Children who are deafblind bring unique challenges to educational settings and
specialized strategies that address communication, sensory, learning, and social needs
are important components of their appropriate education. However, deafblindness is a
low-incidence disability and such specialized and intensive services are not always
available. This article describes the collaborative and evolutionary approaches
undertaken in Utah to ensure that children and youth in the state truly have the
opportunity to maximize their potential. Overviewed in this article are a brief history
of statewide services provided to children and youth who are deafblind, current
educational services, training for interveners, the state-recognized endorsement in
deafblindness, and the University of Utah Deafblind Teacher Education program.
History
Prior to 1995, services for children who are deafblind in the state of Utah were
limited to a federal deafblind technical assistance grant and an itinerant teacher of the
visually impaired with training and expertise in deafblindness who served students at
the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (USDB). However, a federal grant
obtained by Utah State University providing interveners to young children from birth
to age three with deafblindness created much enthusiasm for expansion of the
Collaboration to Ensure Effective Education of Students who
are Deafblind
Catherine Nelson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Coordinator of
Deafblind Program, Department of Special Education,
University of Utah, Cathy.nelson@utah.edu
Debbie Sanders, Deaf-Blind Teacher Specialist, Utah Schools for the
Deaf and the Blind, debbies@usdb.org
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