The University of Kansas is proud to announce that it has been awarded The Kansas Deaf-Blind Project in order to provide an effective assortment of technical assistance to children, families, schools, and service providers. The project has remained at the center in establishing statewide collaborative partnerships that promote an array of project activities. The outcomes of these partnerships have increased opportunities for technical assistance, training and support for Kansas stakeholders. This project is now awarded to the University of Kansas which will continue collaborative partnerships and strive to grow services to children and young adults with deaf-blindness.

The Kansas Deaf-Blind Project the Kansas Deaf-Blind Advisory Council, with collaborating stakeholders, agencies, and organizations have moved forward in assuring that 107+ identified children and young adults (birth through 21 years), their families, educators, and support providers will receive the technical assistance and services that they need. These efforts will be enhanced through the Kansas Professional Development Improvement Grant (SPDIG), in cooperation with other agencies responsible for providing service for Kansas children with disabilities. The Kansas Deaf-Blind Project will continue to promote research-based education practices, document student, family and service provider outcomes, build on systematic change efforts and align services for children and young adults in accordance with the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA). In doing so, the project proposes the following goals:

1.      Be learner-focused:
2.      Support families of children with deaf-blindness:
3.      Support, and contribute to, the KSDE State Performance Plan and APR: 
4.      Increase local capacity, of Part B and Part C teams:
5.      Continue identification of infants, toddlers, children, and young adults who experience         concurrent hearing and vision loss:
6.      Maintain accurate census data:
7.      Conduct rigorous evaluation of all project activities:
8.      Collaborate with all Kansas stakeholders:

The outcomes listed in The Kansas Deaf-Blind Project Brochure (PDF) will : (1) enhance statewide child-find and identification activities, (2) ensure parents and families have readily available access to quality assistance and supports for themselves and their children, (3) provide technical assistance based on effective educational practices, and (4) institute accountability systems that indicated Kansas children and young adults who are deaf-blind are achieving high standards in education in accordance with federal and state laws.