Pennsylvania Support Service Providers to People Who are Deaf-Blind Participate in Training
HARRISBURG, Pa., Feb. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Department of Labor & Industry's Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, the Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services, and the Office for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing, in conjunction with the Statewide Independent Living Council and the Center for Independent Living of Central PA, recently conducted a three-day training session for Support Service Providers, or SSPs, at the Three Rivers Center for Independent Living, Pittsburgh, and the Monroeville Mall, Monroeville.
The Helen Keller National Center of Sands Point, New York, led two of the day-long sessions, including training on the basics of deaf-blindness, cultural aspects of people who are deaf-blind, communication strategies and the roles and responsibilities of an SSP.
The final session, held at the Monroeville Mall, provided trainees with practice on human guiding throughout the mall using stairs, elevators and escalators with volunteers who are deaf-blind.
SSPs' services promote independence and enhance environmental cues, allowing individuals who are deaf-blind to make informed decisions.
The SSPs program is the first statewide program of its kind for individuals who are deaf-blind. A State Plan for Independent Living (SPIL) initiative, the program is funded by a pilot grant of federal and state dollars used to train and pay individuals to become qualified SSPs to work with Pennsylvanians who are deaf-blind, at least 18 years old and have completed high school. SSPs are independent contractors, interviewed and hired by individuals who are deaf-blind.
Participants who successfully completed the full training receive a Statement of Training Completion, are added to an approved SSP statewide registry and are eligible as independent contractors to provide services. Additional SSP training sessions are currently scheduled for February at Liberty Resources, the Philadelphia Center for Independent Living, and March at the Center for Independent Living of Central PA in Camp Hill.
For more information on SSPs or the services they provide, please visit http://www.aadb.org/information/ssp/ssp.html.
For more information on OVR, BBVS or ODHH, visit http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/disability_services/10355.
Media contact: PA Department of Labor & Industry, Sara Goulet, 717-787-7530, Center for Independent Living of Central PA, Theo Braddy, 717-731-1900, ext. 211 or cell, 717-395-8050.
SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry
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