About the Collaborative

The New York Deaf-Blind Collaborative (NYDBC) is a five-year federally funded project which provides technical assistance--a system of program development and support--to improve services for children and youth who are deaf-blind (ages 0-21). The NYDBC is housed at Queens College in Flushing, New York, and is funded by the United States Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP).

The NYDBC staff is made up of five key personnel: project director, project coordinator, family specialist, administrative assistant, and principal investigator (see Project Staff). With more than 60 years of collective experience in deaf-blindness, the core staff has a range of knowledge and points of view concerning the needs of children and youth with combined hearing and vision loss.

Technical assistance, or TA, is a collaborative process between the project, the professionals, and the family that includes needs assessment, negotiation of goals, and decision making about services. These services may include the sharing of resources and information, networking with other parents or professionals both in person and online, on-site coaching and modeling, professional development both in person and online, among other options. Anyone who is involved in the life of a child or young adult who is deaf-blind is an eligible recipient of TA, including parents, professionals, and young adults who are deaf-blind.

The NYDBC maintains a registry of children and youth who are deaf-blind, which allows us to conduct effective outreach and support parents and professionals.