(13) evaluates or actively participates in conducting
the functional vision evaluation, learning media assessment, communication
evaluation, functional hearing evaluation, and ECC evaluation of the
learner who is DeafBlind;
(14) evaluates or actively participates in evaluating
the communicative intent related to observable behavior of the learner
who is DeafBlind;
(15) assesses and adapts to learners' pace/timing of
communication;
(16) evaluates or actively participates in evaluating
communication along a continuum from pre-intentional and pre-symbolic
to formal communication and language used by learners who are DeafBlind;
(17) evaluates and interprets or actively participates
in determining the meaning and function of the learner's formal and
informal literacy medium/media;
(18) evaluates, interprets, and affirms the meaning
of the learner's communicative initiatives (e.g., natural gestures,
affect, bodily movements, vocalizations);
(19) evaluates with consideration of physical environments,
bio-behavioral states, and preferred/non-preferred sensory channels
of the learner who is DeafBlind;
(20) actively participates in the evaluation of tactile,
proprioceptive, vestibular, and kinesthetic systems of the learner
who is DeafBlind;
(21) interprets evaluation results and explains current
and future implications of combined vision and hearing loss of the
learner to the educational team, including family members;
(22) determines appropriate modifications and accommodations
of evaluations and state-mandated assessments and supports the interpretation
of the results based on individual learning characteristics;
(23) recommends the learner for additional visual and
auditory evaluations/assessments when necessary; and
(24) explains the effects of specific etiologies on
all sensory systems.
(e) Planning for Instruction. The teacher of students
who are DeafBlind plans for instructional opportunities in home, school,
and community environments that are adapted to the diverse needs of
learners who are DeafBlind. The teacher of students who are DeafBlind:
(1) understands the pacing and structure of programming
for short- and long-term objectives within the context of functional
routines for learners who are DeafBlind;
(2) understands how to include or introduce novelty
into familiar routines based on the individual needs of learners who
are DeafBlind;
(3) understands the elements of planning for life-long
learning in current and future environments for students who are DeafBlind;
(4) understands the importance of creating lesson plans
that provide direct sensory experiences for learners who are DeafBlind;
(5) understands appropriate instructional accommodations
and modifications for learners who are DeafBlind;
(6) understands the process for the development of
a shared formal language with learners who are DeafBlind, based upon
the learners' unique needs when planning instruction;
(7) understands the need for learners who are DeafBlind
to have competent communication partners who are present and actively
engaged in all activities and settings;
(8) understands how to incorporate appropriate assistive
technology that enhances auditory, visual, and/or tactile functioning;
(9) understands how to select the visual, auditory,
and tactile characteristics of materials needed by learners who are
DeafBlind;
(10) understands how to incorporate student preferences
to design motivating instructional activities;
(11) gathers, maintains, and shares descriptive records/portfolios
of the learner's communication repertoire across all settings to assess
strengths, challenges, and progress;
(12) plans additional time for tactual modeling and
exploration;
(13) plans additional time for individual learner processing
and response;
(14) based on learner needs, plans instruction that
includes the appropriate literacy system(s);
(15) plans extra time for conversations that facilitate
the learner's anticipation of a change in routine or schedule;
(16) creates opportunities for turn-taking and serve-and-return
conversational exchanges in all interactions and instructional settings;
(17) plans time for choice-making opportunities in
multiple instructional settings;
(18) acquires devices and materials that are required
for each lesson;
(19) obtains, operates, and maintains assistive technology
related to vision and hearing; and
(20) adapts materials to accommodate for multi-sensory
needs.
(f) Learning Environment. The teacher of students who
are DeafBlind understands individual and group motivation and behavior
in order to create a positive learning environment that encourages
social interaction, active engagement, and joy of learning. The teacher
of students who are DeafBlind:
(1) understands the array of learning environments
within different service delivery models;
(2) understands the importance of competent communication
partners who can interact with the learner who is DeafBlind to match
his/her mode of communication;
(3) understands how to facilitate a multi-modal learning
environment by using the learner's functional hearing and/or vision,
while also promoting the bodily/tactile sense, as prime components
of information gathering and expression;
(4) understands the potential for elements in the environment
to be perceived as stressful by the learner who is DeafBlind and the
impact that may cause to his/her biology;
(5) assists others in the development of trusting relationships
and in becoming competent communication partners with the learner
who is DeafBlind;
(6) facilitates communication and interaction to provide
social and environmental access for the learner who is DeafBlind;
(7) makes appropriate adaptations to enhance the learner's
auditory, visual, and tactile functioning in a variety of environments;
(8) uses appropriate assistive technology to promote
the learner's access, participation, and independence;
(9) selects, adapts, recommends, or implements classroom
management strategies that reflect understanding of the individual
learner's needs;
(10) promotes an environment that allows learners to
orient themselves, move safely, and interact positively with peers;
(11) promotes an environment that feels predictable
and safe for the learner who is DeafBlind;
(12) reduces or eliminates unnecessary visual, auditory,
and tactile clutter in the learning environment; and
(13) adapts the learning environment by considering
the impact of the elements of the learning environment (e.g., glare,
lighting, auditory input, seating position) on the learner.
(g) Instructional Delivery. The teacher of students
who are DeafBlind emphasizes individual student potential and uses
a variety of instructional strategies to encourage the learner's feelings
of connectedness, success, and independence in order to promote development
of critical-thinking and problem-solving skills in both the academic
and expanded core curriculum to the greatest degree possible. The
teacher of students who are DeafBlind:
(1) understands how to create learning experiences
to make content meaningful for each learner who is DeafBlind;
(2) understands co-active teaching principles and practices
that support the competencies of the learner who is DeafBlind;
(3) understands attachment theories of human learning
that support the importance of reciprocal emotional involvement and
basic trust;
(4) understands the importance of learners who are
DeafBlind having control and influence over their own lives as an
essential aspect of well-being;
(5) understands the developmental phases of dyadic
interaction between the adult and the learner who is DeafBlind;
(6) understands the developmental phases of triadic
interaction in the shared partnership between the adult, the learner
who is DeafBlind, and the external world;
(7) understands how to support the development of positive
self-esteem in the learner who is DeafBlind;
(8) understands visual, auditory, and tactile adaptations
that enhance social/communicative interactions between the learner
who is DeafBlind and others;
(9) understands the use of augmentative communication
devices and other assistive technology that are appropriate for the
learner who is DeafBlind;
(10) understands various instructional strategies specific
to and/or adapted for learners who are DeafBlind;
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