receive the free digital e-magazine and the monthly newsletter featuring four articles at www.epmagazine.com.
Transition Resources: READY Tool
Transition Resources: READY Tool
The READY Tool (Readiness Evaluation of Transition to Adulthood for Deaf-Blind Youth) helps a transition team – composed of an individual who is deafblind, parents, and professionals – determine essential activities that must be carried out during the transition process. The completed tool can be used to generate a plan of action and develop goals and objectives for the IEP and transition plans.
You can find the READY Tool on the National Center on Deafblindness (NCDB) website.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
A new documentary from PBS, Change, Not Charity [Video], tells the story of the long push for equality and accessibility culminating in the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Extended audio description, captions, and ASL are available.
CVI
CVI
Are you subscribed to the CVI Now newsletter from Perkins School for the Blind? Sign up for free on the CVI Now homepage (scroll all the way to the bottom). It includes information for families and educators about cerebral visual impairment resources and research, what's new on the website, upcoming trainings, and more.
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