Reporting an Eligible Child/Young Adult
Please report a child/young adult who needs individualized assistance using the Family Intake Survey:
EMAIL IS NOT A HIPAA-COMPLIANT MEANS OF EXCHANGING PROTECTED INFORMATION
About the Census
The Florida & Virgin Islands (FAVI) DeafBlind Collaborative is the State DeafBlind Project responsible for recording data on DeafBlind children and young adults in Florida and the US Virgin Islands (St Thomas, St John, St Croix, Water Island). Florida and USVI school districts are required to report students with both vision and hearing losses to FAVI. Children and young adults with deafblindness are entered in the Florida or USVI Deafblind Registry as they are identified and reported to us. The “census” is updated annually, based on the December 1st “Child Count” by each school district. Ages, etiologies, sensory loss levels, other disabilities, and de-identified demographic information are reported annually to the federal government via the National Child Count report.
(See more info on the National Child Count of Children and Youth who are DeafBlind.)
“Census” forms are used to report children and young adults (ages birth – 22 years) to the FAVI DeafBlind Collaborative. Individuals with both vision and hearing loss (diagnosed or suspected) will be added to the Florida or USVI DeafBlind Registry. These individuals, their families, and educational teams then become eligible for consultation with and assistance from FAVI specialists.
Registration
Any professional or family member may report an individual with BOTH hearing and vision losses to the FAVI DeafBlind Collaborative (please see information and forms below).
- Deaf-Blind Census Memo
- FERPA note
- Learning About Sensory Loss: Conditions that put a Child at-Risk for Hearing and/or Vision Loss
Forms must be PRINTED AND FAXED to 352-273-8539!
- Blank census record
- If a Part C student has transitioned to Part B or left your region . . .
- If a Part B student has graduated or left your district . . .
PLEASE DO NOT USE EMAIL TO SUBMIT ANY FORMS WITH IDENTIFYING INFORMATION
(names, addresses, birth dates, etc.):
- Fax documents to Shelly Voelker at: 352-273-8539
- Contact Shelly (shellyv@ufl.edu) with questions or for mailing instructions
HIPAA and FERPA Compliance
When collecting data for the National Child Count of Children and Youth Who Are DeafBlind (aka “census”), the FAVI DeafBlind Collaborative functions as a HIPAA-covered entity that transforms nonstandard information on children and youth with deafblindness into standard format for the annual census. Under HIPAA, healthcare providers may disclose de-identified information to the Florida or USVI registry of children and youth who are deafblind without authorization. In compliance with HIPAA and FERPA, FAVI transmits only de-identified information about the health and disability profiles of children and youth with deafblindness to the National Consortium on DeafBlindness for the annual census.
Help Us to Help Families: Make a Referral
Help the Florida & Virgin Islands DeafBlind Collaborative to help DeafBlind children and youth, families, and professionals!
Encourage families to complete a Consent for the Exchange of Information & Records, so that we can provide information and offer services to children with deafblindness, their families, and their educational teams.
Consentimiento para el intercambio de información _ registros
Once a family has provided consent, any family member or team member may make a
Request for Technical Assistance from the Florida deaf-blind project.