Training/Events

As training sessions are scheduled, invitations and registration instructions are emailed to the Montana Transition E-Mail List. To join the Montana Transition E-Mail List, go to our Home Page and enter your email address in the box provided.

Recordings of conferences that have already taken place may be downloaded from this page. If the recording does not open when you click on the link, you may need to save the recording to your computer first by right clicking on the link and selecting “Save Target As…”

The University of Montana provides reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities who request and require them. Please contact Kim Brown for information and to arrange accommodations.

Upcoming Trainings and Events

2024 Belonging webinar series!

The Montana Transition Resources Project is delighted to welcome Dr. Erik Carter for our 2024 Belonging Webinar Series [PDF]!

Dr. Erik Carter is the Luther Sweet Endowed Chair in Disabilities at Baylor University and Executive Director of the Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities. His research addresses strategies for supporting inclusion and belonging in schools, workplaces, and congregations for children and adults with disabilities. He has published widely in the areas of educational and transition services, including more than 300 articles, chapters, and other publications. Read more about his work at https://www.erikwcarter.com/writing

Montana Office of Public Instruction renewal unit credit is available.

Session 1: Beyond Inclusion: Moving from Barriers to Belonging

Students learn best and flourish most when assured of their belonging. However, too many schools and communities still struggle to become places of widespread and meaningful inclusion for students with disabilities. This webinar will present a practical framework for fostering belonging in classrooms, schools, and other community settings.

Session 1 Files:

Session 2: Moving Forward: Creating Communities of Belonging Together

Belonging should abound in our schools, workplaces, congregations, and communities. This webinar will focus on the practical steps we can each take to foster friendships and valued roles for children and youth with developmental disabilities.

Training Archives

Disclaimer: These are archived materials. Information presented during the webinars is not updated after the session broadcast, so may no longer be accurate.

2022 Training Archives

Early Identification of Deaf-Blindness Series

The Montana Deaf-Blind Project is delighted to welcome back nationally renowned expert Dr. Susan M. Bashinski for this two-part series on Early Identification.

Experiences that occur during the earliest years of life have a profound effect on a child’s ability to learn, move, and interact with others. This is especially true for children with combined vision and hearing loss—known as deaf-blindness—whose physical, communicative, cognitive, social, and emotional developmental domains are deeply intertwined. Because the impact on learning is exponentially greater for combined vision and hearing loss than for vision or hearing loss alone, early identification, followed by early intervention services from individuals who understand the unique impact of deaf-blindness, is essential. Register for this two-part webinar series to learn more.

Early Identification of Children with Deaf-Blindness

The foundation for this webinar is the assumption that early identification of combined vision and hearing loss is positively correlated with minimizing the negative impacts of sensory loss on a child’s future development in multiple domains. The webinar will include a discussion of risk factors for deaf-blindness, as well as early behavioral signs or symptoms of this condition. The presenter will examine authentic assessment approaches, and suggest ten primary areas in which families and early intervention teams might focus their observational assessment, should they suspect a baby or toddler might experience deaf-blindness. The webinar will conclude with a brief mention of resources for assistance with identification of deaf-blindness.

Date: February 3, 2022

Bridging Early Identification of Deaf-Blindness to Effective Intervention

The purpose of this webinar is to provide strategies for mitigating the potential impacts of limited visual and auditory stimulation on a baby or toddler’s long-term development. The presenter’s purpose is to assist families and early intervention teams to build a foundation for the young child’s learning and access to the environment, through developing supports to maximize the baby’s / toddler’s (1) use of residual sensory abilities and (2) receive communicative input. The presenter will discuss intervention strategies appropriate for implementation in the NICU, home, and on-site preschool—for both families and early interventionists, with the over-arching consideration that it is most critical to ensure the baby / toddler feels safe and environments are as predictable as possible.

March 3, 2022

Early Identification of Deaf-Blindness Continued

Due to the overwhelming popularity of our Winter 2022 Early Identification of Deaf-Blindness webinar series, the Montana Deaf-Blind Project is pleased to welcome Dr. Tanni Anthony for our Spring 2022 continuation of the series!

Play as an Assessment and Programmatic Vehicle in the Early Years

Session Description: Sensory and developmental status can be gleaned from watching and contributing to the play interactions of a young child. Once equipped with this information, the team can continue to use play routines as a place to guide and reinforce next step learning. Information will be shared about how to use early play as a tool for horizontal (increasing generalization of existing concepts and skills) and vertical (scaffolding to the next level of concepts and skills) strategies.

Objectives:

  • To introduce participants to a play-based approach as a viable assessment model for infants and toddlers with blindness/visual impairment.
  • To illustrate how to embed developmental next step strategies into the play / daily routines of the young child.

Date: Wednesday, April 13

2021 Training Archives

Introduction to Interveners

The Montana Deaf-Blind Project is pleased to welcome Julie Maier, California Deafblind Services Educational Specialist, to provide an introduction to and overview of interveners. Attend this free webinar for answers to questions such as:

  • What is an Intervener?
  • How do they differ from paraprofessionals and interpreters?
  • Why might students with deaf-blindness need an intervener?
  • How do you determine that an individual student needs an intervener?
  • What skills and training does someone need to be an intervener?
  • Where can they learn those skills/obtain that training?
  • What is the Cogswell-Macy Act and what does it have to do with intervener services?

MT OPI renewal unit credit is available.

Monday, August 9, 2021
9:00-10:30 AM Mountain Daylight Time

Introduction to Deaf-Blindness: What is Deaf-Blindness?

This webinar will introduce a functional definition of deaf-blindness, along with the key questions to be answered in order to determine if a particular learner experiences deaf-blindness (DB). The presenter will introduce various etiologies of and categorization schemes for DB (i.e., by time of onset, degree, and type), as well as benefits of categorizing deaf-blindness by both time of onset and degree. Specific examples of each of four major categories of DB will be included. The webinar will conclude with an explanation of the primary ways in which deaf-blindness impacts a learner’s interaction with the environment and school performance.

MT OPI renewal unit credit is available.

Date: March 24th, 2021

Introduction to Deaf-Blindness: Introduction to Vision Loss and to Hearing Loss

In this webinar, the presenter will examine vision loss and hearing loss independently. For both visual and auditory sensory systems losses, discussion will include: the major types of loss, how a learner processes information as a result of various individual types of loss, and the potential impact of combination of losses in each sensory system. The webinar will include a general description of the way in which diagnosticians describe each sensory loss. It will conclude with a presentation of some key resources for families and educational teams.

MT OPI renewal unit credit is available.

Date: April 7th, 2021

Introduction to Deaf-Blindness: Unique Learning Needs and Building Structure through Routines

Foundational to this webinar is the fact that learners who experience deaf-blindness (DB) are an incredibly heterogeneous group. The presenter will discuss general characteristics of learners with DB, relevant to learning, within the context of what communication partners should remember and strategies they should utilize when they meet and interact with a learner who experiences DB. The webinar will provide a functional definition of a routine and its essential elements, while focusing on the critical importance of structure for a learner with DB. The presentation will conclude with an examination of the essential skills a learner can gain from meaningfully structured activities / tasks.

MT OPI renewal unit credit is available.

Date: April 21st, 2021

Designing Meaningful Work Experiences

The Montana Deaf-Blind Project is pleased to announce the fourth session in our webinar series on work experience and employment for students with a significant impact of disability, including students with deaf-blindness.

Microbrewery owners, Veterans living with PTSD, inmates at the Montana Women’s Prison, a bank president, a documentary filmmaker…  Question: What could possibly link all these individuals (and more) together?  Answer: Alana, A Jill of All Trades!

Discover how Alana and her mom, Kim, have opened themselves to opportunity and built a life full of joy and purpose by sharing their passions in the vocational realm and beyond. Alana – A Jill of All Trades is synonymous with a group of individuals working together to make our world a little brighter, and you’ll have the opportunity to learn how to do the same!

See how Alana’s community is built one relationship at a time as her contagious spirit and fearlessly authentic presence brings folks of all backgrounds together. Explore ways to utilize resources to support individuals with a significant impact of disability in their endeavors. And, understand how this can all be accomplished in the face of adversity!

MT OPI renewal unit credit is available.

Date: February 11th, 2021
Time: 12-1:30 Mountain Time

Customized Employment

In this webinar, Cheri Reed-Anderson and Ellen Condon will introduce audience members to Customized Employment, illustrate how this strategy can support access to community employment for students with significant disabilities, and share information about how to access Customized Employment through Vocational Rehabilitation in Montana.

Date: January 14, 2021

2020 Training Archives

Promoting Work Experiences for Students: Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) With Montana Vocational Rehabilitation

Learn about Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) in Montana. This webinar will introduce families and professionals to the concept and help them understand how to access Pre-ETS. Participants will learn how Vocational Rehabilitation, high schools, Community Rehabilitation Programs, Independent Living Centers, universities and other programs are working together to help students with disabilities prepare for life after high school. Presenters will share examples of how students with the most significant impact of disability are receiving Pre-ETS. There will be a special focus on Pre-ETS for students with hearing and/or vision loss.  OPI renewal unit credit is available.

Date: December 3rd, 2020

Discovering Talents, Strengths and Interests With Kimberly Norris-Scrano

After an alarming “SLAM, SLAM, SLAM,” Kim often comments to complete strangers how her daughter, Alana’s, perfect job would be testing the durability of new products for Anderson Windows and Doors. This one-liner joke is quite successful in bringing smiles to previously startled faces, but there’s quite a bit of truth to it. Alana was born with complex multiple disabilities, so Kim has known for years that her daughter’s path to employment would be unique.

Beginning in elementary school, Kim started pairing Alana’s strengths and interests with activities that could springboard into vocational opportunities. Alana graduated from Hysham High School in 2019, and the mother-daughter team have been busy ever since! In this webinar, you will learn how to open the floodgates of possibility for individuals like Alana by seeing the potential in their preferred tasks. Whether it’s zipping up plastic baggies, throwing balls, ripping paper, exploring sensory bins, or triggering a cause-and-effect gadget – there is a place for most any passion in the vocational realm and beyond!

Date: November 5th, 2020

Confronting Challenges as a Pandemic Technology Moderator: Strategies for Engaging Students with Disabilities in Virtual Learning and the Use of Netiquette

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, students with disabilities were required to abruptly transition to the use of virtual platforms for everyday activities, such as learning, doctor/service provider appointments, and maintaining a social life. This resulted in educators, parents, guardians, caretakers, and service providers being required to assume the role of technology moderators for students with disabilities. Many new challenges, in which strategies and answers were not available, surfaced.

This webinar presentation will give a brief overview of the following challenges, as well as provide several strategies for addressing these challenges: (a) engaging in virtual learning; (b) the use of netiquette (the etiquette of the internet); and (c) the safe use of social media platforms. This session will conclude with a short question and answer portion in which questions about these challenges can be asked.

October 20, 2020

Turning 18? What You Should Know About Social Security

There are changes that come into play when a person turns 18 years old, both in life and with Social Security.  Join this webinar to learn: What the Redetermination process is and how to best prepare for it; What other Social Security disability programs 18-year-olds might qualify for, and how to identify and access them; and What Work Incentives are geared towards younger individuals who receive Social Security benefits.

October 14, 2020

SSI Work Incentives for Youth Who Work

Join this webinar to learn about different Social Security Administration (SSA) work incentives available for youth who are thinking about going to work and who receive SSI (Supplemental Security Income) cash benefits.

September 23, 2020

You Can’t Pour from an Empty Cup

Description: In these times of stay-at-home orders, physical distancing, remote teaching and learning, and overwhelming amounts of information (and misinformation), we all need ways to nurture ourselves…to “fill our cups.” In this session, panelists share strategies you can use to reinvigorate and replenish yourself. Then you can use these same strategies to help the people you care for/support/teach to fill their cups, too.

Recorded for the 2020 Great Beginnings, Great Families Virtual Conference
August 18-31, 2020

Understanding and Nurturing the Communicative Competence of Learners with Significant Disabilities

The Montana Deaf-Blind Project, in partnership with the Montana Transition Resources Project, welcomes Philip Schweigert, M.Ed, for a two-part webinar series in August. The webinar series is focused on Understanding and Nurturing the Communicative Competence of Learners with Significant Disabilities.

Session 1: Recognizing the Communication Abilities of Learners with Significant Disabilities

Description: This session will focus on assessing levels of communication for learners at the non-symbolic or early symbolic level of communication. The Communication Matrix (Rowland,C., 2006) will be used to review the assessment process and how to target levels for instruction and programming.

August 10th, 2020

Session 2: Promoting the Communicative Competence of Learners with Significant Disabilities

Description: This session will present participants with a variety of examples of learners at various pre-symbolic stages and intervention strategies to further their communicative abilities. It will also discuss the transition from pre-symbolic to emerging symbolic communication and describe interventions designed to promote the learner’s continued progress at this stage of expressive communication development.

August 12th, 2020

Health Care Transition

The Montana Deaf-Blind Project, in partnership with the Montana Transition Resources Project, is pleased to welcome Laura G. Buckner for this free learning opportunity.

August 6, 2020

ABLE Account Webinar

How can an ABLE account help you meet your goals? Watch the webinar to find out! Hint: you can save for qualified disability expenses without losing your eligibility for certain assistance programs, like Supplemental Social Income and Medicaid.  Presenters:  Theresa Baldry, Isaac Baldry, and Travis Hoffman

March 24, 2020

ABLE Account webinar recording (YouTube)
ABLE Account webinar transcript (text)
PDF version of the ABLE webinar
Handout for ABLE (PDF)
ABLE Webinar Questions and Answers (PDF)
ABLE Webinar Presenter Bios

2019 Training Archives

Montana Deaf-Blind ProjectTransition to Employment Webinar Series
hosted by the Montana Deaf-Blind Project

The purpose of this series of webinars is to provide teams supporting students with deaf-blindness and a significant impact of disability, the tools to: explore community employment as a post-school outcome for all of their students; begin identifying students’ interests, skills and abilities, and support needs; and, identify tasks the student could offer in employment. The end goal of the webinar series in year one is for teams to use the information to create an individualized work experience for a student they are currently working with.

Webinar One: Accessing Competitive Integrated Employment through a Customized Approach (training video)

This session will introduce audience members to strategies called customized employment and discovery; explain how discovery can be used as an alternative to traditional assessments, to highlight a student’s interests, abilities, support needs, and potential work tasks.

Webinar Two: Using the Strategies of Discovery to Learn about the Student

This session will introduce the strategies of observation, interview and description to assist teams to identify skills and interests, ideal conditions for success, and potential tasks that a student could do for employment.

Webinar Three: Translating the Information Learned in Discovery into Characteristics of a Well-matched Work Experience

The final webinar in this series will talk about how to translate what you have observed and learned during the work experience (or other Discovery activities) into a plan for additional work experiences and/or a blueprint for the student’s well-matched job.

2018 Training Archives

March 27, 2018 from 1-2:30 MDT
Transition from School to a Full Adult Life Part 1
Transition from School… Webinar PowerPoint Presentation (PDF)
Transition from School… Training Video

April 10, 2018 from 1-2:30 MDT
Transition from School to a Full Adult Life Part 2
Transition from School part 2… Webinar PowerPoint Presentation (PDF)
Transition from School part 2… Montana Milestones/Part C Handout (PDF)
Transition from School part 2… Student-led IEPs Handout (PDF)
Transition from School part 2… MYT Soft Skills Training Handout (PDF)
Transition from School part 2… Training Video

May 1, 2018 from 1-2:30 MDT
Alternatives to Guardianship
Alternatives… Webinar PowerPoint Presentation (PDF)
Alternatives… Promoting Options Less Restrictive Than Guardianship (PDF)
Alternatives… Alternatives That Promote Greater Self-Determination
Alternatives… Training Video

June 5, 2018 from 1-2:30 MDT
Medical Home Portal and Montana Parent Partner Program
Medical Home Portal… PowerPoint Presentation (PDF)
MT Parent Partner Project … PowerPoint Presentation (PDF)
Medical Home Portal… Training Video

2017 Training Archives

January 24, 2017 from 1-2:30 MST
Inclusion – We All Benefit Webinar (CSHS)
We All Benefit… Webinar PowerPoint Presentation (PDF)
We All Benefit… Training Video

February 9, 2017 from 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM MST
Preparing Youth with Disabilities for Careers and College through an Evolution of Pre-ETS Activities Part 1 (Pre-ETS)
Preparing Youth with Disabilities 1… Training Video
Preparing Youth with Disabilities 1… Webinar PowerPoint Presentation (PDF)
Preparing Youth with Disabilities 1… Progression Handout (PDF)
Preparing Youth with Disabilities 1… A Guide for Schools: Definitions, Examples, and Allowable Expenses Handout (Word)

March 9, 2017 from 1-2:30 MDT
Preparing Youth with Disabilities for Careers and College through an Evolution of Pre-ETS Activities Part 2 (Pre-ETS)
Preparing Youth with Disabilities 2… Training Video
Preparing Youth with Disabilities 2… Webinar PowerPoint Presentation (PDF)
Preparing Youth with Disabilities 2… Counseling Progression (PDF)
Preparing Youth with Disabilities 2… Self-Advocacy Progression (PDF)

March 28, 2017 from 1-2:30 MDT
Independent Living Skills and Resources for Transition-Age Youth (CSHS)
Independent Living Skills… Training Video
Independent Living Skills and Resources for Transition-Age Youth (PDF)
Region IV Timeline for Supporting an Individual through Transition (Word)

April 13, 2017 from 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM MST
Classroom-Based Pre-ETS Activities Webinar (Pre-ETS)
Classroom-Based Pre-ETS Activities Training Video
Customized Employment and Group Discovery (PDF)
Classroom Based Activities (PDF)
FIVE PRE-EMPLOYMENT TRANSITION SERVICES CATEGORIES (PDF)
Resource Summary (Word)
Student Earned Income Exclusion (Word)
Interagency Collaboration (PDF)

2016 Training Archives

March 1 from 1-2:30 MDT
What’s the Buzz about Inclusion (registration link) (CSHS)
What’s the Buzz… PowerPoint Presentation (PDF)
What’s the Buzz… Training Video

March 22 from 1-2:30 MDT
My Voice, My Choice, My Future (registration link) (CSHS)
My Voice, My Choice… Slideshow (PDF)
My Voice, My Choice… ASAN-Supported Decision making Model (PDF)
My Voice, My Choice… Sample power of attorney (PDF)
My Voice, My Choice… Training Video

March 24
An Overview of Pre-ETS and Activity Ideas (Pre-ETS)

April 12 1-2:30 MDT
Technology for All (registration link) (CSHS)
Technology for All… Slideshow (PDF)
Technology for All… Training Video

April 14
Work-Based Learning in Rural Communities (Pre-ETS)

May 10 1-2:30 MDT
Puzzle Pieces: Putting Together the Picture of Adult Life (CSHS)
Puzzle Pieces… Slideshow (PDF)
Puzzle Pieces… Training Video

May 12
Group Discovery as a Classroom-Based Tool (Pre-ETS)
Group Discovery Overview Handount (PDF)

June 9
What Are Soft Skills? (Pre-ETS)

July 14
Helping Parents to Think about Employment for Everyone (Pre-ETS)

August 11
Resources Available through Montana Workforce Agencies (Pre-ETS)

September 8
Pre-ETS Resources around Interests, Aptitudes and Career Guidance (Pre-ETS)

November 29, 2016 from 1-2:30 MDT
Self-Advocacy: Speaking Up for What You Want and Need (registration link) (CSHS)
Self-Advocacy… Webinar PowerPoint Presentation (PDF)
Self-Advocacy… Training Video

December 8, 2016 from 3:30-5 MST
Fulfilling the WIOA Mandate of Competitive Integrated Employment (registration link) (Pre-ETS)
Fulfilling the WIOA… Webinar PowerPoint Presentation (PDF)
Fulfilling the WIOA… ACICIEID Final Report (PDF)
Fulfilling the WIOA… Quick Guide: Preparing Students for Competitive Integrated Employment (PDF)
Fulfilling the WIOA… Olmstead Guidance for Employment (PDF)
Fulfilling the WIOA… Training Video

2015 Training Archives

March 24 from 1:00-2:30 MDT
A Vision of Employment for All: Preparing Youth to Work
A Vision of Employment for All… Training Video
A Vision of Employment for All… Essential Tools (PDF)
A Vision of Employment for All… Partnering Newsletter (PDF)
A Vision of Employment for All… PDF version of training (PDF)
A Vision of Employment for All… Work Experience Manual (PDF)
A Vision of Employment for All… WBL checklist (PDF)

April 7 from 1:00-2:30 MDT
Addressing Barriers to Employment
Addressing Barriers to Employment… Training Video
Addressing Barriers to Employment… Training Presentation (PDF)
Addressing Barriers to Employment… 5 Job Development Employer Negotiation Strategies handout (Word format)
Addressing Barriers to Employment… Job Development Tactics for Tough Times handout (Word format)
Addressing Barriers to Employment… Questions and Answers (PDF format)

April 28 from 1:00-2:30 MDT
MT Vocational Rehabilitation & Blind Services and the WIOA
WIOA… Training Video
WIOA… PDF version of training (PDF)

May 26 from 1:00-2:30 MDT
So You Want to Go to College?
Go to College… Training Video
Go to College… PDF version of training (PDF)

2014 Training Archives

January 14, 1-2:30 (MST)
The Role of the Job Coach and Strategies for Instruction–Part One
Note: This training is also known as Systematic Instruction and Job Coaching–Part One.
The Role of the Job Coach part 1… Training Video
The Role of the Job Coach part 1… PDF version of training
The Role of the Job Coach part 1… Job Analysis Form (RTF)
The Role of the Job Coach part 1… Discrepancy Analysis (RTF)
The Role of the Job Coach part 1… Task Analysis (RTF)
The Role of the Job Coach part 1… Additional Resources (RTF) (updated with working links)

February 18, 1-2:30 (MST)
The Role of the Job Coach and Strategies for Instruction–Part Two
Note: This training is also known as Systematic Instruction and Job Coaching–Part Two.
Note also: Due to a system malfunction with the webinar service, The Role of the Job Coach and Strategies for Instruction Part 2 session was not recorded. However, the PowerPoint slides and resource handout are available for download. We apologize for the inconvenience.
The Role of the Job Coach part 2… PDF version of training
The Role of the Job Coach part 2… Job Coach Resources (RTF)

March 18, 1-2:30 (MDT)
Planning Your Transition from Pediatric to Adult Health Care
Planning Your Transition… Training Video
Planning Your Transition… PDF version of training

May 13, 1-2:30 (MDT)
Self-Management Strategies for People to Live and Work Independently
Self-Management Strategies… Training Video
Self-Management Strategies… PDF version of training
Self-Management Strategies… Handout 1 (PDF)
Self-Management Strategies… Handout 2 (PDF)
Self-Management Strategies… Handout 3 (PDF)
Self-Management Strategies… Additional Resources (RTF)

We can develop and provide training and/or technical assistance for your target audience (parents, youth, school staff, provider agency staff, etc.) at your site or through long distance technology. Visit our Consultation and Technical Assistance Services page for more information.

This project is funded in whole or in part under a Contract with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. The statements herein do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Department.