2. Agenda
9:30 - 9:45 Welcome and Introductions
9:45 – 10:15 Annual Deaf-blind Child Count
Presented by: Donna Riccobono
Project Director CBSS
10:15 – 11:30 Resilience, Routines and
Rockin’ the Tough Stuff
Presented by: Dr. Jeni Stepanek
Education and Technical Assistance Specialist CBSS
11:30 – 12:00 Connections Across the State:
Information sharing and updates from committee
members
3. THE MD & DC ANNUAL CHILD COUNT
OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH WITH
COMBINED VISION AND HEARING
CHALLENGES
4. WHAT IS THE ANNUAL CHILD COUNT
OF CHILDREN WHO ARE
DEAFBLIND?
7. WHAT IF THE HEARING AND/OR VISION
PROBLEMS ARE CORTICAL IN NATURE?
8. DOES INCLUDING A CHILD ON THE ANNUAL CHILD
COUNT / CENSUS OBLIGATE THE SCHOOL PROGRAM
TO PROVIDE SERVICES SUCH AS VISION, HEARING,
ORIENTATIONAND MOBILITY, ETC.?
9. WHAT IF I DON'T KNOW ALL THE
INFORMATION REQUESTED ON THE CENSUS
FORM FOR A PARTICULAR STUDENT?
Federal Definition of Deaf-Blindness - - www.NationalDB.org
The federal definition of deaf- blindness includes ”children and youth having auditory and visual impairments, the combination of which creates such severe communication and other developmental and learning needs that they cannot be appropriately educated without special education and related services, beyond those that would be provided solely for children with hearing impairments, visual impairment, or severe disabilities, to address their educational needs due to these concurrent disabilities”.
A functional definition of deaf-blindness is: SEE ATTACHMENT ONE of the census forms
Children with sensory impairments that are cortical in nature, such as cortical visual impairment and/or central auditory processing disorder or auditory neuropathy, should be placed on the deafblind census. These students usually require adaptations and modifications to their educational programs. In addition, the hearing and vision problems must be considered when developing effective, communication programs for these individuals.
No. Individualized needs and services are determined by the family and educators through the Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) process. The student DOES NOT NEED to be receiving itinerant services in hearing or vision to be on the deafblind census
Please give us as much information as you have.
You!
The information is used to track and monitor the incidence of deafblindness across the country, as well as in each state. The information provided also helps each state plan for appropriate training and technical assistance activities to meet the needs of the children and youth, families, service providers, and educators within each state. And finally, once a child is identified, the state project can then initiate and respond to any requests for technical assistance and training on behalf of that child.