Public Notice

Notice: The IESDB Board of Directors Regular Board meeting, will be held Tuesday, April 9th, at 2:00 PM.

Welcome to Our Site

Brian Darcy, Agency Administrator

Dear Students, Families, and Staff, Stakeholders and Community partners,

Welcome back to another exciting year at the Idaho Educational Services for the Deaf and the Blind! As we embark on this new academic journey, I am filled with immense pride and optimism for the exceptional opportunities that lie ahead. Our commitment to providing an inclusive and empowering education remains unwavering. Our dedicated educators, support staff, and administrators have spent countless hours preparing for this moment – a moment that symbolizes not just a return to school, but a return to growth, learning, and community.

For our students who are Deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or low vision, this is a place where your unique talents are celebrated, and your dreams are nurtured. We understand that every individual's path is different, and we are here to guide and support you every step of the way to achieve your potential. Together, we will conquer challenges, discover new strengths, and achieve remarkable feats. Families, you are an integral part of our school community. Your partnership, insights, and involvement contribute significantly to the success of our students. We encourage open communication and collaboration to ensure that each student's needs are met comprehensively and effectively. As we navigate the current educational landscape, we remain adaptable and resourceful. We have integrated the latest technologies and teaching methodologies to enhance the learning experience, both in-person and through distance education. The partnerships we have developed only enhance the educational services we provide. Our goal is to provide a safe and conducive environment for all students to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.

In my 13 years in this position, I never tire of witnessing the growth of our students as they explore new subjects, engage in meaningful discussions, and form lasting friendships. Let us embrace the spirit of curiosity, empathy, and determination that defines our small community. I am also thrilled to highlight the important role of our Outreach Services. These services extend beyond the walls of our school and into local communities, into local school districts, and the sanctity of homes, ensuring that the valuable resources and support we offer are accessible to as many students and families as possible. Our commitment to outreach reflects our belief in the transformative power of education, empowerment, and inclusion.

On behalf of the entire Idaho Educational Services for the Deaf and the Blind family, I extend a warm welcome to all – returning students, new students, families, and staff. Let us make this academic year one of resilience, learning, and joy. Here's to a successful and enriching school year! Cheers!

Conference Highlights IeSDB Preschool Research

Jana at NYC conference

An amazing opportunity arose for the to participate in a research study with Dr. Jessica Trussell, Assistant Professor at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID). We would be participating in a replication study to implement Dialogic Reading (DR) with our preschool students. Our study would replicate two other studies that have already been completed. The results of the previous two studies documented a positive effect on vocabulary learning for children with a hearing loss. Joy Kane and Janna Dunagan, preschool teachers at River Valley Elementary, jumped at the opportunity!

As most people know, there are not many research based strategies documented in Deaf Education. We wanted to be part of something big! We were in hopes that we could impact our profession through this research opportunity. From our experience, I would like to say we did!

We helped to put Idaho on the map by attendingThe Association of College Educators-Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) 2016 Conference in NYC to present our research with Dr. Trussell. This is an annual conference that brings all of the professors from across the U.S. to share their current research in Deaf Education. These are the professors that are training the future teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing. What an opportunity to share our research! The best part about sharing our research, was that our replication study also showed positive effects when implementing the DR strategy with our DHH preschool students! The positive effects of DR and picture vocabulary showed consistent data regardless of the communication mode the intervention completed. This also supported the previous studies research findings that mode of communication did not impact the outcome of the students learning. After our presentation, we felt like we had made our mark! We hope that another researcher will continue this study... we only need three more to become a research based strategy for DHH students.

We were the only two teachers that attended this conference. We made contacts that will be piloting new curriculum for preschool and kindergarten next year across the nation. We hope to be selected as part of this opportunity. One of the programs is a fingerspelling phonological awareness curriculum!! Not only did we present our positive effect findings with NTID, we networked with professors across the country, and were able to learn the most current research findings within our filed. Joy and I hope to bring all this information back to all the educators and parents in Idaho! We have so much to share. Please feel free to contact me to discuss our research and or our experience in NYC.