deaf-blind certification
What Does It Mean For A Student To Be Certified Deaf-Blind?
How Does A Student Become Certified?
How Long Is A Student Certified Deaf-Blind?
Who Conducts The Evaluations And Reports?
What Information Must Be Included In The Evaluations Or Reports, And What Evaluations Or Reports Are Optional?
What Happens If The Student Or Family Wants The Deaf-Blind Certification Information Forwarded To Helen Keller National Center?
This means that the student is between the ages of birth through 21, and has a combination of vision and hearing losses, with or without additional disabilities. Students who are certified as deaf-blind may be included in one of the following categories:
- totally deaf and totally blind,
- hard of hearing and totally blind,
- visually impaired and totally deaf,
- visually impaired and hard of hearing, or
- any one of the above categories with additional disabilities.
If the student is certified deaf-blind, the student will be included on the national and state deaf-blind census, considered a first priority for accessing the Kansas Deaf-Blind Fund on a first come first serve basis, and can receive technical assistance by representatives from The Kansas Deaf-Blind Project, consultants, or field based consultants.
In order for an infant, toddler, child, or young adult to be certified as deaf-blind, the following conditions must be met:
- the student meets the Kansas criterion for deaf-blind (as outlined in the Criteria for Certification Section of this paper); and
- specialists conduct the vision evaluation and hearing evaluation, and the student's educational team conducts an IEP or IFSP.
Team members submit the cover page (Appendix A Cover Page) with attached evaluations and reports to Megan Cote (mcote@ku.edu), Project Coordinator for the Kansas Deaf Blind Project. The Director of the KS Project makes the determination.
Most students are certified for a three-year period. There are some instances where students may be certified for a year at a time because they are considered at risk for deaf-blindness.
Example:
A toddler, who is two years old, has a visual acuity loss of 20/400 with glasses. She has a history of chronic middle ear infections that have significantly affected her ability to hear speech or environmental sounds. She would most likely qualify as deaf-blind for a three-year period providing that audiological evaluations conducted annually to monitor her hearing loss. As she grows, she may not have ear infections that significantly reduce her hearing. At this time, she may not be eligible for deaf-blind certification.
Two evaluations, and an IEP or IFSP need to be conducted for a student to be certified deaf-blind. One medical evaluation is for vision. An audiological evaluation is for hearing. The IEP or IFSP is for education. The evaluations, and IEP or IFSP must be conducted by individuals or a team of individuals who meet the following criteria:
- Vision Evaluations - Must be conducted by one of the following professionals:
- board certified opthalmologist; or
- board certified optometrist who specializes in low vision (unless a pathological condition exists); or
- board certified pediatric neurologist who specializes in ophthalmology [only if a Visual Evoked Response Test (VER) is required].
- Hearing Evaluations - Must be conducted by one of the following professionals:
- certified audiologist who meets American Speech and Hearing Association certification requirements (including a Certificate of Clinical Competency-CCC); or
- board certified otolaryngologist-ENT (if a pathological condition exists); or
- board certified pediatric neurologist who specializes in audiology [only if a Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response Test (BAER) is required].
- Education - An IEP or IFSP must be conducted by the student's educational team.
MUST HAVES:
Evaluations, and IEPs or IFSPs that are submitted must contain specific information documenting students vision and hearing losses, as well as their vision and hearing functioning. An IEP or IFSP must contain supplementary aids and supports needed for the student to participate in instructional activities within domains or subject areas. Additionally, these evaluations will provide useful information regarding accommodations, modifications, or adaptations students need to enhance their residual vision and hearing skills.
OPTIONALS:
It is optional for professionals to complete functional vision and hearing evaluations (i.e. Educationally Oriented Vision Report and Educationally Oriented Hearing Report located in Appendix B). Often, these reports provide useful information as to modifications, accommodations, or adaptations needed for the student to participate in his or her educational program, as well as statewide assessments (e.g., with accommodations, modifications, or alternate assessment).
- Vision Evaluation (Complex health care needs of the student that would prohibit the use of obtaining information from a VER Test need to be documented by a physician.) - Must include information on the student's:
- visual acuity (near and distance with correction)
- field limitation
- general visual functioning
- nystagmus (i.e., involuntary movements of the pupil)
- ocular motor (e.g., muscle imbalance)
- date of onset for the vision condition
- etiology
- any chronic condition which significantly interferes with the visual learning mode
- time period for re-evaluation
- prescription for correction (if necessary)
- medical intervention or treatment (if necessary)
- Vision Eligibility
- measured or estimated corrected visual acuity of 20/40 or greater in the better eye with correction; or
- a previous chronic condition exists which interferes with the visual learning mode; or
- ocular motor (e.g., muscle imbalance); or
- anophthalmus (absence of the actual eyeball); or
- visual field of 40? or less in the better eye; or
- nystagmus; or
- "functionally blind" or "cortically visually impaired" - the visual structures are present and working; however, the student does not track, localize, or process vision to receive information from the environment or accurately interpret information about the environment on a consistent basis.
- Hearing Evaluation (Complex health care needs of the student that would prohibit the use of obtaining information from a BAER Test need to be documented by a physician.) - Must include information on the student's:
- degree of hearing loss
- type of hearing loss
- overall hearing functioning
- auditory processing loss
- date of onset for the hearing condition
- etiology
- any chronic condition which significantly interferes with the auditory learning mode time period for re-evaluation
- prescription for correction (if necessary)
- medical intervention or treatment (if necessary)
- the student has a cochlear implant
- Hearing Eligibility
- 20dB (or greater) sensorineural or mixed hearing loss across speech frequencies in the better ear with amplification; or
- a 20dB (or greater) conductive hearing loss across the speech frequencies in evaluations to maintain deaf-blind certification; or
- previous chronic condition exists which interferes with the auditory learning mode; or
- congenital malformations of the auricle (e.g., absence of a pina and ear canal opening); or
- "functionally deaf," "auditory neuropathy," or "central auditory processing loss" - the hearing structures are present and working; however, the student does not attend, respond, localize, or process hearing to receive information from the environment or accurately interpret information about the environment on a consistent basis.
- Education - IEPs or IFSPs must include information about the student's:
- the names of assessment instruments and strategies (formal and informal);
- student and family preferences;
- the results of the assessments;
- present level of performance;
- include domains of (for students who are infant to preschool) communication, orientation and mobility, self-help, gross motor, fine motor, academic or cognitive (appropriate to age), and sensory;
- include life skill areas of independent living, community life, vocational, recreation/leisure, and school; or
- include areas of the general education curriculum with necessary accommodating modifications, or adaptations, and supports if the student is included in general education classes.
- Education Eligibility
- the combined vision and hearing losses are such that the student cannot be provided services appropriately in classrooms solely for students with visual impairment, hearing impairments, or severe disabilities; or
- the combined vision and hearing losses are such that the student cannot be provided services appropriately in general education classrooms without specific assistance, accommodations, modifications, adaptations, or supports.
All three combined reports determine eligibility status of the student. The evaluations and IEP or IFSP must be submitted together for the student to be considered eligible for certification.
The Helen Keller National Center (HKNC) maintains a national deaf-blind registry for individuals with vision and hearing losses. This registry is maintained throughout the individual's lifetime. They facilitate the transition of youth from educational programs to post-educational services. Information from the Kansas Deaf-Blind Census can be forwarded to the Regional Representative at the Great Plains Regional Office of the Helen Keller National Center located in the greater Kansas City area if the following criteria are met:
