Maine’s Learning Results are founded on two key principles: (1) all children can learn; and (2) children need equal opportunities to achieve them (Baker & Gervais, 1996). Communication is a critical skill for all students (Downing, 1996) and is articulated in the first Guiding Principle in the Learning Results, that each Maine student must leave school as A Clear and Effective Communicator. For students with severe and multiple disabilities, a lack of meaningful communication greatly affects their ability to be actively involved in and to benefit from most learning situations. While educational reform discussions include all students, the challenges that students with severe disabilities present to the realization of these high standards must be addressed. If Maine is to realize the achievement of the Learning Results for all students, students whose severe communication impairments greatly limit their ability to learn and to demonstrate what they know and are able to do must have access to meaningful and functional communication systems designed to meet their unique learning, physical and communication needs. This project extends the promise articulated in the Learning Results to students with severe communication impairments.

Funded by the Maine Department of Education’s Comprehensive System of Personnel Development, this project was proposed as a collaborative model of intensive training and technical assistance to build the capacity of interdisciplinary school based teams to provide for the communication needs of students with severe communication impairments and to assure their participation in high quality and meaningful inclusive education. Invitations and applications to participate were widely distributed in August to Maine superintendents, special education directors, speech/language pathologists, and occupational therapists. Many more applications were received than could be accommodated. Ten teams were selected and training and technical assistance activities were commenced in October.

Project staff reflect the interdisciplinary nature of the project’s efforts: Lynn Gitlow is an occupational therapist with considerable expertise in assistive technology; Barb Mintz is a speech/language pathologist with considerable experience in augmentative communciation and facilitated communication; Alan Kurtz is a special educator with considerable expertise in facilitated communication training and positive supports; Colette Bilodeau is a graduate student in communication disorders with an interest in augmentative communication; and Debbie Gilmer is a special educator with considerable expertise in inclusive education.

The ten interdisciplinary teams selected represent ten students with severe communication impairments ranging from 5 years of age - 17 years of age and at least one parent or family member and include students with diagnoses ranging from cerebral palsy, head injury, autism, mental retardation, and multiple disabilities. Each team identified goals for their student, designed a technical assistance plan and, based upon that plan, have received technical assistance from the project staff at least monthly following two days of training in October.

A limited amount of technical assistance is available to parents and educators related to the needs of individual students with severe communication impairments beyond the ten teams. To date, we have provided up to two days of technical assistance to an additional ten students and their teams related to assistive technology, software, AAC and/or facilitated communication.

The project’s intent, in addition to supporting the teams to design a communication system for their student, is to study this collaborative model of staff development and capacity building. The teams will present their efforts at a workshop sponsored by the project in April and evaluation results will be available following the completion of the project this summer. For additional information please don’t hesitate to contact a member of the project staff by calling (207) 581-1084 voice or (207) 581-3328 TT.