The Florida & Virgin Islands (FAVI) DeafBlind Collaborative serves the entire state of Florida and the US Virgin Islands by providing training and consultation services to the families, educators, professionals and teams serving children and young adults (birth through 21) with concurrent hearing loss and vision loss.
DeafBlind individuals may receive FAVI services from birth until their 22nd birthday. These sensory losses may be diagnosed or suspected and include “documented functional” sensory losses. Children and young adults with conditions that put them “at risk” for sensory losses should be referred to FAVI for help with identifying and accommodating potential impacts.
If a parent, teacher, or provider has noticed that your child has difficulty using hearing and vision for communication and learning, contact the FAVI DeafBlind Collaborative for assistance.
Mission
The FAVI DeafBlind Collaborative is committed to promoting the full inclusion and participation of persons with deafblindness as active members of their communities. FAVI strives to build the capacity of families, schools, districts, and teams by providing training and disseminating information on sensory loss, multiple disabilities, and promising educational practices.
FAVI supports individuals, families, teams, and communities affected by deafblindness. FAVI engages in collaboration and consultation with key stakeholders.
Philosophy
We believe that:
- There is no single profile of a student who is deafblind
- Students who are deafblind can participate in every activity
- Students who are deafblind communicate in a variety of ways
- Many people who are deafblind can get around their communities independently
- Students who are deafblind can be included in every teaching environment
- Educational teams are critical
- Families are key players on those teams
Funded by the US Dept of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.