The experiences of two students with deaf-blindness who were placed in a gifted and talented program at a public junior high school illustrate the importance of providing adequate transitional support for students with deaf-blindness. Their successful transition from a residential program to the gifted and talented program is described. (CR)

This directory provides information on programs for deaf-blind children and adults including national and state programs, the Helen Keller Centers for Deaf-Blind Youth and Adults, and programs for training teachers of deaf-blind students. Within each broad category, programs are listed alphabetically by state and provide detailed contact…

This article offers a set of principles, procedures, and special considerations for teaching students who are deaf-blind with cognitive disabilities to make their own choices during mealtimes. The article shows how a typical daily activity can be used to teach choice making and how this skill can be increased in complexity as the student…

Children who are congenitally deafblind face barriers to the development of early communication functions, including limited access to social and context cues that support the identification of functions expressed by others. This study addresses two research questions: What functions of communication will teachers express when interacting with…

Empirical data on the development of interaction, communication, and language in deafblind children is very rare. To fill this gap, a case study was conducted in which the interaction between a teacher and a deafblind boy age 3 years 4 months was analyzed. Sequential analysis of their interaction confirmed some general clinical impressions about…

In British Columbia, Canada, two population-based databases have been linked at the level of the individual child: the "Early Development Instrument", a Kindergarten school readiness measure; and the "Foundation Skills Assessment", a Grade Four academic assessment. Utilising these linked data, we explored the early school…

It may seem that deaf-blindness refers to a total inability to see or hear. However, in reality deaf-blindness is a condition in which the combination of hearing and visual losses in children cause "such severe communication and other develop mental and educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for…

This brief informational flyer presents practical information on the transition from an early intervention program into a preschool program for parents and teachers of young children who are deaf blind. It provides information on: (1) the laws that affect a child with disabilities when he/she turns 3 years of age; (2) the transition process from…

This community living assessment tool for parents of children with deaf-blindness was developed to help parents identify the strengths and weaknesses of their child's residential program using a user-friendly instrument. Three areas of assessment are covered: physical attributes of the home, available resources for promoting capabilities, and…

These two newsletter special issues focus on personal futures planning (PFP) for people with deaf blindness, with emphasis on technical assistance activities involved in implementing a PFP program. PFP guides a team through three phases of activities: (1) developing a "circle of support" for an individual with deaf blindness; (2)…

This manual is intended to provide information leading to reliable assessment of vision and hearing capabilities of children considered to have dual sensory impairments. Ongoing sensory assessment is necessary to determine the extent of residual sensory abilities that should be considered in educational programming decisions and to determine any…

The report summarizes 1983 Amendments to the Education of the Handicapped Act. The Amendments extend authorization for federal activities relating to the evaluation component, incentive grant program, and discretionary programs including regional resource centers, centers and services for the deaf-blind, the early childhood program, postsecondary…

The 1986-87 report describes the purpose, operation, and accomplishments of the programs of the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (USDB). The report begins with a review of the Central Administration and Support Services Division of the USDB, and a description of the Utah Project for Deaf-Blind Children and Youth. A section on the Utah…

The purpose, operation, and accomplishments of the direct service and support programs of the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (USDB) during 1987-88 are described. The report describes Central Administration, the Support Services Division, and the Business Office of the USDB. Other chapters describe the Utah School for the Deaf and the Utah…