Collaboration to Teach Children
who are DeafBlind
Nicole Johnson, Ed.D., Assistant Professor
Kutztown University
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There is estimated to be between 45,000
and 50,000 individuals in the United States who
are deafblind. Nearly 90% of the children and
youth on the deafblind child count have one or
more additional disabilities (NCAT, 2010). Many
children with deafblindness also have speech and
language impairments, orthopedic impairments,
and other health impairments (Engleman et al.,
1999). In this unique category of children, there is
a large amount of heterogeneity in terms of degrees of sensory loss, both for vision and hearing,
as well as other types of disabilities (Parker,
2009). Deafblindness is a unique field because it
relies on multiple practices and disciplines to
meet the complex communication and service
needs of individuals with diverse conditions
(Parker et al., 2007).
Individuals who are deafblind are diverse in
their communication abilities and educational
needs. A factor experienced by all people in this
population is the profound impact that diminished
sensory input has on their development and access to opportunities for learning (Parker, 2009).
This lack of sensory data can overwhelm people
who are deafblind and leave them isolated even
when they are surrounded by family and friends
(Correa-Torres, 2008; Sauerburger, 1993). Most
teachers are not prepared to meet the complex
and multiple support needs of students with deafblindness (McLetchie & MacFarland, 1995) which
makes it crucial for professionals to collaborate.
Teaming is determined to be the best practice in special education (Reed-Victor, 2004). Col-
