Many students served by FAVI have not met their school district’s criteria for Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing or Blind/Visually Impaired services, and many more will not have “dual sensory impaired” indicated on their IEPs (Individual Education Programs). Most children and young adults with deafblindness have additional disabilities that may be considered their “primary” disabilities.
DeafBlindness means some level of hearing loss . . .
Any level of hearing loss from “at risk” to “profound” may interfere with an individual’s communication, understanding, and learning. A child may be at risk for hearing loss because of a genetic condition, a medical condition, family history, or injury. Central auditory processing disorder or auditory neuropathy may prevent a child from receiving or processing auditory stimuli. If a child has difficulty using their hearing to gather information or understand communication, they may have a “functional” hearing loss. And many other children will receive diagnoses ranging from mild hearing loss to profound deafness.
Plus some level of vision loss . . .
Any level of vision loss from “at risk” to total blindness may also interfere with an inidvidual’s learning and development. Genetic and medical conditions, injuries, and other risk factors may mean that a child is at risk for vision loss. Cortical or cerebral visual impairment (CVI) is a leading cause of vision loss for school-aged children. A child may demonstrate difficulty using their vision to identify, locate, observe, or understand. And many children will receive diagnoses ranging from low vision to total blindness.
CHARGE syndrome and Usher syndrome are leading genetic causes of deafblindness. Either diagnosis qualifies a child for services from their state deafblind project–regardless of medical or functional evaluations. Many other conditions may cause deafblindness, and other disabling conditions often accompany the combined hearing and vision loss. When an individual demonstrates difficulty using both hearing and vision to understand, learn, and communicate, the FAVI DeafBlind collaborative is available to help support the individual, family, and educational team.
Contact Us for help identifying deafblindness
If you suspect that a child may not be able to use her/his hearing and vision effectively, please refer the family to the Florida & Virgin Islands Deaf-Blind Collaborative. Make a referral and request assistance.
For more information on deafblindness, eligibility for the deafblind registry, and access to FAVI supports and services, please contact Dr. Shelly Voelker at 352-275-9505, or mailto:shellyv@ufl.edu.