Rural

Resources pertaining to rural areas.

• (APRIL) The Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living
  Contact: Linda Gonzales, Executive Director
  5903 Powdermill Rd.
  Kent, Ohio 44240
  Voice: 330-678-7648
  Email: april-linda@neo.rr.com
  Web site: http://www.april-rural.org/
  APRIL has worked closely with rehabilitation professionals and educators in studying the issue of transportation in rural America. This site should be watched, as APRIL has engaged in very specific research and has been awarded an RSA grant for $1,494,218.00 for the period of 2001 to 2006 to study this issue.



• Early Intervention for Deaf Infants, Toddlers,
  and their Families Who Live in Rural Areas
  Web site: http://www.deafed.net/PublishedDocs/sub/010301a.htm
  This link contains several good questions/answers for the parents of deaf children living in rural America. The original home page for this site is dead, but the Q and A section remains open with an accompanying link to portfolios of varying degrees of disability with specific recommendations on service provider questions for each.



• Enabling Education Network
  EENET, Educational Support and Inclusion
  University of Manchester, Oxford Road
  Manchester M13 9PL
  Voice: +44 (0)161 275 3711
  Email: info@eenet.org.uk
  Web site: http://www.eenet.org.uk/
  This web site promotes the discussion of the education of marginalized populations of children in developing countries, including the deaf. Included is a listing of several links to organizations specializing in Deaf Issues.



• Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center
  800 Florida Ave. NE
  Washington, DC 20002
  Web site: http://clerccenter2.gallaudet.edu/
  KidsWorldDeafNet/library.html
  Key Clerc Center Contact Information As this web site states clearly, ruralness has been identified as a marker of special concern for access to information: “The goal of the KWDN Virtual Library is to provide concise, important information about the priority areas: literacy, family involvement, and transition from high school issues. Specifically, the Virtual Library focuses on the students with special needs targeted by the Clerc Center, deaf and hard of hearing students who also:
  • are lower achieving academically
  • come from non-English speaking homes
  • have secondary disabilities
  • are from diverse cultures, and
  • are from rural areas.“
  (from website)



• A Look at Rural Families Weighing Educational Options:
  Identifying the Factors that Influence Parents as
  They Make Educational Placement Decisions for Their Children
  Who Are Deaf
  Author: Vicki L. Wolfe, Ed.D
  Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center
  800 Florida Ave. NE
  Washington, DC 20002
  Web site: http://clerccenter2.gallaudet.edu/KidsWorldDeafNet/
  e-docs/rural-families/section-2.html
  A study of the decision-making process that occurs in families living in rural areas, facing long distances to access deaf education and other concerns that are presented thematically. A chat room access link is available on this page for those who wish to share.



• Missouri Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
  Contact: Dr. Roy Miller, Executive Director
  1103 Rear Southwest Boulevard
  Jefferson City, Missouri 65109
  TTY: (573) 526-5205; Voice: (573) 526-5205
  Email: ExecDir@mcdhh.state.mo.us
  Web site: http://www.mcdhh.state.mo.us/TaskForce/Findings.htm
  The Missouri State Task Force on Education of the Deaf Findings includes issues brought forth as the result of surveys, town meetings, and written documentation. Rural issues are discussed and national issues are reported.


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• Montana’s IDEA Services for Children and Youth with Deaf-Blindness Project
  Contact: Ted Maloney
  52 Corbin Hall
  Missoula, MT 59812
  TTY: (406)-243-5467; Voice: (406)-243-5467
  Email: rural@ruralinstitute.umt.edu
  Web site: http://ruralinstitute.umt.edu/contact_us.asp
  A site describing the plan that Montana is proposing to provide best practice for service delivery to children with deaf-blindness, to include: public awareness, identification, family services, technical assistance, community coordination and program evaluation.



• The National Grange
  Contact: Kermit Richardson
  National Grange Headquarters
  1616 H Street NW
  Washington, DC 20006-4999
  Voice: (202) 628-3507
  Web site: http://www.nationalgrange.org/
  The National Grange is an association that advocates for the well being of rural America. A targeted issue for the organization’s activism has resulted in the provision of services for the deaf throughout the country.



• NIDCD - National Institute on Deafness
  and Other Communication Disorders
  National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
  31 Center Drive, MSC 2320
  Bethesda, MD USA 20892-2320
  Email: nidcdinfo@nidcd.nih.gov
  Web site: http://search.info.nih.gov/s97is.vts
  This site is a useful reference guide for questions regarding the everyday rural noise hazards. There are routinely published warnings regarding the noise levels of operating pieces of farm equipment and other hazards, such as the sound of a single gunshot. The web site link above is for all published articles containing the keyword “rural”.



• Oxbow Human Service Consortium, Inc.
  Sam Dillon, Chairman of the Board
  Oxbow Consortium, Inc.
  P. O. Box 1017
  St. Paul, VA 24283-1017
  Voice: (540)762-0700
  Web site: http://coa.kumc.edu/rit/models/no_7.htm
  This site describes the initiative undertaken to serve the very rural area in “extreme western Virginia”, which was described as being either underserved, or not served at all in the recent past. There is a Deaf Resource Center being provided through this consortium’s efforts.



• RUPRI – Rural Policy Research Institute
  214 Middlebush Hall
  University of Missouri
  Columbia, MO 65211-6200
  Voice: (573) 882-0316
  Email: office@rupri.org
  Web site: http://www.rupri.org/
  The Rural Policy Research Institute operates on a number of levels, all of which may indirectly or directly affect the lives of rural deaf in America. Issues addressed include: rural health policy, poverty, telecommunications, rural assistance, and entrepreneurship. Formal representation within the federal and state governments on behalf of rural America is the result of the work done by the panels, committees, research and networks established.



• SD Dimensions: Special, “Empowering the Rural Disabled in Asia and the Pacific”
  Publishing and Multimedia Service FAO
  Viale delle Terme di Caracalla
  00100 Rome, Italy,
  Email: copyright@fao.org
  Web site: http://www.fao.org/sd/PPdirect/PPre0042.htm
  This article, published by the Sustainable Development (SD) Department of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, outlines several working points when addressing service delivery to rural residents with disabilities, living in Asia and the Pacific, including those who are deaf. International organizations are listed with contact information.


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• Shared Reading Project
  a part of Gallaudet University’s literacy program, sponsored by Deaf Connection.
  TTY: (206)439-6911;
  Web site: http://www.deafconn.com/SRP.htm
  This site focuses on literacy building and is through Gallaudet University. While the primary delivery system involved personal home visits by tutors, the project is now targeting deaf rural residents by using video conferencing technology. The contact name for this project is Howie Seago at the Puget Sound Educational Service District (PSESD). The project aimed at increasing literacy has seen a successful outcome and has been augmented by an additional tool to reach those in rural America. This is called “The Shared Reading Video Outreach Project”, (SRVOP) and uses technology to access video contact with SRP reading tutors.



• South Carolina DeafBlind Project
  Contact: Suzann C. Long, Project Coordinator Pee Dee Education Center
  520 Francis Marion Road
  Florence, SC 29506
  Voice: 843-669-3391
  Web site: http://www.pdec.state.sc.us/deafblind/
  This project is a collaborative effort amongst several states agencies in South Carolina and can be viewed online as a resource for consumers and those interested in developing services for deafblind individuals living in rural areas.


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