Return to: Georgia Sensory Assistance Project | On-line Newsletter | Revised 04/24/2004

GASP is Coming!

As of September 30, the Georgia Deafblind Project came to an end. However, it has been refunded for five years and has a new name. It is now known as the Georgia Sensory Assistance Project (GSAP)! GSAP continues with the same mission to provide technical assistance to children and youth with deafblindness from birth through 21 years of age and to their families and service providers. There are also many new goals and objectives that are already underway in this new funding period.

Before we look forward to the new grant, lets look at some of the accomplishments of the old one. Over the past four years, the Georgia Deafblind Project has provided technical assistance across a variety of areas (e.g. early intervention, transition, augmentative communication, teaching strategies) to agencies, school systems, teachers, related service staff, and families who have children with deafblindness. The project has maintained effective outcomes over the past four year grant cycle as evidenced by high percentages of implementation, satisfaction and child-change data from approximately: a) 5,137 on-site technical assistance visits by staff and advisors to school, home, and community settings, b) 6 major statewide collaborative projects, c) 48 local, regional, and statewide training's, d) 9 products developed and disseminated, and e) a variety of collaborative activities with local, state, and national organizations.

During the five year grant cycle, the Georgia Sensory Assistance Project is designed to meet the critical needs of the state as identified through over 40 percent advocacy groups, community based groups, professional agencies, government agencies, individuals who are deafblind, and parents of students with deaf-blindness, and their teachers and related service staff. These statewide needs are addressed through the following project objectives: 1) locate and identify children with deafblindness and maintain a deafblindness census; 2) promote systems change through the coordination of activities and collaboration with Ga. Dept. of Education priorities and Ga. Dept. of Human Resources priorities; 3) build statewide local capacity (e.g., through regional advisor and parent advisor training); 4) provide early intervention technical assistance services and early transition support; 5) provide technical assistance to teachers, related service staff, families, and other service providers responsible for children with deafblindness; 6) provide young adult transition; 7) provide technical assistance to families, especially targeting parents/caregivers, siblings, children who are deaf-blind; 8) collaborate and support the Georgia Sensory Assistance Project Stakeholders and Advisory Committee and national projects; 9) maintain needs and evaluation data; and 10) disseminate effective practices and relevant information. The outcome of this project is anticipated to greatly improve services for children who are deafblind and their families.

Project personnel include: Dr. Kathy Heller (Project Director), Doug McJannet (Project Coordinator), Debbie Parkman (Identification & Sibling Coordinator), Deborah Fields-Harris (Family Support and Products Coordinator), Lynn McFarland (Parent Advisor Coordinator), & Dawn Swinehart-Jones (Early Transition Coordinator). We are looking forward to the next five years of providing technical assistance!