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…

Objective: This study assessed a new Speech Generating Device (SGD) for supporting request responses in five participants with intellectual and multiple disabilities. Methods: The technology involved a smartphone, a series of mini objects or of cardboard chips with pictures, and special software. When the participants placed one of the mini…

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), signed into law on December 10, 2015, requires that state education agencies (SEAs) establish standardized, statewide entrance and exit procedures for their English learners (ELs), including ELs with disabilities. For certain ELs with…

The transition to life after high school for students with disabilities and the vital role that school counselors have in assisting the students and their families to achieve success are discussed. As there may be unique requirements for these students in making this transition, it is important that school counselors are acquainted with particular…

This article investigates the relationships between play and language development in students with multiple disabilities and visual impairments or deaf-blindness. The findings indicate that students with higher levels of communication demonstrate more advanced play skills and that the use of play-based assessment and exposure to symbolic play are…

These two studies assessed adapted orientation technology for promoting correct direction and room identification during indoor traveling by persons with multiple (e.g., sensory, motor and intellectual/adaptive) disabilities. In Study I, two adults were included who had severe visual impairment or total blindness and deafness and used a wheelchair…

Long before children learn language, they communicate with gestures, vocalizations, facial expressions, and body language. This is known as prelinguistic (prior to language) communication. Most children learn this type of communication without formal teaching, but children who are deaf-blind may need guidance to learn it. This publication…

Every year, under the federal law known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), millions of children with disabilities receive special services designed to meet their unique needs. Early intervention services are provided through the state to infants and toddlers with disabilities under three years of age and their families. For…

The purpose of this study is to describe some of the ways deaf-blind projects collect National Technical Assistance Consortium for Children and Youth with Deaf-Blindness (NTAC) census data, compare Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Child Count and NTAC census data for the ten states included in this study and identify issues and concerns…

The document presents the final report of the Sensory Multihandicapped Project, which planned a comprehensive program for the education of children who were sensory multihandicapped (deaf blind, deaf with other handicaps, or blind with other handicaps) in Alberta, Canada. Project activities included reviewing the literature, visiting sites serving…

Presented are proceedings of a conference involving authorities in testing and evaluating the blind, deaf, and deaf-blind. In a paper titled "Psychological Implications of Assessing the Deaf", C. Goetzinger discusses references used in audiology, anatomy and physiology of the ear, degrees of hearing impairment, and implications of the various…

An analysis of legal and factual bases for designing an appropriate program for sensorily impaired children, consistent with P.L. 94-142, The Education For All Handicapped Children Act, asserts that state schools for the deaf and blind must continue to exist. (CL)

Thirty-three schools responded to a survey of 87 schools providing residential services for deaf, blind, and multihandicapped hearing-impaired individuals. The survey, focusing on characteristics of caregivers and systems of residential care, found great diversity among salaries, qualifications, and upgrade systems, although job titles were…

An independent living curriculum builds skills in home management, money handling, on-and off-campus living, public transportation, and employment in secondary students at the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind. (CL)

The document presents five papers from a conference involving educators of deaf, blind, and deaf blind children. In "Challenge--Educating Deaf-Blind Children," F. Roberts discusses common societal concepts regarding the deaf blind, the teacher's role in dealing with these children, and the developmental approach to educational planning…