Deaf Blindness

IDEA Definition
(2) Deaf-blindness means concomitant hearing and visual impairments, the
combination of which causes such severe communication and other developmental
and educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education
programs solely for children with deafness or children with blindness."
Characteristics
Smith and Tyler (2010) state that almost half of the students who are deaf-blind
have limited vision and hearing but are not completely deaf or blind. A majority of
students who are deaf-blind also have other additional disabilities.
Vision Loss - Totally Blind or Light Perception, Legally Blind, Low Vision,
Cortical Vision Impairment
Hearing Loss - Severe to Profound Hearing Loss, Moderate Hearing Loss, Mild
Hearing Loss, Central Auditory Processing Disorder
Additional Disabilities - Cognitive Disabilities, Physical Disabilities, Complex
Health Care Needs, Behavioral Challenges
Manifestations

Physical: Difficulty navigating the environment, Vision, Hearing, Difficulty

performing daily living skills
Cognitive: Difficulty performing academic skills, Slow response rate
Behavior: Lack of motivation, Anxiety, Depression, Psychosis, Difficulty
building relationships
Communication: Speech disorder, Limited vocabulary, Difficulty following
conversations

References:
h"p://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croot%2Cregs%2C300%2CA%2C300%252E8%2Cc%2C2%2C
Smith, D. D., & Tyler, N. C. (2010). Very low-incidence disabiliNes.In Introduc)on to special educa)on making a
dierence (7th ed., pp. 440-442). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
h"ps://naNonaldb.org/library/page/1934
h"p://aidb.org/inside-featured-image/informaNon-on-deaf-blindness/