October 2026: CDBS Connections

Two women sit on the grass at a park with three small children smiling and sitting in their laps or next them.

CDBS Family Support Provider Network

Families raising children who are deafblind often look for connection, advice and support from someone who understands the journey. CDBS can help families make the connections through our dedicated, caring network of Family Support Providers (FSP). Each FSP has experienced deafblindness in their family and has learned lessons about navigating early intervention, education, adult services, and medical systems. They also understand many other issues that families face and are here to help and support other families on their journey.

Please contact Myrna Medina at myrnam@sfsu.edu or Julie Maier at jmaier@sfsu.edu for more information or to connect to an FSP.
 
 

Professional Development Training

Did you know that CDBS offers no-cost professional development training on wide array of topics related to assessing, teaching, and supporting learners who are deafblind? We can tailor a PD training for your early intervention program, your school or district, or your teacher training program. Our training can be provided virtually or in-person depending on your needs.

Please contact Julie Maier at jmaier@sfsu.edu or Brian Devereux at devereux@sfsu.edu to discuss or schedule a training.
 
 

UPCOMING EVENTS

Spanish Language OHOA Study Group: Registration extended to October 6th!

Myrna Medina, our Family Engagement Specialist, is leading a 10-week series on Understanding Deafblindness and Intervention Practices for families from September 30th-Dec.16th. These group meetings will be conducted in Spanish language every Wednesday evening for 10 weeks (except for holidays on Nov. 11th and Nov. 25th). We welcome your family to join this supportive study group.

Please share the informational flier below with families who would benefit from this information and opportunity to connect with other families in a Spanish-language setting.

Flier for an online family training series.

 

NEW PD Module: Focus On: Experience Stories We are very excited to share the a recent product release from our partner, The National Center on Deafblindness. They have created a short PD modules about Experience Stories that is packed with the essential information needed to understand what an Experience Story is, it’s purpose, and how to create and use these stories with a learner who is deafblind. This brief module is packed with engaging video examples and guidance from a parent and literacy experts and includes additional resources and examples. We hope you check it out and if you’re looking for assistance or additional resources to get started our staff loves to brainstorm ideas and help make Experience Books, Boxes, and Bags.

Click on the button below for this new mini-module!
 

CDBS Article: Promoting Literacy for All: Thinking Beyond Just Reading & Writing

This archived article from CDBS reSources (2017) also discusses the importance of meaningful opportunities to engage in literacy instruction and activities for all learners. It highlights ways to adapt materials and lessons based on a learner’s sensory access needs, embed literacy instruction in routines across the day, and use a learner’s interest to promote engagement. It also includes links to additional useful literacy resources.
 
 

Remembering Barbara Miles. Teacher, Mentor, and Author

In early September beloved educator, author, and artist Barbara Miles passed away. Barbara was a teacher for decades at the Perkins School for the Blind in the Deafblind Program and also offered training and guidance to hundreds of education professionals and families around the world. Her impact on our field’s understanding of how to interact and communicate through touch and to play and learn through shared interest and joint attention cannot be overstated. Barbara’s gift for writing allowed her to clearly and beautifully share her intuitive knowledge about children and youth who are deafblind and their unique needs with our community. Fortunately, we can still learn from her collection of writings which has been translated into many languages. An article that we most often share is Talking the Language of the Hands to the Hands and we hope you enjoy reading or re-reading it and share it with others.