Collaborative Agreement between the National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB), The Teaching Research Institute and New Jersey Statewide Parent Advocacy Network (NJ SPAN)
The Teaching Research Institute (TRI) is the administering agency for federal funds authorized under the United States Department of Education Award No. H326T010001, CFDA 84.326T, the National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB). This agreement represents efforts to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs’ (OSEP) technical assistance and dissemination (TA & D) investments. The goal of this agreement is to improve results for infants, toddlers, children and youth with deaf-blindness and other disabilities, as well as their families and the agencies which serve them. More specifically, the goal is to learn how families of children and youth with deaf-blindness from diverse cultural and racial backgrounds can best access the information and support they need to effectively partner with schools to enhance their children’s education and learning. Date this agreement was confirmed by the NJ Statewide Parent Advocacy Network: Date this agreement was confirmed by The Teaching Research Institute at Western Oregon University: General Parameters 1. This collaboration will reflect Federal direction, including: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 and No Child Left Behind as defined by law and regulation Initiatives of the U.S. Department of Education and OSEP directed technical assistance activities OSEP’s framework and expectations for Part D funded TA & D projects The funded work scope of NCDB and NJ SPAN
2. This collaboration will focus on: Sharing information between NCDB and NJ SPAN Collaborating in a specific set of activities to better understand the needs of families of children who are deaf-blind and from minority or underrepresented populations. These activities will focus specifically on Spanish speaking families of children and youth who are deaf-blind. Sharing information learned with other OSEP Part D funded TA & D projects
3. This collaboration will also: Maintain the integrity of each participating project; and
-1-
Ensure mutually agreed upon expenditure of resources that are consistent with the resource capacity of each project.
Collaborator Missions NCDB The NCDB mission is to link effective practices to States, early intervention systems, school systems, adult service agencies, and families in order to assist local programs and families in the provision of high quality education for children and young adults who are deaf-blind. NCDB assists states to improve results for children and youth who are deaf-blind so that they meet challenging standards and are prepared for employment and independent living. This mission is carried out by providing technical assistance to families, teachers, administrators, early intervention personnel, related personnel, paraprofessionals, and transition personnel and results in improved practices. NCDB promotes the need for a federal presence in meeting the unique and diverse needs of the population who is deaf-blind by collaboratively increasing national, local, state family and consumer capacity to meet those needs. NJ SPAN The Statewide Parent Advocacy Network of New Jersey, Inc. (SPAN) is New Jersey’s federally funded Parent Training and Information Center (PTI), designated by the U.S. Department of Education to provide information, training, technical assistance and support to families of infants, toddlers, children and youth with all disabilities and special needs, including children who are deaf-blind. The mission of the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network is to empower and support families and inform and involve professionals and others interested in the healthy development and education of children and youth. SPAN’s foremost commitment is to children and families with the greatest need due to disability; poverty; discrimination based on race, sex, language, immigrant, or homeless status; involvement in the foster care, child welfare, or juvenile justice systems; geographic location; or other special circumstances. Problems and Needs the Collaboration Will Address Deaf-blindness is a very low incidence disability. Families have reported that it is often difficult to identify and access services to meet the educational needs of their child, as well as the support needs of their family. NCDB, NJ SPAN and the NJ Deafblind Project (DB FACES) have a common goal of providing technical assistance to families. They also have a common concern that families from diverse backgrounds, including cultural, linguistic and racial, may be unserved or underserved because of a lack of knowledge on how best to develop and deliver services to reach these populations. An understanding of how families prefer to access and receive technical assistance and support is imperative. This collaboration will address this need with one population of families in New Jersey. Purpose, Expected Outcomes and the Anticipated Impact of Collaboration This collaboration will provide insight into effective state and national level technical assistance strategies for Spanish speaking families of children who are deaf-blind.
-2-
Expected Outcomes The efficient use of NCDB and NJ SPAN resources. An ongoing dialogue between NCDB and NJ SPAN staff. An individualized process for learning how Spanish speaking families of children and youth with deaf-blindness can best access the information and support they need to enhance their children’s education and learning. Specific technical assistance and dissemination strategies to enhance the ability of families from diverse cultural and racial backgrounds to access the information and support they need to effectively partner with schools regarding their children’s education and learning. A coordinated and unified approach to share the results of the collaborative activities with other state and national TA & D projects.
Anticipated Impacts Increased knowledge of culturally and linguistically appropriate TA and D services for Spanish speaking families. Increased knowledge of effective focus group strategies to gain information for developing appropriate services for various populations of TA recipients, including culturally, linguistically, and racially diverse populations. Increased awareness and use of services offered by DB FACES by Spanish speaking families of children who are deaf-blind. Culturally appropriate TA and dissemination services offered by NCDB, DB FACES and other state and national TA and D projects.
Specific Collaborative Activities It is anticipated that the targeted activities will: a) increase the awareness and knowledge of NCDB and NJ SPAN related to each project’s responsibilities and work scope, areas of emphasis and current state specific TA & D activities; b) increase the awareness and knowledge of these entities related to the needs of families who are native Spanish speakers and have children or youth who are deaf-blind, and c) foster future joint technical assistance and training activities to disseminate information and replicate the set of activities included in this agreement. A multi-level coordination model will guide the collaborative activities. The model’s six levels address: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Content utilization Ongoing communication Calendar coordination Event/Activity collaboration Joint Product/Project collaboration Strategic Goal collaboration
-3-
Level 1: Content utilization refers to the sharing of knowledge and expertise inherent in NCDB and NJ SPAN. Specific targeted activities for Level 1: The staff of each of the projects has unique content and policy knowledge related to their state and federal initiatives. Each project also has specific information related to policies and practices, as well as strategies for accessing various state agencies and projects. 1. Each project will receive copies of developed products and materials and be included in the other’s dissemination activities related to the activities of this Collaborative Agreement. Level 2: Ongoing communication involves the mutual sharing of information related to the set of technical assistance activities addressed within this agreement. Specific targeted activities for Level 2: 1. One or more representatives from each project will meet initially to plan the coordinated set of activities. An overview of each project’s state and national activities, work scope and priorities will be shared and each project’s interest in underserved families will be discussed. A schedule and the preferred means for ongoing communication and discussions will be established. Level 3: Calendar coordination Specific targeted activities for Level 3: No activities planned at this time Level 4: Event/Activity coordination relates to joint coordination, sponsorship and resource sharing for identified activities. Specific targeted activities for Level 4: 1. NJ SPAN will arrange and conduct five focus groups with New Jersey families who are Spanish speaking and have child who is deaf-blind. These focus groups will be facilitated by NJ SPAN staff members who are fluent in Spanish. No translators will be used. NCDB will provide fiscal support (actual amounts detailed in Attachment A) for expenses associated with conducting the focus groups (i.e., NJ SPAN personnel, telephone, mileage, printing and copying).
NJ SPAN will work with the NJ Deafblind Project (DB FACES) to identify and recruit the families for the five focus groups. NJ SPAN, with input from NCDB and DB FACES, will develop the protocol for conducting focus group activities, to include: focus group guidelines, structure and timeline; the facilitator’s role; and a facilitator script and participant questions for continuity between focus groups.
-4-
2. NJ SPAN will develop a report which compiles the information learned from the focus groups. This information will be shared with NCDB and the NJ Deafblind Project (DB FACES). This information will provide insight into how Spanish speaking families prefer to access the information and support they need to effectively partner with schools to enhance their children’s education and learning. NCDB will provide fiscal support for expenses associated to this activity (i.e., NJ SPAN personnel, telephone, printing and copying). 3. NCDB and NJ SPAN will determine how and when to replicate this process with other states and other populations of underserved families. If the new DB Center on TA and Dissemination is funded, we anticipate developing a new Collaborative Agreement to continue this collaborative work with NJ SPAN.
Level 5: Joint Product/Project collaboration is the identification and development of mutually identified products and materials related to the targeted set of activities. Specific targeted activities for Level 5: 1. NJ SPAN will develop a written protocol for the focus groups (described above). 2. NJ SPAN will compile the results of the five focus groups and share them with NCDB and DB FACES. 3. Following the focus groups, NCDB, NJ SPAN and DB FACES will determine how to share the results with other state deaf-blind projects, as well as, other state and national TA and D projects. Level 6: Strategic Goal Collaboration which is collaborative planning to address joint strategic goals of each of the projects and which more effectively meets the needs of identified states. Specific targeted activities for Level 6: No activities planned at this time Payment for Services NJ SPAN will receive a total of $10,000 from The Teaching Research Institute (TRI) towards the planning and implementation of the collaborative activities within this agreement. The breakdown of allowable expenses is exhibited in Attachment A. NJ SPAN may send invoices to TRI monthly, quarterly or at the end of the agreement period, depending on their preference. If Federal funding is withdrawn anytime during the period of this Collaborative Agreement, the agreement will be considered null and void. NJ SPAN will be reimbursed for services rendered to that date.
-5-
Collaborative Agreement Period The period of this collaborative agreement will be from the date of signature through September 30, 2007. Future collaborative work will be agreed upon and documented in a revised or new collaborative agreement. Annual Review The efforts of this agreement will be reviewed after September 30, 2006. This review will be based on discussions between the collaborative partners, as well as review of the progress on the identified outcomes. Revisions to the agreement will be based upon this review. The Collaborative Partners may agree to continue the agreement as written beyond the agreement period, if further work is needed to reach the identified outcomes. Liaisons Paddi Davies, NCDB, and Diana Autin, NJ SPAN, will serve as the primary coNCDBts within their respective organizations. Kathy McNulty will serve as the secondary coNCDBt from NCDB. Paddi Davies, Kathy McNulty and Diana Autin, along with the staff of DB FACES, will conduct plans for specific implementation of all collaborative activities. CoNCDBt Information Paddi Davies at: daviesp@wou.edu Diana Autin at: AutinD@aol.com Signatures
Dr. Meredith Brodsky, Director The Teaching Research Institute
Diana Autin, Co-Executive Director NJ SPAN
Date
Date
Kathleen Stremel, Director NCDB
Date
-6-
ATTACHMENT A
PROPOSED BUDGET FOR NCDB/NJ SPAN/DB FACES COLLABORATION Personnel Executive CoDirector Family WRAP Director P2P Coordinator FV Coordinator Bilingual Outreach & Translation
.25hr/wk 1 hr/week 1 hr/week 1 hr/week 7.5 hr/wk
(Autin) (Parask.) (Corde) (Agoratus) (Rosa) (Alizo)
$XXX $ XXX $ XXX $ XXX $ XXX
Bilingual Bilingual Bilingual
Spanish Spanish Spanish
Total Personnel Fringe & Medical Total Personnel & Fringe OTPS Telephone Mileage & Tolls Printing & Copying Meeting Expense Supplies Postage
$8,845 $2,210 $11,055
$600 $600 $400 $500 $350 $450
Staff & families 5 focus groups
Total OTPS Total Direct Indirect 10%
$2,900 $13,955 $1,395 $15,350 *
TOTAL BUDGET
*Covers space, fiscal & office systems management services, etc. Personnel for project: Mercedes Rosa = bilingual Family Resource Specialist in Union and Middlesex County; will cover Central & South for Spanish-speaking families Myriam Alizo = bilingual Parent Support Group Specialist in Bergen, Hudson, Passaic, and Essex Counties; will cover North for Spanish-speaking families & translate
-7-