This brief, co-produced by the National Center on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB) and Accessible Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Systems (ATLAS), provides important information about students with dual sensory loss who also have significant cognitive disabilities, as well as recommendations for identification and implications for instruction. The…

Students who are Deaf with Disabilities (DWD) comprise an extremely heterogeneous population. Similar to students who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing (DHH), students who are DWD vary in terms of degree, type, and age at onset of hearing loss, amplification, and preferred communication method. However, students who are DWD are also diverse in terms…

Fathers of children with complex disabilities can play an important role in the development and learning of their children; however, very little is known about their school involvement experiences. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 fathers of children with complex disabilities to learn how these fathers perceived their involvement in…

CHARGE syndrome, although a low incidence condition, is now recognised as a leading cause of congenital deafblindness among genetic conditions. Anecdotal reporting has suggested that learners with CHARGE syndrome are distinct from the wider deafblind population. This study investigates the education of learners with CHARGE syndrome, while also…

The Frank Porter Graham (FPG) Child Development Institute, Early Intervention Training Center for Infants and Toddlers with Visual Impairments and Their Families, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was a national project that developed resources with the goal of building the capacity of colleges and universities to prepare personnel to…

Introduction: This study analyzed survey responses from 114 orientation and mobility (O&M) specialists regarding the content and procedures they used in completing O&M assessments. Methods: O&M specialists completed an online survey in 2020 on their assessment practices for children and youths who are visually impaired. Results: Over…

Introduction: This study examines the postschool outcomes for youths with deafblindness, aged 18-30 years, in the areas of independent living, employment, and friendships. Methods: Survey data were collected on 80 youths with deafblindness across the United States. Data addressed postschool outcomes, in addition to youths' demographics and high…

This article presents an overview of recommended practices for assessing students who are deaf/hard of hearing, visually impaired, or deafblind. These recommendations were originally derived from a systematic review of research studies, policy documents, and professional literature on assessment (1990-2013) for the Collaboration for Effective…

As the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) increases, so has the escalation of the diagnosis of ASD individuals with deafblindness (DB). This literature review examines the characteristics of individuals with DB and those with ASD, overlapping characteristics of the two disorders, intervention practices used in each field, evidence-based…

This article highlights a theoretical and practical framework for integrating the neuropsychological concept of autobiographical memory with the experiential learning that takes place in the outdoors. Autobiographical memories, our recollections of specific, personal events, are constructed through a personal narrative process; the way we choose…

The National Deaf-Blind Child Count is conducted each year to supplement OSEP's Federal Part C and Part B child counts, which include children as deaf-blind only when deaf-blindness is their single disability. In contrast, the National Deaf-Blind Child Count includes children whose disability is solely deaf-blindness, as well as those who have…

While some people feel that an infant who will never see or hear can bring only heartache, Orion's family knew differently. Deafblindness is not just about the absence of sight and sound. It is so much more than the sum of these two parts. What one learns from experiencing the collaboration between a teacher of the deaf and a teacher of the…

Data from the 2014 National Center on Deaf-Blindness Count show that fewer than 100 infants and toddlers are currently identified with deafblindness across the United States and that identification rates for this population vary greatly from state to state. The author presents a key rationale for timely and accurate identification of early-onset…

Background: Recent studies have shown that it is possible to foster affective involvement between people with congenital deafblindness and their communication partners. Affective involvement is crucial for well-being, and it is important to know whether it can also be fostered with people who have congenital deafblindness and intellectual…

In recent years, teacher trainees have seen an increase in the number of students with both vision and hearing loss. The faculty of Vanderbilt University's master's degree program in education of the deaf wrote and received a grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs to address the needs of these unique…