Frequently Asked Questions & Clarifications
Updated: April 26, 2023.
Please direct school staff, related professionals, and families with questions regarding these services directly to the program directors.
PREVIOUS QUESTIONS
Can you talk a little about the fluency of your ASL staff?
It's required that consultants have knowledge of American Sign Language (ASL), standards for ASL, Deaf culture, and resources/connections for families and teams that use ASL, to ensure access to their education. Additionally, we understand the importance of ASL to the Deaf community and that students have access to ASL if they and their families choose this communication modality.
We recognize and support the work that is being done towards establishing professional standards to assess sign skills of interpreters and communication facilitators using ASL in the school setting.
Didn't this project used to be called something different?
We began this project as the UVM Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind (DHHDB) School-Age Consulting Program. But when we received feedback from our advisory council and other stakeholders that the name could be confused with the group of DHHDB consultants at the UVM Medical Center, we decided the easiest thing to do would be for us to change our name. So we did. Moving forward, we'll be known as the CDCI CARES Team.
STAFFING
Do you have staff who know American Sign Language (ASL)?
Yes. More than 50% of our CDCI CARES Team consultants know ASL. Our consultants support school teams and families with children who are d/Deaf, hard of hearing, or deafblind without a bias around communication modes or methodology.
How do I know if the consultant is qualified?
All CDCI CARES Team consultants hold graduate level (Master’s/Doctorate) degrees from a Teacher of the Deaf, Audiology, Speech-Language Pathology or Educational Psychology program.
SERVICES
Will you serve all children who are d/Deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind (DHHDB)?
Yes. CDCI CARES Team consultants work with all qualifying students and student teams.
What will consultation include?
Consultation/Training includes:
- Technical assistance (consultation) to schools and families to facilitate access to classroom curriculum and instruction.
- Technical assistance (consultation) to schools and families around child-specific amplification systems; hearing assistive technology (FM/DM/remote microphone systems); cochlear implants; and student/family audiology services support.
- Direct instruction to students focused on self-advocacy skill development and hearing assistive technology use.
- Training (In-service) to school teams regarding individual students and general information regarding hearing loss and noise in the environment.
A full menu of services offered for the 2022-2023 school year can be found here.
What does the CARES Team School Consultant do?
The primary roles/responsibilities of the CARES Team consultant is to:
- Serve as an educational team member for students who are DHHDB on their teams for Individualized Education Plans (IEP), 504 Plans, and Education Support Team (EST) plans.
- Support school teams, families, and students who are DHHDB with transitions (early intervention, between grades/schools, and post-secondary).
- Collaborate with other Vermont DHHDB service providers and statewide consultants (e.g., Vermont I-Team, Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, New England Consortium) to share best practices, collect data on educational outcomes, and clarify messaging to school teams.
- Develop and deliver in-service training for school teams and/or peers of students who are DHHDB.
- Observe students who are DHHDB, assess classroom acoustics, and recommend classroom accommodations and instructional strategies to facilitate student access to their education.
- Work directly with students, or groups of students, to assess and develop self-advocacy skills.
- Oversee student’s hearing assistive technology (HAT) including assessing the need for HAT; collaborating with audiologists to select, fit, and verify HAT; monitoring the use of HAT; and troubleshooting HAT with school teams.
- Support school teams with understanding the unique assessment needs of students who are DHHDB and identify opportunities for technical assistance, professional development, or referrals to other DHHDB providers.
- Collect data required to assess student performance / needs / services and determine future program needs.
- Serve as a liaison between school teams and clinical audiologists, medical providers, and program/school administrators.
Do you offer only audiology services?
No. We offer a range of services to school teams under the scope of work of our grant contract with the Agency of Education.
Are you providing direct service to students?
No. We provide consultation and training to the teams who support the students.
Is ASL instruction a part of your program?
No. The CDCI CARES Team will provide resources for locating other ASL programs. Some of the other programs include:
- The ASL Bilingual Education Service program under the UVM Medical Center
- University programs
- Recreational programs, or
- Independent contractors
How can clinical audiologists make referrals to the CDCI CARES Team?
Audiologists may submit new referrals online, using this form. Please contact us if you have any questions about referrals.
How can I join the advisory committee? How often will this committee meet?
Please contact us to express your interest in joining the advisory committee. The advisory committee meets 1-2 times per year, in the fall and the spring.
How much do CDCI CARES Team services cost?
Four hours of services at no cost. After four hours, services cost $140.00 per hour.
SPECIFIC CONCERNS
How much consultation will be available to my school team?
Student teams will receive between 4 and 25 hours of consultation.
Are the consultant services my school team going to be receiving very different from those we received from our consultant in the past?
No. The types of services school teams will receive from a CDCI CARES Team consultant will remain the same.
- We are collecting data across the state consistent with NASDSE 2018 guidelines.
- We are creating opportunities for professional development and collaboration amongst dHHDB providers in the state.
