About Deaf-BlindnessThere are approximately roughly 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. The word “deaf-blindness” 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.Our nation’s special education law, the IDEA, defines “deaf-blindness” 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)The National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness observes that the “key feature of deaf-blindness is that the combination of losses limits access to auditory and visual information.” This can severely limit an individual’s natural opportunities to learn and communicate with others. Finding Help for Children with Deaf-BlindnessVery young children (birth up to age 3) who are deaf-blind are typically eligible for under the Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities program of IDEA (also called Part C).

• Sound Design

Sound Design

These services are extremely important to children with deaf-blindness and their families, for the services are designed to address the child’s developmental and learning needs. Parents are involved in deciding what services their child and family need to address the challenges of deaf-blindness. Services are either provided free of charge to families or on a sliding cost scale based on the family’s income.To find the early intervention program in your area, ask your pediatrician, get in touch with the pediatric unit of a nearby hospital, or take a look at NICHCY’s for your state. We list the central contact for the early intervention system in every state. This office can put you in touch with a program near you.When children with deaf-blindness reach the age of 3, they transition into under Part B of IDEA.

Special education services are provided free through the public school system. Even if a child with deaf-blindness is not in school yet (for example, a four-year-old), the school system is still responsible for making sure that special education and related services are available to the child. Because deaf-blindness causes severe communication and other developmental and educational needs, it’s very important for children with deaf-blindness to receive special education and related services to address their individual needs. You can find out more about these services and how to access them by contacting the local elementary school in your area.Rather than duplicate the excellent work of others, NICHCY is pleased to connect you with an array of information and assistance already available on deaf-blindness.

What’s listed below is not exhaustive, but will certainly lead you to the founts of experience and knowledge that will be very helpful in addressing the challenges associated with deaf-blindness. Resource SectionWe’ve divided the resource section into several parts to speed you to information relevant to your concerns. Browse all the resources or jump to the type of resources you’re looking for.About deaf-blindnessFAQs about deaf-blindness.Overview of deaf-blindness.Children who are deaf-blind.Information about deaf-blindness. Personal insights and information from an individual with deaf-blindness.How do deaf-blind people communicate?The Deafblind Manual Alphabet.Find what’s out there on your topic.Search the world’s most comprehensive collection of books, articles, proceedings, videos and other materials about deaf-blindness.Finding Services in Your StateState deaf-blind projects.Every state has one. Find yours at the National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness.Visit the American Association of the Deaf-Blind.AADB provides a listing of state and local organizations for deaf-blind people and also a listing of service and rehabilitation agencies around the country.