Developed for Texas DeafBlind Outreach Program Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired

Transcription

1 Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired Outreach Programs W. 45 th St. Austin, TX Texas Symposium on DeafBlindness: Resonance February 21-23, 2019 Positive Touch Access: Increasing Access for Young Learners who are DeafBlind Saturday 8:30-10:00 AM Breakout Presented by Susanne Morgan Morrow, MA, CI, CT New York Deaf-Blind Collaborative Developed for Texas DeafBlind Outreach Program Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired [Type text]

2 [Type text]

3 Positive Touch Access: Increasing Access for Young Learners who are DeafBlind Susanne Morgan Morrow, MA, CI, CT New York Deaf-Blind Collaborative Slide 1: Positive Touch Access: Increasing Access for Young Learners who are DeafBlind Susanne Morgan Morrow, MA, CI, CT New York Deaf-Blind Collaborative Texas DeafBlind Symposium February 21 23, 2019 Austin, TX Slide 2: Personal Background & Training B.A. degree in Speech Pathology/Audiology M.A. degree in Rehabilitation Counseling for the Deaf from Gallaudet University, Washington, DC Nationally certified sign language interpreter since 1996 Strong DB community involvement initially with adults & now with children Director of the New York Deaf-Blind Collaborative, federally funded grant through U.S. Dept. of Education, Office of Special Education Programs 2019 Texas Symposium on DeafBlindness - Positive Touch Access Morgan Morrow, S. 1

4 Slide 3: Summary Research in the field of DeafBlind education has indicated for decades the critical aspect of touch in early cognitive and communication development, however, while current advances are happening in the adult DeafBlind community, this movement has gone on without much consideration for the way in which congenitally DeafBlind children have been educated. The presenter proposes a marrying of these practices and communication paradigms, shifting away from the often tensionladen political discourse and suggests an overarching approach, Positive Touch Access and will address the need for parent education. Slide 4: Overview Positive Touch Access (PTA) Congenital vs. Late Onset DeafBlindness o Touch as part of early communication & establishing rapport Enhanced access to touch leads to self-actualization, lessens learned helplessness Slide 5: There are two pathways in the brain for processing touch The first gives us the facts about touch like vibration, pressure, location and fine texture The second processes social & emotional info, determining the emotional content interpersonal touch using different sensors in the skin. o This pathway activates brain regions associated with social bonding, pleasure and pain centers Slide 6: These pathways cannot be separated If that is the case why would we not prioritize touch as a main means of access for young learners who are DeafBlind? 2019 Texas Symposium on DeafBlindness - Positive Touch Access Morgan Morrow, S. 2

5 Slide 7: Sense of Touch The sense of touch is the first sense to develop, and it functions even after seeing and hearing begin to fade. Nicholas, Jude. From Active Touch to Tactile Communication: What s Tactile Cognition Got To Do With It? DBI Review Number 45 (2010) Slide 8: Tactile Cognition Tactile cognition refers to the higher order processing and integration of tactile information through active touch. Nicholas, Jude. From Active Touch to Tactile Communication: What s Tactile Cognition Got To Do With It? DBI Review Number 45 (2010) Slide 9: December 2017 national child count = 10,000 who are DB from across the country between the ages of % have one or more disability 43% have more than four additional disabilities Slide 10: Touch & Early Communication Education of congenitally DeafBlind children emphasizes the importance of early communication & touch Tactile strategies have been around for many years (touch cues, touch signals, tactile sign, etc) Young learners who are DeafBlind and late onset adults are two different fields of study Jan Van Dijk, Rob Last, Barbara Miles, David Brown, Susan Bruce, Carolyn Monaco, Marianne Riggio, Kathleen Stremel, Deborah Chen, and many more 2019 Texas Symposium on DeafBlindness - Positive Touch Access Morgan Morrow, S. 3

6 Slide11: Best practices for learners with compromised hearing and vision loss. Hand-Under-Hand Respectful Hand Use Wait Time Shared Tactile Experiences Slide 12: Congenital vs. Late Onset Late Onset conceptual development via access to visual and auditory channels, assists in transition to tactile, 3-dimensional reception Congenital compromised or no access to visual and auditory information to create concepts. o Introduction to tangible items immediately is critical for linguistic connection, conceptual development Slide 13: How do we develop tactile cognition? Constant & repetitive access to things and people Touch that is: o Respectful o Mindful o Intentional Shared tactile exploration 2019 Texas Symposium on DeafBlindness - Positive Touch Access Morgan Morrow, S. 4

7 Slide 14: Techniques and strategies being used and pioneered in the adult DB community need to be applied to young learners who are DeafBlind. Pro-Tactile Haptics Touch Signals Slide 15: Pro-Tactile Slide 16: I. Pro-Tactile Referred to as Pro-Tactile: The DeafBlind Way, PT An approach that has been embraced by independent DeafBlind adult leaders in the USA (late onset) Socio-cultural movement that is affecting individuals, politics, and language Alters the traditional concept of tactile sign language o From Visual American Sign Language (VASL) to Tactile American Sign Language (TASL) The purpose of PT philosophy is to support DeafBlind culture, language, interpersonal relationships, politics, a true sense of empowerment o Texas Symposium on DeafBlindness - Positive Touch Access Morgan Morrow, S. 5

8 Slide 17: ProTactile philosophy is not just about accessing communication; it affects all areas of life, including DeafBlind culture, politics, empowerment, and language. -aj granda & Jelica Nuccio Figure 1 Photo of aj granda and Jelica Nuccio. Slide 18: I. Pro-Tactile Backchanneling physical contact that is an intuitive way of maintaining a co-presence and a sense of connection between communication partners. o Touches, taps, holds, vibratory input, full body engagement o Constant touch access between communication partners, touch replaces visible head nods and other visual means of backchanneling o Uses back, arms, upper leg 2019 Texas Symposium on DeafBlindness - Positive Touch Access Morgan Morrow, S. 6

9 Slide 19: Pro-Tactile PTASL Pro-Tactile American Sign Language o A modified version of visual ASL (VASL) o Documented research on tactility and grammatical differences between VASL & TASL Terra Edwards o Modified signs, placement of classifiers o Use of communication partner s body in the production of the sign o Squeezes, holds, taps Slide 20: Pro-Tactile ASL : A New Language for DeafBlind People Figure 2 Clifton Langdon & Oscar Serna facing each other. Oscar signs using PTASL. Text with an arrow above Oscar appears: "Oscar Serna." Slide 21: Haptics 2019 Texas Symposium on DeafBlindness - Positive Touch Access Morgan Morrow, S. 7

10 Slide 22: II. Haptics The general term is referred to as active touch A system developed in Norway A fixed set of touch signals performed in a specific way and in a defined order to provide visual and environmental information Also provides social feedback about the mood and affect of the people and environment Slide 23: Figure 3 Photo of pro-tactile sign for "coffee", showing a fist placed on the upper arm of the DeafBlind individual. "Coffee", a fist with a rotating movement. Slide 24: Figure 4 A pro-tactile sign of hands pressed together palm-to-palm with fingers extended is placed on the center-back of the individual with DeafBlindness. The caption "Namaste" appears in the lower left corner Texas Symposium on DeafBlindness - Positive Touch Access Morgan Morrow, S. 8

11 Slide 25: Touch Signals Slide 26: III. Slide 27: Touch Signals An umbrella term that describes various methods of touch on the body, including touch cues/signals that may be representative of Pro-Tactile and/or Haptics Used to convey visual, social, and environmental information discreetly and in real-time to a person who is deaf-blind. Honors the preference of the DeafBlind person Coined by a sub-committee of DeafBlind committee members associated with Helen Keller National Center in New York State. What Are Touch Signals? Figure 5 Graphic: Positive Touch Access, beneath this heading are from right to left: Pro-Tactile, Haptics, Touch Signals 2019 Texas Symposium on DeafBlindness - Positive Touch Access Morgan Morrow, S. 9

12 Slide 28: Congenital vs. Late Onset Slide 29: Congenital vs. Late Onset Late Onset conceptual development via access to visual and auditory channels, assists in transition to tactile, 3-dimensional reception Congenital compromised or no access to visual and auditory information to create concepts. o Introduction to tangible items immediately is critical for linguistic connection, conceptual development Slide 30: Touch and Early Communication Education of congenital DeafBlind children emphasizes the importance of early communication & touch Tactile strategies have been around for many years (touch cues, touch signals, tactile sign, etc) Young learners who are DeafBlind and late onset adults are two different fields of study Jan Van Dijk, Rob Last, Barbara Miles, David Brown, Susan Bruce, Carolyn Monaco, Marianne Riggio, Kathleen Stremel, Deborah Chen, and many more Slide 31: Tactile Cognition Tactile cognition refers to the higher order processing and integration of tactile information through active touch. Nicholas, Jude. From Active Touch to Tactile Communication: What s Tactile Cognition Got To Do With It? DBI Review Number 45 (2010) 2019 Texas Symposium on DeafBlindness - Positive Touch Access Morgan Morrow, S. 10

13 Slide 32: Sense of Touch The sense of touch is the first sense to develop, and it functions even after seeing and hearing begin to fade. Nicholas, Jude. From Active Touch to Tactile Communication: What s Tactile Cognition Got to Do With It? DBI Review Number 45 (2010) Slide 33: Learned Helplessness Figure 6 Image of online dictionary showing "Learned help-less-ness". Definition reads: a condition in which a person suffers from a sense of powerlessness, arising from a traumatic event or persistent failure to succeed. It is thought to be one of the underlying causes of depression. The phrase persistent failure to succeed is circled in red and a red arrow points to the phrase. Slide 34: How do we develop tactile cognition? Constant & repetitive access to things and people Touch that is: o Respectful o Mindful o Intentional Shared tactile exploration 2019 Texas Symposium on DeafBlindness - Positive Touch Access Morgan Morrow, S. 11

14 Slide 35: Touch and Early Literacy Figure 7: Photo of a mother using tactile sign with her child. The words, "Mom: Good!" appears below the photo. Slide 36: Touch and Early Literacy Select or create a book based on the interest of the child and the level of the child. For example if the child happens to like buttons, find all the different buttons you can and glue them to different pages of a book. Add simple Braille words to the pages as well. Explore the pages together, following the child s lead. Let the child feel you touching the pages as well. Slide 37: Touch and Early Literacy Introduce words such as button, small, big, etc. Enjoy the book together! Create Experience Books, adding actual objects from outdoors to the book (tree bark, grass, rocks, etc.) Encourage conversation and exploring of the pages. After you have read it many times, ask questions about the pages, etc Texas Symposium on DeafBlindness - Positive Touch Access Morgan Morrow, S. 12

15 Slide 38: A Mother s Musings Heather Withrow, Mother of Orion Figure 8 Photo of Heather Withrow signing in front of a colorful collection of abstract paintings. Slide 39: Multi-Modal, Constant Contact, Availability, Respectful Touch, Wait Time, Assistive Technology Figure 9: Photograph of Parker with Intervener, Cindi. Cindi is signing using hand-under-hand Texas Symposium on DeafBlindness - Positive Touch Access Morgan Morrow, S. 13

16 Slide 40: Multi-Modal, Constant Contact, Hand-Under-Hand, Availability, Wait Time Figure 10 Photo of Maeve with Speech Teacher, Sarah. Sarah has her hands under Maeve's hands. Slide 41: World Cup 2014 Brazil TASL, Tactile Board, Pro-Tactile = Positive Touch Access Figure 11 Photo of a DeafBlind man uses the support of tactile sign interpreter, Pro-Tactile information, and tactile board representing the playing field to access the 2014 World Cup Soccer game on television Texas Symposium on DeafBlindness - Positive Touch Access Morgan Morrow, S. 14

17 Slide 42: There is a need to connect both ends of the spectrum so that congenital DeafBlind learners can benefit from advanced, systematic means of touch. Slide 43: Increased tactile cognition Figure 12 Graphic: A large, orange arrow points left on the screen. Over this arrow are three boxes connect by smaller arrows: (from left to right) Early & consistent tactile exposure, Increased tactile cognition, Increased selfactualization. Slide 44: Access to Touch = Access to People, Language, Meaningfulness, Participation, Fulfillment, Joy Figure 13 Photo of the laps of five individuals sitting in a circle. Each individual touches their neighbor's knees with their hands and their own knees Texas Symposium on DeafBlindness - Positive Touch Access Morgan Morrow, S. 15

18 Slide 45: Shifts in Access PTASL (Pro-Tactile American Sign Language) Pro-Tactile Haptics Touch Signals Respectful Touch Full Inclusion Figure 14 Two individuals sit facing each other with right knees touching. A hand in a resting fisted position on the knee of the partner. Figure 15 Two individuals sit facing each other with right knees touching. The Pro-Tactile interpreter extends an index finger as if writing on the partner s knee Texas Symposium on DeafBlindness - Positive Touch Access Morgan Morrow, S. 16

19 Slide 46: Current Trends DeafBlind people are taking leadership DeafBlind Power ( DeafBlind Citizens in Action ( ProTactile Happy Hour Figure 16 DeafBlind Citizens in Action logo. Inside the letter "D" is the sign for "d". Inside the letter "B" is a braille cell with the letter "b". Inside the letter "C" is the universal image for a person. The letter "A" is a stylized image of a person using a dog guide. Slide 47: Professional Development Helen Keller National Center Workshops/Conferences DeafBlind Camps Federally-Funded State Deaf-Blind Projects 2019 Texas Symposium on DeafBlindness - Positive Touch Access Morgan Morrow, S. 17

20 Slide 48: Contact Information Susanne Morgan Morrow Figure 17 A young DeafBlind boy (Parker) sits in a wheelchair at a desk while his interpreter signs to him using tactile signs. Figure 18 Susanne uses tactile sign to interpret for a woman with DeafBlindness Texas Symposium on DeafBlindness - Positive Touch Access Morgan Morrow, S. 18

21

22 Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired Outreach Programs Figure 19 TSBVI logo. Figure 20 IDEAs that Work logo. This project is supported by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). Opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the position of the U.S. Department of Education.