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Commission News | Retraction & Apology
Mark your Calendar | Free iPhone app for crossing the street
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DeafBlind Family Community Intervener Program | |
Photo from Governor Polis' Instagram | |
In 2020, several parents of deafblind children approached Family Voices of Colorado to identify a system gap where there were no community intervener services available for their children. Together, they obtained a CCDHHDB grant in order to pilot a deafblind family intervener program for two years. From a CCDHHDB grant to legislation and a fully funded program, what an accomplishment! | |
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We are pleased to announce that on May 15, 2023, HB 23-1067, known as the Family Intervener Program Deafblind Children, was officially signed into law by Governor Polis.
The bill will allow for the establishment of a Family and Community Intervener program under CCDHHDB. The interveners will work with deafblind children to facilitate critical connections between the child, the child’s family, community, and environment. In addition, Interveners will be required to possess specific training in deafblindness, strategies to build language and communication skills, and intervention strategies. The program is anticipated to begin operations by October 1, 2023. More details forthcoming!
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Our May 2023 Navigator included an article titled, “DeafBlind Services: What is the difference between tactile ASL and Protactile?” The article contained inaccurate statements that were confusing and should not have been published. We appreciate our stakeholders and deafblind community who reached out to us to share concerns and hold us accountable. | |
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In light of all of the above, we formally retract this article and apologize for the confusion and any harm it may have caused.
As an alternative to the information in the article, we would like to share an InfoGuide created by Roberto Cabrera and the Outreach and Consultative Services Team: Accessibility and accommodation considerations with the deafblind community. It is informative, accurate, and vetted by deafblind stakeholders.
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Note that CCDHHDB will be closed for the following holidays:
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Monday, June 19 in observance of the Juneteenth state holiday.
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Monday, July 3 in observance of the Governor's Holiday.
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Tuesday, July 4 in observance of the Independence Day holiday.
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COEHDI Alliance Meetings
Next meeting: June 16 from 10-11:30 a.m.
Contact kcue@coehdi.org for the Zoom link.
COEHDI Early Intervention Task Force Meeting
Tuesday, June 20, 2-3 p.m.
Contact habraham@coehdi.org for the Zoom link
COEHDI Summer Break
Our task force and COEHDI Alliance work continues. We sent out a May/June bimonthly newsletter. Anticipate our next newsletter on August 1. In keeping with the tradition of past years, we will not be holding a July COEHDI Alliance meeting. As always, our Alliance and task force meetings are open to the public. Contact info@coehdi.org with any questions or comments. We value the participation of our stakeholders!
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DeafBlind service changes | |
Deafblind services has an updated process for contacting us! Please use dbs.ccdhhdb@state.co.us or 720-457-3679 for all inquiries regarding deafblind services and resources, e.g., SSP and/or O&M requests, vendor contracts, invoices, guidelines, information, consultations, etc. There is a team of subject matter experts ready to help you with your request. | |
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You may receive messages from multiple individuals depending on what the request includes. This realigned system will make our support more transparent and efficient.
The Legal Auxiliary Services program staff will be handling SSP scheduling. Gridcheck SSP scheduling queries and confirmations will come from the las.ccdhhdb@state.us email address. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have questions or need clarification.
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Free iPhone app for crossing the street | |
There is a new, free app designed to help travelers who are blind and deafblind read the pedestrian signal at a lighted intersection. Currently only available to iPhone users, the OKO app uses artificial intelligence and the phone’s camera technology to identify the walk, don’t walk, and countdown timer phase of the traffic cycle. | |
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It was inspired in 2020 when the pandemic greatly reduced the amount of vehicle traffic and pedestrian assistance available to blind and deafblind travelers crossing at lighted intersections.
The word OKO is Polish for “eye.” This app simply makes the pedestrian signal accessible to people who cannot see it. It does not tell you when it is safe to cross, that is always your decision.
This app is a smart solution for the following situations:
- At crossings without a strong parallel surge or no traffic present.
- At T-shaped or 3-way intersections with all turning traffic.
- If masking noises like construction or lawn mowers interfere with your ability to analyze the traffic using hearing.
- If sunlight glare interferes with your ability to read the pedestrian signal visually.
- At intersections where the nearside pedestrian signal button is way too far or way out of alignment with the down-curb.
By holding the iPhone steady at chest level with the rear camera facing away from you, OKO will search for the pedestrian signal light. When the pedestrian light is within the camera’s view, the traveler will experience one of three audible and haptic patterns:
- DON’T WALK or orange stop hand visual sends a slow (quarter notes) audible and haptic pulse pattern
- WALK or white walking person visual sends a fast (16th notes) audible and haptic pulse pattern
- Countdown timer visual signal sends a medium (eighth notes with downbeat accents) audible and haptic pulse pattern
The app does not replace orientation and mobility training or the use of a white cane, guide dog, or human guide at street crossings. There are several limitations to the OKO app:
- OKO is not capable of indicating a vehicle turning through the crossing or illegally running the red light while the walk light or countdown timer is on.
- OKO cannot detect the pedestrian signal at crossings wider than 8 lanes of traffic.
- OKO cannot detect the pedestrian signal accurately in dim or dark sky conditions when vehicle headlights are present.
- Using the OKO consumes a high percentage of battery power from the phone, and is not safe to use in low battery/power saver mode.
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Consumer feedback include the following:
- “I really like the strong combination of haptic and auditory feedback from the OKO signal. I also like that the app developers were keeping low vision users in mind.”
- “My hesitation is that it’s not a plug and play system, there is a pretty steep learning curve when your life is at stake. I suggest the first time someone tries using OKO that they go to a familiar intersection with a sighted spotter, ideally a Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist. Like all tech tools deafblind people use, OKO is just one resource and has to be used in conjunction with all our other tools.”
For more information contact Ellie Carlson, Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist and Deafblind Outreach Specialist at eleanor.carlson@state.co.us.
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This is The Navigator newsletter, a monthly report of news and updates from the Colorado Commission for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind. You can subscribe to related topics and other newsletters using our sign-up form. Contact us via email at
outreach.ccdhhdb@state.co.us
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