ERIC Number: ED433661
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1999-Aug
Pages: 35
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Related Services Research Project To Support the Education of Students with Deaf-Blindness. Final Report.
Giangreco, Michael F.
This final report documents the activities and products of the Related Services Research Project to Support the Education of Students with Deaf Blindness, a four-year research project which was designed to define, implement, and evaluate a set of specific strategies that would result in effective special education and related service provision for students with deaf-blindness in general education schools and classrooms. The strategies were developed to ensure that related services are educationally necessary and relevant, as well as coordinated in ways that avoid undesirable gaps, overlaps, and contradictions in services. Using self-study materials and technical assistance, educational teams used the 10 interrelated guidelines developed in a team process called VISTA (Vermont Interdependent Services Team Approach) to make related services decisions, implement their decisions, and evaluate the effectiveness of their actions. Findings from the project indicate: (1) students with deaf-blindness have complex and highly individualized educational needs; (2) professionals working with students with deaf-blindness had high turnover rates; (3) given appropriate supports, students with deaf-blindness can be successfully educated in general education classrooms; (4) VISTA was successfully used to reduce service gaps, reduce conflict among team members, involve families and general class teachers more efficiently, and increase the satisfaction of team members with their decision-making. (CR)
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (ED), Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: Vermont Univ., Burlington. Univ. Affiliated Program of Vermont.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A