Deaf Blind and What it Means: Let’s think about this for a minute, a person who is deaf-blind is unable to see or hear anything, right? Wrong. That is the biggest misconception about the classification. In fact, only about 6% of individuals with the label have complete loss of both senses. Deaf-blind includes varying degrees of dual vision and hearing loss. Keeping that in mind, the range of the sensory impairments included in the deaf-blind classification is quite large.

The second biggest misconception about individuals who are classified as deaf-blind is that they are not intelligent and cannot communicate. Both ideas are inaccurate. It is estimated that 95% of the information an individual receives is via auditory or visual means. Therefore, students with significant auditory or visual impairments don’t have access to the same information that a child with typical hearing or vision does. This lack of access to obtaining information from a natural environment must be closely examined prior to assessing a child’s cognitive and communicative abilities.

IDEA and Deaf-Blind

Here’s where things get even more interesting. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, is a federally mandated law outlining how states must educate children with disabilities. There are certain criteria a child must meet in order to receive special education services, and there are only 14 specific categories of disability that are recognized under IDEA. Two of those 14 categories are Deaf-blind, and multiple disabilities. Given the aforementioned categories, how can one be sure which label is appropriate?
 
According to IDEA [§300.8(c)(2)], deaf-blindness is defined as:
"deafblindness means concomitant hearing and visual impairments, the combination of which creates 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".

According to section §300.8(c)(7) of IDEA multiple disabilities is defined as:
"multiple disabilities" means concomitant impairment (such as mental retardation-blindness, mental retardation-orthopedic impairment, etc) combinations of which causes such severe educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for one of the impairments.  The term does not include deaf-blindness…”

To be extremely clear in the difference between the two labels for reporting purposes, IDEA states in section § 300.751 (f)(1);
(1)  If a child has only two disabilities, and those disabilities are deafness and blindness, and the child is not reported as having developmental delays, that child must be reported under the category "deaf-blindness".
(2)  A child who has more than one disability and is not reported as having deafblindness or as having a developmental delay must be reported under the category "multiple disabilities”

Educational Impact Given the Classification of Deaf-Blind

Section §300.114 of IDEA refers to the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). Simply stated, LRE mean that all children with disabilities must be educated to the maximum extent appropriate with their non-disabled peers. It is the school's job to ensure that all students with disabilities are educated as similarly as their non-disabled peers as possible, so long as they are successful. Given the unique needs and intervention required for students who are deaf-blind, this becomes quite a challenge.

Children with deaf-blindness require distinct teaching methods that differ from those who have only a single deficit. When both hearing and vision are affected, especially from birth, the natural opportunities to explore the world and learn to communicate are severely limited; therefore early intervention services are key to educating a child who is deaf-blind.

Under the Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities program of IDEA (also called Part C of IDEA), infants and toddlers (birth to three years of age) who are deaf-blind are typically eligible for early intervention services. These services are designed to meet the child’s developmental needs and begin to address communication, social and ambulatory skills. When these children reach the age of three they are then eligible for special education services under part B of IDEA. Even if a child is not yet eligible to attend school due to his or her age (i.e., is still 4 and is required to be 5 to begin kindergarten), the school system is still required to ensure that special education and related services (OT, PT, Speech) are available to the child.

Under section B of IDEA, children who are deaf-blind, and “school aged” (typically 5-21 years old) are eligible for special education services. At this point an Individualized Education Program (IEP) would be planned and specific goals and objectives would be designed to ensure the child’s growth in education. In addition, if the child requires related services, these services would be provided within the school setting or in as natural an environment as possible. Due to the nature of the disability numerous professionals may need to be involved in the child’s education.  In many instances, the school would benefit from developing an IEP with additional professional input from physical and occupational therapists, vision teachers, health professionals, assistive technology professionals, and orientation and mobility specialists.

Educating Deaf-Blind Students

As you can imagine, educating a person who is deaf-blind may be a challenge.  Think for a moment how difficult it would be to learn if you were deaf-blind. For a person who has typical hearing and vision, the world extends well beyond their physical reaches. In essence, for those with typical auditory and visual functioning, the world is boundless. However, for an individual who is deaf-blind the world may only extend to his outstretched fingertips; it can be a very narrow place.

This narrow experience of the world tends to cause severe frustration. Children and adults who are deaf-blind need to somehow make sense of the world around them, and with limited senses that task can be daunting. Emotional and behavioral difficulties often go hand in hand with the label of deaf-blind due to the individuals’ inability to communicate and/or understand the world around them.

Two essential pieces of educating a deaf-blind child must be included in his/her IEP. Communication and mobility are key to fostering a more independent life-style, and therefore must be at the forefront of a child’s plan.

Communication is the primary mode in which everyone can access to the world. We utilize communication to not only explain our wants and desires, but more importantly our needs. If children who are deaf-blind are able to communicate, their world will not only expand, but they will be afforded more opportunities to learn and grow. Helen Keller, one of the world's most famous and influential deaf-blind individuals learned the power of communication through finger spelling. She said later, as she reflected on the first time she interacted with other children that were deaf at Perkins School for the Blind in Boston, “I was delighted to find that nearly all of my new friends could spell with their fingers. Oh, what happiness! To talk freely with other children! To feel at home in the great world!” If it had not been for her ability to communicate, Helen would never have been able to “feel at home,” and in turn become such an influential leader in the deaf-blind community.

According to the National Consortium on Deaf-Blind, there are communication systems that are available to teach children who are deaf-blind to communicate.
[The] Principal communication systems for persons who are deaf-blind are:
- touch cues
- gestures
- object symbols
- picture symbols
- sign language
- finger spelling
- Signed English
- Pidgin Signed English
- braille writing and reading
- Tadoma method of speech reading
- American Sign Language
- large print writing and reading
- lip-reading speech

Orientation and mobility professionals are also crucial when teaching a child about the world. Due to their lack of vision, a child may not only have difficulty navigating through the world; they may also be disinterested in what's out there or fear it. Teaching a child who is deaf-blind to move safely through environments is a key component to opening up new experiences, and thus a greater education.

Developing an IEP for a Deaf-Blind Student 

So, who makes the final determination on the specifics about a plan for a student that is classified as Deaf-Blind?  A multidisciplinary or IEP team, that's who. Beyond the usual suspects- a parent, a regular education teacher, special education teacher, etc. - a vision specialist, Braille instructor, speech/language pathologist and/or an orientation and mobility instructor might also be invited to offer their unique and valuable insights to the team in order to make the most appropriate plan possible.

Due to their particularly unique needs, educating a child who is deaf-blind needs to be extremely individualized. The limited ways in which information can be presented to the child creates a demand for a well-organized program that stems from the child’s interests. Assessments must be frequent and are essential for planning the next steps in the child’s educational plan. These assessments must always bear in mind the fact that unique sensory deficits may lead to a false interpretation of his/her intelligence.

Ultimately, children who are deaf-blind can be well educated and lead independent lives. Although, at the moment, only approximately 15% of children who are deaf-blind are fully included throughout the school day, the implementation of an effective IEP is critical to a valuable education. A highly qualified school team that is able to work collaboratively is the key for a child who is deaf-blind to achieve success.


References:

AADB

About National Deaf Blind

National Deaf Blind Population

National Deaf Blind Products

Nichy.org

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