Event ID: 2812765 Event Started: 1/20/2016 8:00:00 PM ---------- Please stand by for realtime captions. >> Please stand by for realtime captions. >> We will give it another minute or so, and then, I will get things going. >> This is Robbin. Marilyn, can you hear us? It sounds like she can here us. It looks like she can here us. She is dialing in, it looks like. >> -- >> This is Robbin. Can you try your phone line? >> Do you want me to physically mute, or how do you want me to do that? >> Use your mute button or star six when you are not on. That would be great. >> MIA too right? It looks like you don't even see me. Maybe it is my camera. >> You are a little washed out. >> It is okay. >> We are okay. We will mute it, now. >> Thank you. >> This is Robbin, again. I think that we are all checked in. Technologically, I think we are doing okay. I think we will get started. It is a couple of minutes after the hour and this is formally Robbin Bull with NCDB. I want to begin by welcoming everybody. I'm going through some housekeeping items before I handed over to Mike, who will kickoff today's webinar. The phone lines have been muted, and we don't have to worry about background noise. The question and answer session will occur at the end of the presentation. However, you can write your questions in the chat box at any time during the presentation, as it will be monitored throughout the webinar in preparation for the question-and-answer session. We do want you to know that this webinar will be recorded and archived for future viewing. I'm going to start the recording, now. You will hear an announcement, momentarily. Mike, that will be your cue to start. >> This meeting is now being recorded. >> Thank you, Robbin and this is Mike. Good afternoon and welcome to the webinar. Building partnerships with HKNC regional representatives. I am Mike Fagbemi and I work for NCDB and I'm joined by the HKNC staff, Laura Thomas, director field services. And, the four regional representatives. Beth Jordan, Steve Perreault, Barbara Posner, Marilyn Trader, and they will all be the presenters for today. HKNC, for more than 40 years, has been the rock and provision of services to deaf blind adults assisting to make sense of the nebulous adult service system on behalf of adults and their families. Through the array of services at the national state and local levels, they continue to embrace their mission, which is to give deaf blind individuals in valuable tools for them to live, work and thrive in the community of their choice. Before I turn it over to Bora, I want to make a quick announcement. A housekeeping thing. Laura and I, as we began to plan for this webinar, thought it would be helpful if we could include a polling activity we hope you choose to participate in. I will ask Robbin to put the polling activity up for me. >> We anticipate for each polling question, as we transitioned from one speaker to the next, we think this information will be valuable for the representatives to consider the needs of the network. As Robbin mention, there is a Q&A session at the end of the webinar that might spark some thinking. Feel free to use the chat box and we will answer the questions as they cue up. I will be the polling question before Laura begins. Indicate any of the following areas in which you are currently working with your regional representative. I can see many of you know the features and have started to answer the questions. The responses, college and career readiness options, independent living, equipment distribution programs and learning about HKNC programs. Thank you, Robbin. Now, today, the webinar highlights that essentially, we will talk about some of these four points. What does the HKNC regional reps do? You provide an overview of HKNC programs and examples of collaboration between HKNC and state deaf blind projects. There will be a question-and-answer session at the end with an opportunity for discussion. I will now turn it over to Laura Thomas. >> Good afternoon, everyone. I appreciate working with all of you and I am also working with an interpreter, today. I am signing, sign language and using the video relay service, through Sorenson. I want to introduce myself in that way. So far, so good? Hello? >> Yes. It is coming through, find. >> You can all hear me. Okay. So, can we have the next slide, please? You can see the picture of the Hellen Keller national center. It is the front of the building. Do you see that? And, the driveway that is there in the front. You see that we are located in Sands Point, New York, about 45 minutes east of New York, Manhattan. The next slide, please. Okay. Great. This is another picture, showing the front of the Hellen Keller -- it says the Hellen Keller National Center. The inscription is really small and it is hard to see on this slide. Can we have the next one, please? Okay. Great. I want to give a little bit of an explanation of the role of the regional representatives. We have, all together, 12 representatives working all over the country. What we do, we do everything from A hyphen Z. Let me explain the rules to you. I can see the next PowerPoint, please. I'm sorry, can you go back one? Thank you. We do a lot of support and advocacy and we do referrals. For consumers and their families. We are service providers. We are facilitators and we have volunteers for the application process. And, we work with the students and we work with them in their homes and we work, as a team, really. For transition services. For the training. We maintain contact with the families and the consumers and the providers. And, everyone else that is involved, until the age of eight -- the age of transition until they reach adulthood. We provide support services. We provide them in the local state and the region that the consumer lives in and we work with the organizations that are present in their local region. We do a lot of training. We do training with the trainers and with the national deaf and blind equipment. And, with the distribution program. We also provide and also, coordinate professional development and training resources with -- which we have developed. We collaborate with the state agency, as well. We provide services for deaf and blind. Accessibility services. We maintain the national registry for individuals who are deaf and blind and we keep all of that data. The next slide, please. As you can see right here, do you see the star? You can see where our office is located in New York. You can see the San Diego and the Boston and Atlanta and Texas and Denver centers, as well. Also, Ohio, too. And, North Carolina and -- I don't know -- did I miss any? Did I name them all? Maryland, as well. The next slide, please. This is who we are. We are a group of regional representatives from New York, is our office. We work on behalf of our -- in December, we were missing one or two people. So, I don't know with the group -- we are very vibrant and skilled as a group and where very knowledgeable and capable professionals. The next slide, please. I wanted to share with you three points. Points about our program, three things we are doing during the summer and they will be our focus for the transitional age of the youth. The first one is YASP. It stands for young adult summer program. It is a two week program and will be on the 20th. This will be our 20th annual event we will be providing and we will be specifically working for students that are looking for college programs and colleges -- college-bound and interested in attending college. Next slide, please. You can see the picture of our youth, the young adult programs and these are students that we had last year. This is the South Seaport, South Street Seaport in Manhattan. Next slide, please. The second program, that we will be having, for the second time, this summer -- and Lester was the first time that we started this program and it was in response to WIOA, a new workgroup. It is innovative for this workgroup and an opportunity. This summer, we will be having this youth vocational program and it is called SYZP. It is a six-week program that provides students with the opportunity to experience work and also, to get paid. We will also be having several groups working with classes with job coaches. The students will be in the community with the job coach and will be provided an opportunity for us to know the consistency of the students and to know what their skills are and what their abilities are and what we will work with them to see. Next slide, please. The third program that we have, and we are very busy, as you can see, it will be called the summer assessment program, and eight we program. It will be for junior and senior high school students and it will be coming in for doing work and assessing -- assessments in all kinds of areas. In communications with mobility, and low vision and independent living. We will cover all of those things. With that information, we will be sharing the information that we learned with schools and work with transitioning the students. Oftentimes, they come back to the Hellen Keller national center before they go on to work or college. The last thing, if I could have the next slide, please -- thank you -- during the year, year round, we provide what is called traditional programs between six and 12 month programs. It is a training program. It is analyzing the individual and it is tailored to each individual. We meet their specific needs. We aim to meet their specific needs. Some people live on campus in apartments. They have experience with living in an apartment. That is one of the big experiences. That is the just in our program. Mike? >> Thank you, Laura. This is Mike speaking. Very nice presentation. While we wait for the next presenter, which will be Beth, Robbin, if you could queue up another poll. I promised you five and a want to make sure I follow up on that. The very next question, for the poll -- are you aware of the free equipment available for all children and adults who are deaf-blind who meet poverty guidelines? Give it a second and I see most people absolutely are, 100%. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Robbin. The next presenter is Beth Jordan. >> Hello, this is Beth. I am based in the Kansas City regional office. I have been around with Hellen Keller for a long time. One of the first things I want to talk about is one of the first collaboration opportunities that we work with in each of the deaf blind projects. That is the interdisciplinary transition team initiative. It is called ITTI, for short. It is a multistate transitional tool that is facilitated by the New York deaf blind collaborative. This is the second year of the multistate effort they have been working on an prior to that, New York did it within their own state. That quite a bit of experience with this. What it is, it is tweaked a little bit and last year, they used almost monthly webinar and this year, it has changed to five monthly webinars that occur during the school year for transition teams around and individual who has both vision and hearing loss. What is the role of the Hellen Keller regional rep with those teams? Really, what I can tell you, is that it varies depending on the regional rep. The primary reason it would bury, is because of the distance between the regional rep to that team, it makes a big difference. I was really fortunate. The team for last year and this year in Kansas, it happened to be in the crater -- in the greater Kansas City area where my office is based. Let me give you Kansas as an example. Lester, we had two teams at the school for the blind and one within the community of Olathe. I was involved in all of those teams and this year help to facilitate a team at the Kansas School for the Deaf, which is where my office is located. We work to get a team established and you know once we had of -- once we have a team established and have basic concepts, it is easy to start doing that same sort of work with other teams. And, other young people who have vision and hearing loss. The kinds of things the Hellen Keller regional rep would do, would be 22 -- to provide resources as it relates to adult services. Most of the team members, at least for the teams I've been involved in, our educators, school staff, project people and the kinds of resources we've been providing have related to that transition to the adult service world. The beauty is, the Hellen Keller reps know the local resources and know what is available in the state. We know the big picture. We know national programs, national efforts out there that maybe the local team was not aware of. We have 10 meetings. We often host them. Like I said, I am hosting meetings in my office this year. Because of the proximity on the school for the deaf campus. It was it is a distance, states away from the office of the regional rep, the regional rep may attend via phone call, conference call or a video phone call. We arrange for mentoring with other young adults who are deaf blind. Either somebody who has the same type of vision and hearing loss. Maybe, someone who has a similar vocational interest and we can help arrange a job shadow or an informational interview. It is a great first step and fabulous that these young adults see people like them, with vision and hearing loss, working in the community. It opens up all kinds of opportunities for them, in their own mind. Of course, we do referrals to the national deaf-blind equipment distribution program, the great segue. We will talk briefly, even though it seems like most everybody is familiar with this program. I do want to touch on it because what you know about your state program may vary from another state program. We will talk about the framework and the eligibility. The program was established by the FCC, the Federal Communications Commission, as part of some legislation enacted in 2010. Each state program is run independently and they have the same guidelines from the FCC. How that program is run, is really based on each individual state. In terms of eligibility, there are three main criteria. The first one is that the person has a significant vision and hearing loss that meets the definition set forth in the Helen Keller National Center act. The second one, is an income requirement. It is based on that person's household income. It is the student still living at home with their parent, and they look at the household income, plus any brothers or sisters still in the house. It is 400% of poverty and that number varies depending on the number in the house. I will get back to you on the specific figures. The third criteria is the individual having the ability to use or learn to use technology for what is called distance communication. Those are the keywords. Let me give you examples of distance communication. It could be sending an email, texting a friend. Looking up something on the Internet -- making a phone call, either through voice or video phone. Maybe, with a CapTel phone. Maybe it is making a phone call using FaceTime or Skype. All of those are considered distance communication. The type of communication it was not set up for is the one-on-one communication, where we sit across from the table from someone and you want to be able to have that tort of communication. That is not distance communication. It is not what the FCC set up the program to do. The eye can connect program, an acronym we use a lot for the national deaf-blind equipment distribution program, it is a variety of things. It includes applications, technology assessment, and during that assessment, you determine what the person currently has four technology, what is working, what is not working and demonstrating some other equipment that may help the person down the road. Purchasing phones, tablets, iPADS, computers and braille displays, Zoom text, JAWS, whatever they need to do distance communication. It provides this technology at low cost. One of the keys was entering that it included installation of this technology and training on how to use it. Of a person has technology but they are not using it, it doesn't help anybody. A lot of the people receiving this are not just young people, but senior citizens. Those folks need extra training, if this sort of technology is not something they have used before. Each state looks at the training differently. The general theory is about 10 hours of training, or less, as typical. Some people received more training, if the program determines that they need it. You can learn more about this program from a great website called iCanConnect.org. There is an 800 number as well, (800)825-4595. The website is fabulous because it lists each state program and has the types of equipment available. It will have the greater definitions of what deaf-blind is, the income guidelines and all of that. What is the role of the Hellen Keller regional rep as it relates to this program? It really varies. In some states, the regional rep they help with information and referral. In other states, like Iowa, for example, one of the states I cover, Hellen Keller is the point of contact and we are doing it in the state of Iowa. It varies just like our roles do. You can find more information on that website. I will pass it back to make. >> Thank you, Beth. I will give a few seconds for folks, if they have any questions, to put it in the chat box. Laura began with a global perspective of Helen Keller services and you can see as we continue and work our way to our next presenter, we are drilling down a bit deeper and talking more about the collaborations. Also, opportunities for collaboration in the future. Thanks, Robbin. The polling question -- did you know that the WIOA Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act requires each state to set aside 15% for preemployment training services? I will give you a second to include your responses. Okay. All new information. We are learning new things every day about WIOA including how to pronounce it. The very next presenter is Steve Perreault. >> Good afternoon, everybody. It is really nice to share with you you. On the regional representative for New England, California, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont and I want to start off with the great collaboration and how I've been welcomed by the deaf-blind project directors in New England. Tracy Evans for Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire and in Rhode Island, and Sue eight almond in -- Sue Aleman in Vermont. We have a very productive collaboration and I'm going to hit a little bit of the highlights. Next slide. The main base of the collaboration that with had for the past two years started with the New England Consortium for deaf-blind technical assistance, which is one of the only multistate projects in the country for Massachusetts, Maine, new -- Connecticut and New Hampshire. This year, we are doing similar, branching out from the New York ITTI and the New England training, transition training initiative, where we are developing monthly online modules, starting in December and we are being joined and sharing those with the dip -- with the Vermont sensory access project. As part of this project, I work very closely with Tracy and the staff at the New England Center, to develop the curriculum, based on what I'm hearing from families or what I'm saying, even from families who are post-transition, what they wish they had known or had not heard about, so we can get the information to transition teams and families as early in the process as possible. We have transition teams, now, better part of this initiative in each state. Since the modules are developed at the same time each month, I usually facilitate in one state and I'm working with three teams in Connecticut, along with the family specialist in Connecticut, to look at the content from the modules, and also integrate it into the transition team planning process. Also, to identify individual goals with families and teams that we can be collecting resources to support those goals and to look at connecting the team to adult services to make sure we have adult service representation on the team. Beyond the transition teams, also, with the New England Consortium, we have networking meetings in each state, four times a year. We bring together individuals representing early interventions, school-age Department of Education adult services, parent training initiative projects, and trying to see how we look at what is happening for services for children and youth who are deaf-blind my role in that, would be connecting between education and adult services to share resources that are available through Helen Keller National Center. Also, what are any new trends or resources or ideas happening, nationally, that can be brought to the table within a state, to see how it might be implemented. Or, be used as an option to work in that state. I'm also developing modules, particularly focused on information for families through the transition initiative and often times, education teams are focused on the development of IE T and goals related to the IEP and education. For families planning transition, there are many other pieces of information needed around the benefits and qualifications. And, what is the roadmap into adult services within that state. There can be a big difference, state to state. Who are the key people to be contacted? Where do you find the resources and what are your right? And, trying to empower families to plan and advocate as early as possible, to try to achieve the very specific services that they are sun daughter who is deaf-blind may need that might not be commonly offered within adult service agencies. Like Beth, working to understand the deaf-blind equipment distribution program and to be creative about how an individual might benefit from this program and make sure that everybody that is qualified benefits from it. >> One of the things -- and I know Mike put it in the question because we have been working and looking with the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. We began hearing that state agencies were now required to set aside 15% of their funding for preemployment transition services. But, we also knew that it would be very easy for individuals were deaf-blind to be forgotten in this process. We began thinking about how we could use this resource to better benefit and provide more opportunities for youth who are deaf-blind. Tracy and I worked on the draft of a plan and we connected with the state agency. I can't give too many details. It is not 100% finalize, yet. What we tried to determine was, what would be the best use of this money? What could be something that would provide new opportunities. Also, one of the aspect of the law, is that the funding cannot replace what education is already doing. It has to be something in addition. It was somewhat of a challenge and I think that we have been working on the idea of how to increase job exploration, career planning, interest development, for individuals of all capabilities were deaf-blind, on the death blind -- deaf blind project list and see how they connect to a program that would expand opportunities. The second was and looking around at where individuals receiving education -- how many choices do they have for training or job exploration, particularly in community settings? We have kind of developed a project that would expand those two things. Better assessment, more choices, better information for evaluation that could be connected to adult services, locational agencies. Then, providing more opportunities for community-based job exploration, experiences, training. It will invigorate the learning process and what identifying the skills that would be needed to increase capacity of individuals. Okay. Thank you. >> Thank you, Steve. I will give a second for Robbin to put up the polling. Okay. Thanks, Robbin. How do you provide technical assistance to your state for youth ages 16-22 years old? The choices are being transition Institute, IEP development, functional assessments, and job development. This is one of those questions where you can actually choose multiple. Multiple ways to provide technical assistance. I will give that a second. A big smile on my face. The Institute is sitting almost tied for first place with IEP development. It is a perfect segue to Marilyn. Thanks, Robbin. >> We can't hear you, Maryland. >> Press pound six. >> Tribe pound six, again. You might have to call back in again. We will fast-forward to Barbara, while Marilyn calls in. >> Barbara, what we will do, you will have another opportunity for a polling feature while Barbara scrambles for the phone. >> [Laughter] okay. Your child has opportunities for employment. Are you familiar with the vocational rehabilitation services and deployment training options available? I will give that a second. Most are aware of it. Good. Barbara, you are up. >> Press pound six. >> It is star six. >> Sorry. Star six. >> This is Barbara. Greetings from Atlanta. Can you hear me? >> Yes, Barbara. >> Okay. All right. Fast-forward to employment. I'm happy to talk about that. If you could go to the next slide, we will get started. I want to talk a little bit about the employment team and I know that a lot of you might be thinking employment in the future. There is more training, more accommodations training and more schooling and going on to college. It is never too early to think about employment. For the deaf-blind student to get comfortable with who they are as a deaf-blind person and what their skills are, and what they are accommodations are. And, to be confident in those things. They want to have, obviously, job like the rest of us. It is not too soon to begin as early as possible to connect with VR and talk about employment. Usually it is the deaf-blind consumer and the employment specialist who is VR or blind services. Oftentimes, I have seen in the years I've spent placing people in jobs -- I have done it for 10 years. I did it with people who are deaf and in the last years with Helen Keller, I've had some experience and placing them with placing deaf-blind people in jobs. Oftentimes, there is a missing link. That is a deaf-blind specialists or a rep with the possibility to provide counseling, as a team. One of the greatest challenges, after everyone has done their personal future planning and developed a profile, they moved into the idea of customized employment and the family is convinced the child can do the job, or the student. The consumer, themselves, is convinced they can do the job. Taking it to the next step, to the employer, is a challenge. Many remain sitting at home without jobs. This is even after they have returned from the Helen Keller National Center and they come back translating what needs to be done for them, for accommodations. The employment specialist within the state, often, is not as well connected, or is really knowing confidently that that deaf-blind person can get a job. Some of the employers are communication. How they communicate with their peers on the job, their coworkers. How will they communicate with her supervisor? And, how much communication is on the job. The other is mobility.. Have a great for that, somehow, someone will have to take that deaf-blind employee around to meetings, to the restroom, the cafeteria. They have a lot of unknowns. Employers have fears and concerns about those things. It leads to the safety and liability area. The next slide, please. In order to overcome those barriers, there needs to be a functional assessment. Their vision, hearing and mobility skills. Functional means that you take what is on paper, that it says, the ophthalmologist, what they're acuity is. What does that mean on-the-job? What will they need to be able to use email. To leave messages to their supervisor? The same with hearing. Can they hear the sounds of a smoke detector or an alarm in the building. With mobility, do they have confident mobility skills? The next step is to make sure that you've determined the preferred communication and accommodation. It could be anything from low-tech print too high tech iPhone with a braille display. Provide technology and accommodations training for the potential employee, the deaf-blind student or [Indiscernible]. Them are confident they are about how they use their equipment or communicate, how strong they air -- their mobility skills are, ghost of confidence in the interview and on-the-job. The earlier they can talk about that and feel comfortable, it eliminates the fears or reduces fears of the employer, when they are interviewing them. Often, they look at them and say, how will this happened? How will they communicate? They don't want to ask a lot of those questions unless it relates to the essential function of the jobs and then they have a right to ask those questions. For example, if they have to communicate with customers, they have the right to ask how they will acute -- how they will communicate with customers. It's important to demonstrate the communication and mobility skills and have confidence and strong stills. I will go to the next slide, thanks. How can the regional rep help? If you have a deaf-blind specialist in your state, that is great. If you don't or need an advocate or someone to consult, mentor or train, look alongside the them -- work alongside the employment specialist, I'm happy to do that and there may be other reps willing to do that, along with possible other deaf-blind specialists in your state. The deaf-blind consumer, really, the consultant, is there leading and advocating and helping people see the challenges and overcoming the challenges on-the-job. They can help with assessments, thinking about accommodations that might be necessary. They can work alongside the employment specialist, job contacts and employer context. They can look for job searches. Someone has to know the deaf-blind consumer, in order to be able to advocate and sell their skills to that employer. They can also be involved in the employer when they have gotten the job. They introduce the deaf-blind consumer or employee to the coworkers and supervisors. They can solve work site issues meaning that even in retail, if they need to read a code on clothing, they have an app for that, is what they say. If they have an iPhone and something that they can use tap tap C or another app on-the-job, those are the kinds of technology and accommodations that oftentimes the deaf-blind specialist or the regional rep will know more about and they can come alongside the employment specialist to help. With interpreters, helping them with communication strategies, the same thing with the job coach. It provides worksite accommodations, challenges that show up on the job. For example, one deaf-blind who was a tactile deaf-blind person working in a retail store, there was no way for him to identify who his coworkers were. He had many in the store and they wore lanyards around their neck and we bought in other services. The low vision agency put braille for the names on the lanyards so he could identify each person as he would meet them. Paratransit is another challenge and often times they will drive by and not. Them up because they don't realize the deaf-blind person doesn't see them. The counselor, the last thing is that the more deaf-blind training for that counselor, specific training to that consumer -- not in general -- but, specific to that consumer. What is it that they can do and what are the skills and the equipment they need? How can they provide that training. To help be an advocate for that consumer. Sometimes, just a quick note about SSI. They have been designated as deaf, but not blind. They know that they can get more benefits if you add that they are also blind. Again, housing. Oftentimes, they're looking for apartments and knowing how to they can work with housing, landlords and how it will work for that deaf-blind person to be living in that particular location. That is it from me. >> Well Marilyn is getting ready, I will cycle back. One of the things about the national agenda, focusing on college and career readiness, job development is always one of those areas that seems to be forgotten, when we are working with our individuals. The young adults, while in school, the research supports that they need to be exposed to a variety of different community experience. Often and early, novel and familiar. It only helps them to develop, to be, I guess -- when they turn the age of 22 -- to be more viable for work. Marilyn is up. >> Can you hear me? >> I can hear you. >> All right, good. All right. This is Marilyn Trader and I cover the other Southeast. A cover North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee. I am so excited to be talking about the transition Institute for young adults were deaf-blind. Next slide, please pick this is a phenomenal opportunity for a lot of our young adults, who have yet, actually, either A, met others were deaf-blind. Still uncertain, as far as a career goal or a path, as far as college or career readiness. This is an opportunity for them to meet other young adults were also deaf-blind. This Institute -- I had the opportunity to attend three different times. Each time, it is a different experience. Young adults from various states -- it used to be Southeast -- now, it is spread out across the US. Last year, in Kentucky, we had young adults and their families and the deaf-blind project from Illinois. From Oklahoma, Kansas -- we had people from all over the United States. This was a great opportunity for them to get together in Kentucky. I think we had somewhere around 20 deaf-blind young adults and professionals, agencies, families and mentors. Mentors is the key. They have an opportunity to meet someone older. They have already gone through this transition and on through trying to figure out what they're going to do for next steps after school. Again, they don't always have the opportunity to do that X the ration learning. How to really figure out what career path we are going in. Many of us have gone through college and said I'm going to be a veterinarian when I get older. You realize, it takes too much schooling or work and you start meeting those in the career path and realize what really is needed to get there. This is an opportunity for them to talk to others to figure out different options for themselves. When they go to this Institute, they have an opportunity to network with professionals, share local resources, and national resources. If they haven't been connected with resources, a lot of the professionals are there to get them connected. The family and peer support, you will not find it anywhere else. Some states, some of the consumers have never had an opportunity to connect with another family. Or two early, many of the family networks are very strong in some states and they really tried to bring in the family as soon as they find out that they have a child who is deaf-blind. This leadership opportunity they gained from this network, it is just phenomenal and they have an opportunity to not only walk out of there with self-determination, self advocacy skills they never thought they had. That, also, a plan. Go to the next slide. I will show you some pictures. These are some great pictures that show teamwork, the building of friendships. The first day, that these kids get together -- as young adults -- the young adults get together -- they get together and they meet another individual who is also deaf-blind and they realize they are capable of doing so much more than they realized. There is teambuilding opportunities where they had to do a ropes course. They had to try to gather as a team and go together on these boards. The laughter and smiles they have of four girls, is beyond any training they get anywhere else. The picture to the far right, you see them as if they are trying to walk in unison on these boards, together, as a team. They show they are capable of doing that, as long as they were together as a team. That includes teamwork from all of the professionals. Just because you don't have your regional rep in the mix, yet, it is a good idea to contact us. We can help you in providing suggestions and ideas and making sure that the young adults are on the right path. Just because they are not ready to graduate, doesn't mean we don't have to be in the picture. Just contacting us and having us work with you to formulate ideas and plans for the future -- a lot of our folks say -- we don't have the resources. When you come to the transition Institute, the you will notice a lot of -- you will notice a lot of the local agencies came together and brought their resources to show what they offer in your state. The next transition Institute conference event will be held in Athens, Georgia, in June. We are real excited about that. If you want to learn more about the transition Institute, you can click on the Facebook page, transition Institute for young adults were deaf-blind. Let's go to the next slide. Some of us may think, my child doesn't fit the mold for career readiness, or going to college. How do you know where they are going and what path they will go on if we don't think creatively, as a team? This team approach that we do together, Helen Keller National Center deaf-blind project and the family, all working together, as a team. The families are the ones who know their child. They are the ones who know what the interest is and what the dislikes are. Let's work together to figure out a plan. We may have the big picture. You can help us to get the details and map it out. Develop a plan of complication and education and early intervention. Get us in their early. A Stephen talked about with the WIOA way, having us getting into the systems to work with you early on, to make sure the schools are on the right path. Schools are going to be set accountable and states will be set accountable on the resources they are providing. Some of our states and schools do not know what the resources are. We can help by linking all those gaps together and finding what other professionals are out there. There is an array or professionals across the United States and many of us don't even realize it. We can help you to get connected with the right provider, who can come to your state and provide the appropriate resources, education and consultation that is needed. Working together with these network of professionals, it is technology. We can get them together through conference calls, Adobe Connect. Don't feel that because they are not in your state, we can't get them connected. Many people think that assessment tools for vocational readiness -- a lot of the vocational programs have assessments they have to follow. Let us help you with modifying these assessment tools. How to assess a student for where they are at at the moment and take in their strengths. And, working with a team of providers, together, to ensure we come up with a great customized employment opportunity for them. Not competitive employment, customized employment plans with some of the young adults that are out there. Just because you feel you don't have the resources, contact us and we can see what we can do to work together and have the right resources connected for you. Hope to see some of you at the transition Institute. Give us a call. Thank you. >> Thank you, Maryland. I'm going to cycle towards the end. We are at the Q&A session. We heard four wonderful presenters. Laura Thomas, who opened up with the global perspective. Let me check the chat box. I know there has been lots of stuff popping up in the chat box and we have been trying to answer the questions as they have been presented. Does anybody have any questions? You can unmute your phone with star six, if you would like to ask the question, rather than type it in the chat box. I am seeing some thumbs up. Go back one page, okay. Laura is on the screen. Go ahead, Laura. >> Hello. That was a wonderful hour that we had. I heard four different presenters. Very qualified representatives, giving accounts of their work in the regions. That was awesome. I really enjoyed all of it. I hope to be in contact with you. Remember, in February, we will be having our campaign. We will be contacting your regional representatives. When you get back home you can share this information with all of the families that you work with and all of your consumers. And, all of the educators that you work with, as well. You will be able to share resources that we have, like the Helen Keller National Center and you can introduce yourself to the children that you work with. Discussing the things you heard today. You will join the Helen Keller registry, also, to make sure your children are listed on the registry, so that we have all of their information. Also, for the Helen Keller National Center, for the newsletter that we print out three times a year, we have -- we email it out three times a year and have a lot of news and programs and services. Opportunities are listed in that newsletter. It is impossible, with all the people we work with, to know all of the information. For this, we can share resources and in form and collaborate and work together as a team to get the information out there to our users and consumers. We have a new website. If you would, please look at that. Is www.helenKeller.org/hknc. We are here. Please call us or email us at any time. Thank you. >> Thank you, Laura. I am checking the chat box to see if there are any other questions. One thing I did want to say, was that NCDB and Helen Keller spent the better part of the summer talking about a variety of different things, ways that we would build and strengthen our partnerships. Today's presentations, for the most part, we are talking about many young adults on academic and career tracks and we are going to think about and turn our attention towards -- Marilyn touched upon it -- some of the nontraditional students, those who may or may not have formal communication systems. That will be up next, as we begin to talk with the national center and pull together various partners, to be thinking about ways in which we can support the families and young adults who will be leaving the school system and will not have many of the opportunities that some of these young adults we have talked about today have. I want to thank everybody. As I look to the chat box, to see if there is questions. I want to thank everybody for joining us in this webinar today. Laura had mentioned that it is next month, it is get to know your regional rep month. We can add that along with Valentine's Day and the other things that happen in that particular month. Please go to the website. Also, our website, as well. There is a nice article written by Laura laying out some of the other wonderful things that the reps are doing on behalf of children and families and providers across the country. Thank you very much. >> I'm sorry. One of the question. Michael Norman, thank you for attention to the noncollege career students. Thank you. >> Robbin, take me home. >> [Laughter] thank you, everybody. >> [Event Concluded]