Presentation developed by Christopher Woodfill and given by Molly Rimer, both HKNC regional...
If you can't read please download the document
Presentation developed by Christopher Woodfill and given by Molly Rimer, both HKNC regional representatives for the DICAPTA conference on November 8th,
Presentation developed by Christopher Woodfill and given by
Molly Rimer, both HKNC regional representatives for the DICAPTA
conference on November 8th, 2013
Slide 2
Helen Keller National Center Puerto Rico DeafBlind Equipment
Distribution Program
Slide 3
OUR MISSION: The mission of the Helen Keller National Center
for Deaf- Blind Youths and Adults is to enable each person who is
deaf-blind to live and work in his or her community of choice.
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.
http://www.hknc.org/AboutUsMAIN.htm
Slide 4
Traditional Program Young Adult Summer Program Confident Living
Program Short-term Program Community Service Program Trainings and
Seminars
Slide 5
Eight weeks evaluation program Thirteen weeks training program
Time in evaluation and training may vary depending on the
circumstances The costs of evaluation and training can be paid for
by vocational rehabilitation agencies.
Slide 6
Covers eight areas: 1. Vocational: focuses on developing job
skills, matching interests and skills with appropriate jobs, job
development, and job coaching. 2. Adaptive Technology: focuses on
learning and using accessibility features on various technology and
the technology specifically developed for the DeafBlind. 3.
Communication: focuses on enhancing existing and developing new
communication strategies such as sign language, spoken language,
reading, writing, tactile sign language, communication cards,
Braille and various communication-related technologies such as TTY,
Braille labeling machine, Perkins typewriter, vibrating and Braille
watches, and dollar bill identifier machines.
Slide 7
Covers eight areas continued: 4. Independent Living Skills:
focuses on safe cooking skills and techniques, safe and effective
household cleaning, doing laundry safely, organizing household in
an effective manner, and living independently in an apartment
through in-house (SILE) and out-house (AIM) programs. 5.
Orientation and Mobility: focuses on safe and effective traveling
methods using a cane as a DeafBlind person. The use of
communication card is also included in this training. 6. Low
Vision: focuses on helping consumers understand their vision loss
and on how to best manage it. Also focuses on low vision devices
such as protective eyeglasses, CCTV, mobile CCTV, and
binoculars.
Slide 8
Covers eight areas continued: 7. Audiology: focuses on helping
consumers understand their hearing loss and on how to best manage
it. Also focuses on assistive hearing aids such as hearing aids,
cochlear implants, and FM systems. 8. Mental Health: focuses on
counseling and support groups related to DeafBlindness.
Slide 9
Two weeks program for those who are still in high school or
just graduated from high school. Enrollment limited to eight young
adults from all over the United States including the territories.
Focuses on transition-related, self-determination, self-esteem, and
DeafBlind-related topics Fantastic opportunity for DeafBlind young
adult to meet and socialize with others like them and to meet
DeafBlind adult role models.
Slide 10
Lasting up to one month Focused on some of eight training areas
offered by HKNC Limited time due to a variety of factors such as
limited need for training, financial constraints, limited time off
from job, and family commitments Training will not be as
comprehensive as that of Traditional program
Slide 11
Serve the area around Helen Keller National Center headquarter
including all of Long Island, New York City and a few counties
north of NewYork City. Considered an outside arm of HKNC with a
staff of eight providing limited training to consumers living in
the aforementioned regions.
Slide 12
DeafBlind interpreter Rehabilitation Counseling for the
DeafBlind through Northern Illinois University Train the Trainer
Haptics and Pro-Tactile Many other topics
Slide 13
Christopher C. Woodfill, Regional Representative 141 Middle
Neck Road Sands Point, NY 11050 VP: (516) 570-3635 Voice: (516)
393-5095 E-mail: [email protected]@hknc.org
www.hknc.org
Slide 14
Puerto Rico DeafBlind Equipment Distribution Program
Slide 15
PR-DBEDP is a part of the National DBEDP. NDBEDP was created
from the 21st century video accessibility act signed by President
Obama in 2010. In that Act, $10,000,000 was allocated to this
program with the money divided up between the states and
territories according to their population. PR-DBEDP is allocated
$(provide the correct figure here from the chart). This is for the
purpose of getting telecommunication equipment to the DeafBlind
people in Puerto Rico.
Slide 16
Outreach Application verification Assessment Equipment ordering
Training
Slide 17
Letters sent to known DeafBlind individuals informing them
about the program Letters sent to organizations and agencies
working with the DeafBlind people. Presentations to groups of
DeafBlind people, families of DeafBlind people, and professionals
working with DeafBlind people. Hand out the application forms and
brochures.
Slide 18
Income Eligibility Under the CVAA, only low-income individuals
who are deaf-blind are eligible to receive equipment. Applicants
must provide verification of their status as low- income and
deaf-blind.
http://www.fcc.gov/guides/national-deaf-blind-equipment-distribution-program
To confirm you meet the income eligibility, please provide
documentation that proves you are eligibility for one of the
following: Medicaid, Low income home energy assistance,
Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Section 8 housing, Food Stamps,
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or National School Lunch
Program If you dont receive the above mentioned, you can provide
last years tax 1040 form for the entire household
Slide 19
Slide 20
For purposes of determining income eligibility for the NDBEDP,
the FCC defines income and household as follows: Income is all
income actually received by all members of a household. This
includes salary before deductions for taxes, public assistance
benefits, social security payments, pensions, unemployment
compensation, veteran's benefits, inheritances, alimony, child
support payments, worker's compensation benefits, gifts, lottery
winnings, and the like. The only exceptions are student financial
aid, military housing and cost-of-living allowances, irregular
income from occasional small jobs such as baby-sitting or lawn
mowing, and the like.
Slide 21
A household is any individual or group of individuals who are
living together at the same address as one economic unit. A
household may include related and unrelated persons. An economic
unit consists of all adult individuals contributing to and sharing
in the income and expenses of a household. An adult is any person
eighteen years or older. If an adult has no or minimal income, and
lives with someone who provides financial support to him/her, both
people shall be considered part of the same household. Children
under the age of eighteen living with their parents or guardians
are considered to be part of the same household as their parents or
guardians.
Slide 22
For this program, the PR-NDBEDP requires that the term
"deaf-blind" has the same meaning given by the Helen Keller
National Center Act. In general, the individual must have a certain
vision loss and a hearing loss that, combined, cause extreme
difficulty in attaining independence in daily life activities,
achieving psychosocial adjustment, or obtaining a vocation
(working). Specifically, the FCCs NDBEDP rule 64.610(c)(2) states
that an individual who is deaf-blind is:
Slide 23
(i) Any person: (A) Who has a central visual acuity of 20/200
or less in the better eye with corrective lenses, or a field defect
such that the peripheral diameter of visual field subtends an
angular distance no greater than 20 degrees, or a progressive
visual loss having a prognosis leading to one or both these
conditions; (B) Who has a chronic hearing impairment so severe that
most speech cannot be understood with optimum amplification, or a
progressive hearing loss having a prognosis leading to this
condition; and (C) For whom the combination of impairments
described in... (A) and (B) of this section cause extreme
difficulty in attaining independence in daily life activities,
achieving psychosocial adjustment, or obtaining a vocation.
Slide 24
(ii) The definition in this paragraph also includes any
individual who, despite the inability to be measured accurately for
hearing and vision loss due to cognitive or behavioral constraints,
or both, can be determined through functional and performance
assessment to have severe hearing and visual disabilities that
cause extreme difficulty in attaining independence in daily life
activities, achieving psychosocial adjustment, or obtaining
vocational objectives. An applicant's functional abilities with
respect to using telecommunications, Internet access, and advanced
communications services in various environments shall be considered
when determining whether the individual is deaf-blind under... (B)
and (C) of this section.
Slide 25
Who can attest to a persons disability eligibility? A
practicing professional who has direct knowledge of the person's
vision and hearing loss, such as: Audiologist Community-based
service provider Educator Hearing professional HKNC representative
Medical/health professional School for the deaf and/or blind
Specialist in Deaf-Blindness Speech pathologist State
equipment/assistive technology program Vision professional
Vocational rehabilitation counsellor
Slide 26
Such professionals may also include, in the attestation,
information about the individuals functional abilities to use
telecommunications, Internet access, and advanced communications
services in various settings. Existing documentation that a person
is deaf-blind, such as an individualized education program (IEP),
or a statement from a public or private agency, such as a Social
Security determination letter, may serve as verification of
disability.
Slide 27
An individual contracted with the agency running PR-DBEDP will
meet the consumer and assess the consumer on his/her ability to use
telecommunication equipment and the appropriate fit of equipment
for this consumer. The list of equipment being provided to the
consumer as the result of the assessment will be agreed upon by the
assessor and the consumer. The rest of the process will also be
explained to the consumer.
Slide 28
Assessor will order equipment with appropriate justifications
related to the consumer's ability to access telecommunication by
using the equipment that the assessor is ordering. The equipment
permitted by the program is very expansive. In subsequent slides,
examples of equipment will be provided. The only rules for the
equipment are that the consumer can use those equipment with
training and that those equipment directly relate to consumer's
ability to access telecommunication.
Slide 29
An individual contracted with the agency running PR-DBEDP will
train the consumer with the equipment that he/she has received
through the program. Training will involve the setting up of the
equipment, on how to use the equipment for telecommunication
purposes, and on the safety and maintenance of the equipment. After
the training is done, the process is complete for the
consumer.
Slide 30
Phone calling E-mailing Internet Browsing Paying bills online
Videophone/FaceTime/Skype Any other forms of distant
communication
Slide 31
SmartPhone Mobile Tablet Laptop and Desktop Computers Screens
(television, monitor) Amplified Phones Softwares (ZoomText, Magic,
WindowEye, JAWS) For more examples, please go to
www.icanconnect.orgwww.icanconnect.org
Slide 32
The program only provides equipment. The consumers will be
responsible for payments related to maintaining the connectivity of
their equipment. For example, phone and internet bills are the
responsibility of the consumers. The program requires that the
consumers have appropriate connectivity before receiving the
equipment and that the consumers are able to afford to maintain the
connectivity. The program will purchase the extended warranty for
the equipment. It is consumers' responsibility to replace or fix
the equipment when the warranty runs out.
Slide 33
Christopher C. Woodfill, Regional Representative 141 Middle
Neck Road Sands Point, NY 11050 VP: (516) 570-3635 Voice: (516)
393-5095 E-mail: [email protected]@hknc.org
www.hknc.org