Deaf-Blindness
SFA
Camlin Goodell
Jerry Mullins
Beth Morgan
Donna O'Brien
“Blindness separates us from things,
but deafness separates us from
people.”
- Helen Keller
The term, “children with deafblindness,” means children and youth
having auditory and visual
impairments, the combination of
which creates such severe
communication and other
developmental and learning needs
that they cannot be appropriately
educated without special education
and related services, beyond those
that would be provided solely for
children with hearing impairments,
visual impairments, or severe
disabilities to address their
educational needs due to these
concurrent disabilities.
The legal definition from IDEA
2004
Our nation’s special education law, the IDEA, defines “deafblindness” as:
…concomitant [simultaneous] hearing and visual impairments,
the combination of which causes such severe communication
and other developmental and educational needs that they
cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely
for children with deafness or children with blindness.
[§300.8(c)(2)]
Eligibility requirements for deaf-blindness
under Texas Education Agency (TEA)
Deaf-blindness. A student with deaf-blindness is one who has been determined to meet the
criteria for deaf-blindness as stated in 34 CFR, §300.7(c)(2). In meeting the criteria stated in
34 CFR, §300.7(c)(2), a student with deaf-blindness is one who, based on the evaluations
specified in subsections (c)(3) and (c)(12) of this section:
(A) meets the eligibility criteria for auditory impairment specified in subsection (c)(3) of this
section and visual impairment specified in subsection (c)(12) of this section;
(B) meets the eligibility criteria for a student with a visual impairment and has a suspected
hearing loss that cannot be demonstrated conclusively, but a speech/language therapist, a
certified speech and language therapist, or a licensed speech language pathologist indicates
there is no speech at an age when speech would normally be expected;
(C) has documented hearing and visual losses that, if considered individually, may not meet
the requirements for auditory impairment or visual impairment, but the combination of such
losses adversely affects the student's educational performance; or
(D) has a documented medical diagnosis of a progressive medical condition that will result in
concomitant hearing and visual losses that, without special education intervention, will
adversely affect the student's educational performance.
The word “deafblindness” may seem as
if a person cannot hear
or see at all. The term
actually describes a
person who has some
degree of loss in both
vision and hearing. The
amount of loss in either
vision or hearing will
vary from person to
person.
There are approximately 45,000 to 50,000
individuals in the U.S who are deaf-blind.
According to the 2007 National Deaf-Blind Child
Count, over 10,000 are children under the age of 21.
Major causes of deaf-blindness
Syndromes
• Usher Syndrome is the most
common condition that affects both
hearing and vision. The major
symptoms of Usher Syndrome are
hearing loss and an eye disorder
called retinitis pigmentosa.
• Down Syndrome
• Trisomy 13: A chromosomal
abnormality
Major causes of deaf-blindness
•
•
•
•
•
Multiple Congenital Anomalies
CHARGE Sydrome
C - Coloboma (a hole in one of the structures of
the eye), central nervous system anomalies
H - Heart defects
A - Atresia of the choanae (a congenital disorder where the
back of the nasal passage (choana) is blocked
R - Retardation of growth and/or development
G - Genital and/or urinary defects (Hypogonadism)
E - Ear anomalies and/or deafness
Fetal alcohol syndrome
Hydrocephaly ("water on the brain”)
Maternal drug abuse
Microcephaly (head is smaller than average)
Major causes of deaf-blindness
Congenital Prenatal Dysfunction
• AIDS
• Herpes
• Rubella
• Syphilis
• Toxoplasmosis (a parasitic disease)
Major causes of deaf-blindness
• Post-natal Causes
• Asphyxia
• Encephalitis (an acute inflammation of
the brain)
• Head injury/trauma
• Meningitis
Some people are deafblind from birth. Others
may be born deaf or
hard-of-hearing and
become blind or visually
impaired later in life; or
the reverse may be the
case.
Still others may be
adventitiously deafblind—that is, they are
born with both sight
and hearing but lose
some or all of these
senses as a result of
accident or illness.
Deaf-blindness is often
accompanied by additional
disabilities. Causes such as
maternal rubella can also
affect the heart and the brain.
Some genetic syndromes or
brain injuries that cause deafblindness may also cause
cognitive disabilities and/or
physical disabilities.
Critical factors that influence the impact
of deaf-blindness
• Age at onset of loss
– Congenitally deaf-blind
– Adventitiously deaf-blind
– One sense congenitally impaired; other loss
acquired
Critical factors that influence the impact
of deaf-blindness
• Accompanying disabilities
– Cognitive impairments
– Physical impairments
– Complex health care issues
• Degree, type, and stability of vision
and hearing loss
Anticipated functional
implications of deaf-blindness
Communication
•Deaf-blind must make sense of the world using limited
information.
•Behavioral and emotional difficulties often accompany
deaf-blindness because of inability to understand and
communicate.
•Learning to communicate is the greatest challenge for the
deaf-blind.
•In order to learn language, children who are deaf-blind
must depend upon others to make language accessible to
them.
Individualized Education
• Education for a child with deaf-blindness needs to be
highly individualized.
• Assessment is crucial at every step of the way.
Sensory deficits can easily mislead even experienced
educators into under- or overestimating intelligence
and constructing inappropriate programs.
• It is necessary to engage the services of persons
familiar with the combination of both blindness and
deafness when planning the educational program of a
deaf-blind child.
Outlook for students
with deaf-blindness
Persons who are deaf-blind who have achieved an excellent
quality of life have this in common.
• They have come to accept themselves as individuals who have
unique experiences of the world.
• They have had educational experiences which have helped
them maximize their abilities to communicate and function
productively.
• They live in families, communities, or social groups that have
an attitude of welcoming acceptance.
Orientation and Mobility
•The child who is deaf-blind will need help
learning to move about in the world.
•Older children or adults who have lost vision
will also need assistance in order to build
confidence and independence in moving about
their world.
•Children who are deaf-blind may also have
additional physical and health problems that
limit their ability to move about.
References
Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.tsbvi.edu/deaf-blind-project
Texas Education Agency (Copyright 2007-2011). Retrieved from
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter089/ch089aa.html
U.S. Department of Education (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croot%2Cregs%2C300%2CA%2C300%252
E8%2Cc%2C2%2C
National Dissemenation Center for Children with Disabilities (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://nichcy.org/disability/specific/deafblindness
American Association of the Deaf-Blind (Copyright 2011). Retrieved from
http://www.aadb.org/FAQ/faq_DeafBlindness.html#cause
The National Information Clearinghouse On Children Who Are Deaf-Blind (January 2005).
Retrieved from http://www.unr.edu/educ/ndsip/factsht.html
Interpreting and working with Deaf-Blind people (June 23, 2008). Retrieved from
http://www.theinterpretersfriend.org/pd/ws/db/text.html