August 2026: CDBS Connections

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Image Source: Adobe Images

August is here and we hope you’ve collected fun memories from vacation trips, visits with friends and family, and trying new activities. The CDBS staff has enjoyed some summer fun and has also been busy preparing for upcoming fall trainings and updating our resources for families and professionals. This month you’ll find an update on additions to the CDBS website and upcoming events, a new CDBS Fact Sheet about creating a vision statement for your child, and meet another CDBS Staff Star. Enjoy the final month of summer break!

New CDBS Fact Sheet

The Importance of Creating and Sharing a “Vision Statement”

by Myrna Medina, CDBS Family Engagement Specialist

From the very beginning families face nonstop hurdles and steep challenges that come with raising a child with special needs. You learn from Day One that the parenting journey requires fierce advocacy and deep resilience. When learning to navigate the complex systems, in addition to constantly managing the day-to-day demands, it is incredibly easy to get stuck in a survival mode and only focus only on the next appointment or roadblock that must be tackled.

Children with special needs deserve a meaningful and joyful life in their future. Learning to use tools that will help others to view a child differently by recognizing their potential and strengths, and honoring the family’s hopes for the future…READ MORE

Upcoming Events

Professional Development Training for Educators

CDBS is offering a free virtual Professional Development 2-part series called Preparing for and Instructing Students Who Are Deafblind on August 18th and 20th from 3:00-4:30pm.

This training series is designed for California teachers and related service providers with limited experience teaching and supporting students who are deafblind to prepare and plan for the school year ahead. ASL interpretation and Zoom captioning will be provided. We hope you can attend.

Flier with more details and registration link

SFSU-CDBS Online Intervener Training Program

California Deafblind Services and the SFSU College of Professional and Global Education (CPaGE) offer a two-semester online training program to prepare paraeducators to serve as educational interveners for learners who are deafblind. These courses are open to paraeducators currently serving students who are deafblind or those interested in this professional pathway.

Registration is now open for our next cohort and the first course starts in late August 24th.

More information about the program and registration can be found on the SFSU CPaGE website: Intervener Training: Deafblind Education

Interested intervener candidates can find the registration link under the Class Schedule section.

Questions? Contact Julie Maier at jmaier@sfsu.edu

Family Training Workshop from TASK

In collaboration with California Deafblind Services, OCDEAF, and Beyond Blindness, TASK presents the following workshop in their series:

Navigating Special Education

Wednesday, September 30th

Does the IEP process seem overwhelming and confusing? Join us to learn about Special Education, the terminology that is used during meetings and in IEP documents, and tips to help you successfully navigate the special education system.

This workshop will be conducted on Zoom. ASL and Spanish interpretation will be provided.

Flier for the TASK Training and Registration Information

CDBS Staff Star

Please join us in getting to know Janelle Dowling, our Educational Specialist. She has held in this important role on our team for almost three years. Janelle has her teaching credential and Masters in Special Education, with an emphasis in supporting students with extensive support needs. She completed the SF State Deafblind Endorsement Program with CDBS in 2010 and has continued her connection and involvement with the deafblind community since then. She brings a range of experiences to her role on our team, as she has served as an early intervention home-based aide, a behavior specialist, a paraprofessional, a classroom teacher, an inclusion specialist, a consultant/advocate, and a supervisor and instructor at SFSU. She is passionate about helping educational teams build and maintain effective collaborative partnerships with the individuals and families they support.

In her spare time, Janelle enjoys coaching her son’s soccer team, learning new recipes, and listening to comedy and true crime podcasts.

Family Needs Survey

California families, we value your perspectives in shaping the support and resources we provide to families of children who are deafblind in California. To better understand your needs and priorities, we invite you to complete a short Family Survey.

QR code for a Family Needs Survey for families of children with deafblindness

The survey will take approximately 5 minutes to complete and your feedback will help us:

Create opportunities for families to connect with each other on a regular basis
Plan training opportunities that matter most to you
Create resources that are practical and meaningful for your family

Your privacy matters. All responses will remain confidential and will only be used to guide program planning and resource development. No personal information will be shared outside of our team.

We appreciate the time you take to help us plan meaningful family events and resources. If you have questions or need assistance, please reach out to Myrna Medina myrnam@sfsu.edu or Julie Maier jmaier@sfsu.edu / (415) 405-7558. Thank you for your participation and support!

Resource Corner

CDBS Website Update We’re excited to share that our website has been updated and now includes Spanish Language Fact Sheets and a Resources for Professionals section. We hope you find these resources useful. Please contact us if there is topic or resource you cannot find or suggest we add to our website. We love learning about and sharing new resources.

Hojas de Información / Fact Sheets: Fact Sheets are concise and practical reference guides for you to read, print, and share.
Useful Deafblind Resources for Professionals: An organized list of topical resources, tools, and organizations with services for children and youth who are deafblind.

Sharing Information with Others

The National Center on Deafblindness offers a webpage with multiple resources called Understanding the Child and Sharing What You Know. This topic and resources connect nicely with our new fact sheet about creating a vision statement and are useful for both families and professionals.

WEBPAGE: Understanding the Child and Sharing What You Know

A graphic image of California state map with text California Deafblind Services across the map.

August 2026: CDBS Connections (Newsletter)

August 2026: CDBS Connections

Upcoming Events

CDBS Staff Star

Resource Corner

Hojas de Información / Fact Sheets: Fact Sheets are concise and practical reference guides for you to read, print, and share.

Useful Deafblind Resources for Professionals: An organized list of topical resources, tools, and organizations with services for children and youth who are deafblind.

August 2026: CDBS Connections (Newsletter)

August 2026: CDBS Connections

Upcoming Events

CDBS Staff Star

Resource Corner

Hojas de Información / Fact Sheets: Fact Sheets are concise and practical reference guides for you to read, print, and share.

Useful Deafblind Resources for Professionals: An organized list of topical resources, tools, and organizations with services for children and youth who are deafblind.

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