Contact the lead family resources coordinator (FRC) in your county. To find your FRC, call the Infant Toddler Early Intervention Program at: 360/725-3500. For more information on how hearing loss, visual impairment, or deaf-blindness may affect a child’s development and what you can do to help, check our resources in those areas.
Yes. Check our resources for state and national parent organizations. If your child is deaf or hard of hearing, or has a combined visual impairment and hearing loss, contact our deaf/hh family consultant or our deaf-blind family consultant.
An Individualized Education Program (IEP) describes the specially designed instruction needed (for example, from a teacher of the deaf or blind) to help the student develop the skills she needs in order to learn in school. A 504 accommodation plan identifies how the classroom or materials need to be adapted or modified (e.g., large print, seating at front of class) so that the student can learn in school. A 504 plan does not provide instruction in specialized skills. For more information, check our resources or contact one of our WSDS staff.
WSDS offers an annual family weekend for children and teens who are deaf or hard of hearing as well as other family events. Check the WSDS calendar for upcoming events sponsored by WSDS and other agencies such as Washington State School for the Blind, Washington School for the Deaf, and Department of Services for the Blind.
Although the new special education law (IDEA 2004) doesn’t require that transition planning begin until age 16, you can ask your school district to begin this process sooner. By starting early, your son or daughter has the chance to experience a variety of paid or volunteer jobs and can begin thinking about education or training options. Planning for transition includes thinking about recreation, medical care, independent living, transportation, and guardianship.
WSDS offers training on screening for hearing and vision concerns, the impact of sensory disabilities on early childhood development, and effective early intervention strategies. Training is designed to target early intervention professionals, teachers of the deaf, and teachers of the blind and visually impaired. Contact us or check our training calendar for upcoming offerings.
Check out our WSDS online lending library, or for birth-to-three resources, contact us via our central phone or email.
Contact our coordinator for deaf/hard of hearing services. She can help advertise your position via our listservs, and may be able to help assess your applicants’ qualifications. Also, check Washington's Education Recruitment Service.
Any combination of an educationally significant hearing loss and visual impairment may qualify a child for services through the WSDS deaf-blind project. Read about the eligibility requirements and then contact us to learn how to get started.
We need certified teachers of the visually impaired, as well as specialists in other areas (e.g., orientation and mobility, teachers of the deaf, educational interpreters). Check training & certification for requirements to work in special education in Washington, as well as job openings. And contact us to introduce yourself.