In this segment of a two-part episode, Rachel Collins and Hilary Collins share perspectives from HELIX 2023, the annual conference celebrating high expectations for students with low incidence disabilities. Rachel and Hilary also discuss resources available to educators and practitioners who support students who are Deafblind.

Texas DeafBlind Project: txdeafblindproject.org PaTTAN Deaf-Blind Initiative: https://www.pattan.net/Disabilities/Deaf-Blind HELIX Conference: https://www.pattan.net/Training/Conferences/HELIX-Conference

Rachel began her career as a teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing in 1998. She quickly fell into deafblind education and served as a self-contained teacher for students who are deafblind for 10 years and as an itinerant teacher of students who are deafblind for 12 years after that. She joined the Texas Deafblind Project in 2022 and is currently one of the Deafblind Education Consultants on the team.

Hillary Keys is the Early Childhood Deafblind Education Consultant for the Texas Deafblind Project. She has worked as a classroom teacher, itinerant TVI/TDB, and Deafblind Specialist at a regional and statewide level. She is passionate about finding the best ways for children, especially those with complex needs, to interact, play, and experience joy. While she has diverse educational interests, Active Learning approach and early childhood development and learning are areas of strength. Hillary is the past chair of the Multiple Disabilities and Deafblindness Division of the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of Blind and Visually Impaired (AERBVI) and was also recognized by Texas AER with an award for her work in Active Learning.

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