Morgan Hansen LIS654 Grant Application April 12, 2010 Grant Application: Serving Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Student Behavioral Needs through Increased Communication Build-A-Bear Children’s Health and Wellness Grant Application Note: It is required that each narrative section for the Build-A-Bear application be less than 2000 characters (including spaces) Mission Statement and History Enter the Organization's Mission Statement and brief history. Since 1993, the Illinois Service Resource Center (ISRC) has offered assistance to deaf and hard of hearing students throughout the state of Illinois. Our mission is to address the behavioral needs of these students in an effort to increase their academic success. The assistance ISRC provides manifests itself in a wide variety of services and resources. ISRC staff members visit homes and schools across the state to provide support in addressing an individual student's needs. Also, on a quarterly basis twenty-five educational teams from around the state meet for training on various behavior related topics provided free of charge by ISRC. These teams then receive follow-up coaching to implement the ideas presented at the trainings. ISRC also provides many more services such as behavior support mentoring for first-year teachers of deaf and hard-of-hearing students, coaching for classroom positive behavior support systems, and assistance in collecting data to analyze students' behaviors. In addition to the services ISRC offers to support the behavioral needs of deaf and hardof-hearing students in Illinois, we also strive to provide access to as many resources as we can. One of the ways we do this is through our library of books, videos, etc that can be checked out and mailed (with free return postage) to anyone in Illinois that requests them. We also maintain a resource directory of various agencies and organizations throughout the state that assist deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. Additionally, we have free online training for educators (on topics such as classroom accommodations for students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing) that helps fulfill continuing education requirements. ISRC also sends two newsletters that inform recipients of new developments related to the care and education of students with a hearing loss. Finally, ISRC has developed a free, easy-to-use online database of strategies that can be used to improve an individual student's behavior.
Project/Program Purpose Briefly describe what you propose to do and how. Include the need or opportunity being addressed and list preliminary measurable goals and objectives. With the funds from the Build-A-Bear Children’s Health and Wellness Grant, the Illinois Service Resource Center will begin offering a sign language course for families who have a deaf or hard-of-hearing child. This class will be taught via videoconferencing for eight weeks. Each of the five participating families will be provided with a NetBook, webcam, headset and sign language workbook to use for the duration of the class. They will then be able to participate in the course from their home or a locally accessible location that offers free wireless internet access. In addition to the sign language class, the funds from the grant will also be used to purchase additional sign language materials for the ISRC Lending Library. These materials will be mailed free of charge to any interested individual in Illinois, with free return postage included as well. We believe these materials will be used by the families that enroll in the course to reinforce what they learned or further their skills, but also many other families, teachers, and community members to become more fluent in American Sign Language. The first preliminary goal of this program is to increase communication between deaf/hard-of-hearing students and the family members in their home. We intend for participants in the program to meet this goal by increasing the number of signs they know and are able to use by fifty percent. The second preliminary goal is for the children of the families who participate in the program to succeed at school and in life. We intend for this program to meet this goal by decreasing frequency of undesirable behaviors (such as hitting, not complying with adult requests, etc) exhibited by the deaf and hard-of-hearing children whose families participate in this program by twenty-five percent. What is the need that this program/project addresses? We at ISRC have observed a demand for low-cost, accessible resources and opportunities to learn sign language. As our staff visits families to assist with their deaf and hard-ofhearing children, they recommend an increase in sign language skills on fifteen percent of visits. Thus, it is not surprising that sign language materials account for forty-five percent of the items borrowed from our lending library. We have also observed that lack of access to resources can be a major barrier to these families increasing their sign language abilities. The costs of sign language classes, instructional materials, and other resources prohibit many of our families from taking advantage of these opportunities. For other families, the resources to enroll in classes may be accessible, but complications such as transportation, missing time from work or
finding childcare for their children prevents them from learning to communicate with their deaf or hard-of-hearing child. Another barrier that impedes families from learning how to communicate with their deaf or hard-of-hearing child is the lack of sign language classes offered in their area. For families in the Chicago metropolitan area, there are many community agencies that offer these opportunities. However, for families residing in rural areas of Illinois, it can be a struggle to find a single sign language course. By offering sign language classes via videoconferencing, providing the technology to participate, and having more sign language resources available in the ISRC lending library, all of the barriers listed above are overcome. We are offering the best chance for those families and other community members that want to learn to communicate with deaf or hard-of-hearing children but have been paralyzed by a lack of resources. We sincerely hope that these two programs will improve the statistic that only five percent of hearing parents who have deaf or hard-of-hearing children are proficient at using sign language. How does this program impact the community that you are in? The simple, obvious answer to this question is that parents and families of deaf and hardof-hearing students will have increased sign language skills and thus will be able to communicate better with their child. Less obvious are the more far-reaching effects that this increase in communication has on the child and their family Research suggests that a deaf or hard-of-hearing child who has ample opportunities to communicate with the people around them are much better adjusted and thus more likely to succeed in school and in life. Deaf or hard of hearing children who have regular exposure to language in their home are able to develop better social skills and adjust better socially when compared to children whose families cannot or do not communicate with them; this increase in social abilities also translates to higher self esteem. Increased communication at home also has an impact on these children’s academic success. More exposure to language translates into increased vocabulary development, stronger literacy (reading and writing) skills, and higher academic achievement overall. In addition to the benefits for the deaf and hard-of-hearing child, increased communication has many positive effects on the family of that child as well. Studies have shown that hearing loss often leads to a higher overall stress level in the family (when compared to families with all hearing individuals). This stress can be attributed to a number of factors, such as the child’s academic, social, and behavioral challenges, an inability to understand and bond with their child, and a sense of isolation or lack of support. When families are empowered with the ability to communicate with their deaf or hard-of-hearing child, many of these stressors are reduced and the overall stress level of the family decreases.
Use of Funds Explanation Please explain how the funds specifically will be used pertaining to this project. The funds ISRC receives from the Build-a-Bear Children’s Health and Wellness Grant will be used in two ways. First, $800 of these funds will be used to purchase additional sign language materials for the ISRC Lending Library. More specifically, the materials purchased will be as follows: - 9 DVDs in Beginning ASL VideoCourse Series @ $52 each = $466 - 1 copy of El Lenguaje de Senas Para la Familia (3 DVD Set) @ $170 each = $170 - 6 titles in Talking Hands series @ $20 each = $120 - 4 titles in We Sign series @ $11 each = $44 Secondly, $2200 will be used to purchase the needed technology and class materials for five families to enroll in the sign language classes via remote videoconferencing. The specific technology/supplies needed and their associated costs are as follows: - 3 month subscription to Cisco WebEx Videoconferencing Software @ $50/month = $150 - 5 netbook computers (1 for each participant) @ $250 each = $1,250 - 7 webcams (1 for each participant, 1 for instructor, and 1 for coordinator) @ $32 each = $225 - 7 headsets with microphone (1 for each participant, 1 for instructor, and 1 for coordinator) @ $32 each = $225 - 5 carrying cases for netbook, webcam, and headset (1 for each participant) @ $30 each = $150 - 6 copies of A Basic Course in American Sign Language (1 for each participant and 1 for instructor) @ $33 each = $200 How will you measure or quantify the success of this funding? Explain what tools you will use within your program to measure its success. To measure the extent to which the Serving Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Student Behavioral Needs through Increased Communication program met the goals stated in this application, two tools will be used. Families that enroll in the sign language classes offered via videoconferencing will be given a pre-test at the beginning of the course where the instructor will demonstrate a few dozen basic signs and the participant will be asked to write the word. This pretest will also include a survey portion where the participant will be given a list of undesirable behaviors and be asked to record how many times their child has engaged in each behavior in the last two weeks. At the end of the course, this same test of sign language ability and survey of behaviors will be given to participants. By comparing the pre-test and the post-test, we will be able to determine whether we have reached the goals of increasing sign language abilities and decreasing undesirable behaviors. Secondly, any individual that borrows sign language materials from the Illinois Service Resource Center will be sent a survey and asked to return it with the materials. This
survey will ask questions that will attempt to determine the extent to which the individuals’ knowledge of sign language increased as a result of using the resource provided by the ISRC Lending Library. To arrive at this information, the individuals will be asked to identify their level of sign language fluency before using the material. They will then be asked approximately how many new signs they have learned as a result of using the material. Because a variety of individuals use the sign language materials from the ISRC Lending Library, this survey will not attempt to determine whether undesirable behaviors in deaf and hard-of-hearing students decrease as a result of materials being borrowed.
LSTA Grant Application Timetable Month May 2010
June 2010
July 2010
August 2010
Activities 1. Purchase all needed equipment for sign language classes (5 netbooks, 6 headsets, 1 microphone, 7 webcams, 3 month subscription to WebEx, 5 netbook cases, 6 copies of textbook) 2. Purchase all materials for lending library 3. Project coordinator and sign language instructor meet to discuss scheduling specifics (ie what day of week & time of day classes will occur, times when coordinator and instructor will meet with each family, etc) 4. Catalog and process materials for lending library 5. Develop survey for individuals who borrow sign language materials from the lending library 1. Develop application form for families interested in sign language classes 2. Distribute application form to ISRC staff and board members and supervisors of deaf and hard-of-hearing programs as well as posting on website, Facebook page and in e-newsletter 3. Begin circulating library materials 1. Develop pre-test/post-test form 2. Using textbook as a guide, plan activities for sign language classes 3. Continue circulating library materials 1. Select families who will participate in sign language classes 2. Contact each family to set up time for them to meet with coordinator and instructor 3. Continue circulating library materials
September 2010
October 2010
November 2010
December 2010
1. Coordinator and instructor meet with each family individually to present and familiarize them with needed technology, administer pre-test, and answer any of their questions 2. Continue circulating library materials 1. Eight week sign language classes begin; coordinator will also attend each class to troubleshoot any technology difficulties 2. Coordinator and instructor meet regularly to discuss any issues that have risen and make adjustments as necessary 3. Continue circulating library materials 1. Sign language classes continue and then conclude. 2. Coordinator and instructor meet with each family individually to collect technology, administer post-test, and ask for ways the classes could be improved 3. Continue circulating library materials 1. Pre-test/post-test comparison data from sign language classes is compiled 2. Survey data from lending library check-outs is compiled 3. Coordinator, instructor, and director meet to review data and project overall to discuss improvements for next cycle of sign language classes
Personnel Sheet There are two people who will be responsible for all activities encompassed by the Serving Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Student Behavioral Needs through Increased Communication project, and a third who will provide guidance/suggestions/assistance as needed. The salaries of all three of these individuals will be paid through ISRC’s funds, not from the funds received from the grant Morgan Hansen, librarian at ISRC, will serve as the project coordinator and will be responsible for administering the grant funds. As far as qualifications, she has a Bachelor’s of Science degree and has completed 65% of her Master’s of Library Science degree. She has been the librarian at ISRC for eighteen months. Morgan’s Serving Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Student Behavioral Needs through Increased Communication project responsibilities will constitute 25% of her duties as the librarian at ISRC. These project responsibilities are as follows: • Purchase all needed technology and materials for the sign language classes • Purchase, catalog, process, shelve, and circulate the lending library materials • Develop survey for individuals who borrow sign language materials from the lending library and distribute this survey each time a sign language material is checked out • Develop and distribute application form for families interested in sign language classes • Contact each family to set up time for them to meet with coordinator and instructor
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Meet with each family individually to present and familiarize them with needed technology Provide technology support during each session of the sign language classes Compile pre-test/post-test comparison data from sign language classes Compile survey data from lending library check-outs
Raven Stromek, behavior specialist at ISRC, will serve as the sign language instructor for this project. This assignment will constitute 10% of all her overall responsibilities at ISRC. Raven’s tasks related to the Serving Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Student Behavioral Needs through Increased Communication project are as follows: • Using textbook as a guide, plan activities for sign language classes • Develop and administer pre-test and post-test • Teach sign language classes Cheri Sinnott, director of ISRC, will provide guidance/suggestions/assistance as needed to ensure the success of the project. This assignment will constitute 5% of her overall responsibilities at ISRC. The tasks that Cheri will most likely be involved in (in collaboration with Morgan and Raven) include: • Select families who will participate in sign language classes • After each session of the sign language classes, identify any challenges and make adjustments as needed • Review pre-test/post-test data and library survey data and project overall to discuss improvements for next cycle of sign language classes Project Promotion Several methods will be used to make families of deaf and hard-of-hearing children who do not have access to sign language instruction aware that ISRC is offering sign language classes and has sign language materials available for check-out in the lending library. First of all, all ISRC staff and board members will be informed of these programs and asked to distribute application forms to families they know who could benefit from the project. These individuals will also be asked to share the information with any school staff involved in the education of deaf and hard-of-hearing children that they come into contact with. Secondly, information about this project will be distributed to all supervisors of deaf and hard-of-hearing programs in the state of Illinois. These supervisors will also be asked to distribute application forms to families they know who could benefit from the project and share the information with any school staff involved in the education of deaf and hard-ofhearing children that they come into contact with. Finally, information about the Serving Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Student Behavioral Needs through Increased Communication project will be distributed through all of the outlets that ISRC typically uses to share information. These outlets include a website, Facebook page, monthly e-newsletter, and traditional newsletter.
After the project is complete and is a success, two methods will be used to share the information with interested individuals. First of all, an article will be written for ISRC’s quarterly newsletter that is distributed to every school principal and every special education administrator in the state of Illinois, as well as hundreds of other individuals involved. Secondly, an article about this project and its success will be written and submitted to a journal in the field of deaf education (examples of such journals include American Annals of the Deaf, Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, and Odyssey). Project Sustainability The funds from this grant are being used to purchase the technology (start-up costs) used to start offering sign language classes via videoconferencing. Thus, after the grant funds end, it will be much more reasonable to continue offering the program. It is anticipated that ongoing costs will be as follows: • Staff time • Replacement of textbooks • Subscription to WebEx • Occasional replacement of netbooks, netbook cases, webcams, and headsets All of these ongoing costs will be absorbed in the existing ISRC budget. Staff time will be absorbed by asking staff to make preparations for the project at times when responsibilities to other duties are less pressing (such as summer, winter break, and spring break). Replacement of textbooks will be allocated from the budget line for the lending library. The subscription to WebEx videoconferencing software will be allocated from the budget line for computer supplies. Occasional replacement of the necessary technologies (netbooks, netbook cases, webcams, and headsets) will also be allocated from the budget line for computer supplies. If replacement of these technologies is necessary due to damage caused by the participants that goes beyond normal wear and tear, the participants will be asked to assist in providing funding to replace the technology they have damaged. As far as continuing to support an adequate supply of sign language materials in the lending library, four hundred of the four thousand dollars allocated for the lending library annually will be earmarked for sign language materials. If it becomes apparent that the supply again becomes inadequate, we will seek out other grants to correct the discrepancy.