From the Director

From the Director

Bethany Colson

As we kick off a new state fiscal year on July 1, it is a time to look back on what we have accomplished and a time to look forward to what our goals and achievements will be this year. Over the past year, we have focused on filling gaps – gaps in locations around the state, gaps in knowledge related to deaf and hard of hearing children and gaps in timing of services and information.

One way we have filled in location gaps is through our regional centers. We expanded into the southeast region with a regional center in the Mid America Science Park in Scottsburg, as well as expand our presence in the northeast. Our northeast regional staff in Fort Wayne continues their outreach efforts including connections to local health departments.

With regard to gaps in knowledge, our staff both attended and provided a multitude of professional development opportunities last year. On a national level, we attended the EHDI Conference, National Outreach Conference, AAA, ADARA and National Deaf Center conference. Within Indiana, we attended the Early Childhood Special Education Administrators Conference, ISHA, ICASE retreat, PATINS Tech Expo, and presented at the First Steps and Indiana Deaf Educators and Educational Interpreters conferences. Our collaborations with FSSA through First Steps and Vocational Rehab, as well as with DOE through the Department of Special Education, are key to our Center’s success in providing positive outcomes for deaf and hard of hearing children.

Lastly, we made efforts to fill gaps in service provision through our partnerships with EHDI and First Steps to reduce timing of referrals for early intervention evaluations and services. We continue to recruit, train and mentor early intervention providers and educate system point of entry staff to follow best practices for deaf and hard of hearing children. In addition, we have worked with numerous families and school districts at the time of transition from Part C to Part B – providing support, assessments and recommendations related to educational needs. 

We share best practices and encourage collaboration of DHH teachers around the state through our DHH Roundtables. We work with the PASS Project to provide EPO webinars for educational professionals and meet with educators and support staff individually for training and support. Our Center participates in the Transition Alliance to fill gaps in secondary transition information for deaf and hard of hearing students.

In the coming year, we will focus on strategic planning – to determine how we can best continue filling gaps and meeting the Center’s mission and duties. The collaborations we have are key in our success and a continued focus for our Center. I am honored to take on the Executive Director position with the opportunity to lead these efforts, work with a talented and dedicated staff and strengthen relationships with other professional entities working with deaf and hard of hearing children.