Affiliated Blind of Louisiana (ABL)

409 West St. Mary Blvd., Lafayette, LA  70506

Erica Wallace, SSP Coordinator

Christine Scott, Program Assistant

Vacant, Program Liaison

337-234-6492 voice; 337-446-4648 videophone

abldbservice@gmail.com

www.affiliatedblind.org

Service Area: Louisiana Statewide

Program Established: February 2008

Funding Amount:  $625,000 annually

Funding Sources: Telecommunications Tax funded through legislation and managed by Louisiana Commission for the Deaf
Eligibility: The Louisiana Commission for the Deaf (LCD) provides SSP services to Louisiana residents who are DeafBlind as defined by US legislature. Eligible participants will have:

• Central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in their better eye with corrective lenses or a visual field defect (such as Usher’s Syndrome)
• Chronic hearing loss so severe that most speech cannot be understood.
• Extreme difficulty in doing daily life activities, participating in social activities, or getting a job on their own.

If an individual cannot have their hearing and vision properly measured, but they have severe hearing and visual disabilities that make it extremely difficult to be independent, they may still be eligible for the program. 

Number of Individuals Served: 82

Preferred Terminology: SSP

Certification/Endorsement:  No certification or training CEUs are offered at the time

Types of Service Requests: A Service Support Provider (SSP) is a trained guide who works one-on-one with a person who is DeafBlind to communicate information. They act as a sighted guide to help their client perform everyday activities. SSPs provide information about a person's physical and social environmental via tactile sign language or other methods of communication. This empowers DeafBlind individuals to fully participate in activities in their community and live with more self-confidence. 

Here are a few examples of the types of services an SSP can provide:

• Driving to and from the grocery store with you and helping you purchase items;
• Providing information about your physical surroundings, such as where you are;
• Providing social information, such as describing the mood of people around you;
• Communicating with people using the DeafBlind person’s preferred mode of communication (sign language, tactile communication, speech, etc); and
• Additional support such as shopping, visiting friends/family, eating at restaurants, looking around, mail reading, paying bills, phone calls, any medical/legal appointments, and/or exercising.

Training Requirements: SSP will engage in at least one 8-hour orientation to receive Deaf-Blindness training, which includes: policies/procedures, topics of DeafBlind related information, and SSP code of ethics. New hires will have an opportunity to observe approved DeafBlind Instructor classes and volunteer with three different DeafBlind individuals prior to starting employment. Individual training for DB clients can be provided by DB teachers upon request.

Program Coordination: Full-Time coordinator and assistance – scheduling, payroll, files, advocacy, etc.

Transportation:  SSPs are allowed to provide transportation as part of the assignment but may not provide transportation as the only service. 

SSP Pay Rate:  SSP starting pay is $18/hour.

Other: All qualified and registered DeafBlind residents are allocated 25 hours per month to use as they choose. However, we have developed and are implementing DeafBlind assessments to determine additional hours as hours vary among each DeafBlind individual.