Special Education Services: A Manual of Policies, Procedures and Guidelines

E.7 DeafBlind

Definition
A student with deafblindness has a degree of visual and auditory impairment which, when compounded, results in significant difficulties in developing communicative, educational, vocational, avocational, and social skills.

To be considered deafblind the student's vision and auditory impairments can range from partial sight to total blindness and from moderate to profound hearing loss.

Students who are identified and assessed as deafblind are eligible for supplemental funding when the following conditions are met:

• The student meets the above eligibility criteria; and
• A current IEP is in place that includes:
  • individualized goals with measurable objectives,
  • adaptations and/or modifications where appropriate,
  • the strategies to meet these goals, and
  • measures for tracking student achievement in relation to the goals.
• Ongoing special education service(s) must be provided.
• The services being provided are beyond those offered to the general student population and are proportionate to level of need(s).
• The special education services are outlined in the IEP and directly relate to the student’s identified special needs.
• Reduction in class size is not by itself a sufficient service to meet the definition.

Identification and Assessment
Districts should have current information that describes the sensory acuities (vision and hearing), physical development, orientation and mobility (skills and knowledge), social development, academic abilities, educational achievement, and communicative competence of students who are deafblind.

This information is best obtained for students who are deafblind through a multidisciplinary assessment process.

Planning and Implementation
The needs of students who are deafblind are varied. Therefore instruction should be adapted and the curriculum modified to reflect individual needs. Many students who are deafblind have potentially useful hearing and/or vision that enhance their potential for integration into the classroom. However, specific intervention and appropriate support should be available in order for each student to develop and learn. The student's educational requirements and any special measures that are to be taken in order to help meet those requirements must be documented in a formal Individual Education Plan.

When an IEP is developed, the following needs should be considered:

• communication skills;
• social skills;
• orientation and mobility skills;
• visual skills;
• auditory skills;
• daily living skills;
• academic skills;
• specialized skills in reading (e.g., Braille, large print, closed captioned TV [CCTV]);
• specialized skills in mathematics (e.g., abacus, Nemeth Code);
• access to technology (e.g., tape recorders, microcomputers); and
• study skills and note-taking strategies.

Evaluation and Reporting
Reports of student progress should be based on the goals, strategies and outcomes outlined in the IEP. Some students who are deafblind are able to meet the objectives of the curriculum if appropriate adaptations are made to instruction and assessment methods.

Parents should receive reports on the student's progress for all aspects of the IEP as part of the school's usual reporting process.

Personnel
Teachers with responsibilities for supporting students in this category should fulfill the qualifications described for Learning Assistance teacher (see Section D.1 Learning Assistance Services).

School districts should use the services of qualified personnel to meet the needs of students who are deafblind, as the educational strategies that are effective for those with a single sensory impairment are frequently ineffective with students with the dual sensory impairment of deafblindness.

If qualified teachers of the deafblind are not available then it is recommended that consultation services for district personnel be sought from other sources such as the Provincial Outreach Program for Deafblind Students (see Resources below).

If the support of an intervenor or a teacher assistant is warranted, the classroom teacher should consult with specialist personnel to assist him or her in developing, directing and monitoring the assistant's or intervenor's activities. Teachers’ assistants or intervenors should have sufficient training and understanding of deafblindness for the duties they are assigned.

Resources
Provincial Outreach Program for Deafblind Students
The Provincial Outreach Program for Deafblind Students is available to provide consultative services to school districts enrolling deafblind students.

Consultants work with the team of service providers to help them plan and implement a consistent program designed to meet the needs of the deafblind student in the school, the family and the community. The consultants are educational specialists in the field of deafblindness. Their experience and training has qualified them to provide support to other professionals and parents working with deafblind students.

Provincial School for the Deaf
Referrals to the Provincial School for the Deaf and other Provincial Resource Programs for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing may be made through the Provincial Educational Review Committee for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (PERCDHH) .

Provincial Resource Centre for the Visually Impaired – PRCVI or SET-BC
School districts may borrow learning resources, reference materials and equipment for use with students with deafblindness from the Provincial Resource Centre for the Visually Impaired (PRCVI) and in some instances from Special Education Technology-British Columbia (SET-BC).

Auditory Training Equipment (ATE)
School boards determine whether students who have a hearing loss need auditory training equipment for classroom use. The Ministry of Education makes auditory training equipment available to school districts for the use of deaf and hard of hearing students in public and independent schools and provides for routine maintenance. See Appendix H.2.1 Auditory Training Equipment (ATE).

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