VIDBE-Q Volume 69 Issue 1
In addition to supporting the leadership of the state and national family
organizations, the Texas Deafblind Project, in collaboration with other TSBVI
Outreach members, hosts monthly virtual meetings called Family Recharge Zone.
Topics of these meetings are a blend of family-chosen and family-focused training
followed by a conversation exclusively for adult family members with children and
adults who are blind, low vision, or deafblind. By offering sessions in English,
ASL, and Spanish, Family Recharge Zone aims to reach as many families as
possible and ensure that families can connect directly, without solely relying on the
use of interpreters.
Another family-centered initiative the Texas Deafblind Project supports is
the Family-to-Family Communities Project. In its ninth year, this national initiative
brings families together once per month for 90 minutes via video conference to
connect, share information and resources, and bolster one another in the journey of
supporting their family member who is deafblind. Each community is made up of
eight to ten family members. Trained facilitators guide each group using structured
conversation and open sharing on topics determined by consensus.
Texas has exciting changes in the field of Deafblind Education happening in
the near future. In September 2025, certification for teachers of students who are
deafblind (TDBs) will be in effect. Texas will be the second state to have such a
certification. The Texas Deafblind Project has been working diligently in
