This, the 32nd annual National Child Count of Children and Youth Who Are Deaf-Blind, is the first and longest running registry and knowledge base of children who are deaf-blind in the world. Begun in 1986 on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education, it represents a thirty-plus year collaborative effort between the National Center on…

Sherri Zummo knew she somehow needed to find a way for her son to live in the world as a person who was profoundly deaf in both ears. He was also diagnosed as legally blind, on the autistic spectrum, and intellectually delayed with other medical and physical issues. As he grew, his special needs increased, behaviors became worse, and the struggle…

Introduction: The purpose of the study was to explore challenges facing deafblind entrepreneurs and the staff who work with them through the Randolph-Sheppard Business Enterprise Program. Methods: Interviews were conducted with 41 Randolph-Sheppard staff and deafblind entrepreneurs across the United States. Participants were selected using a…

It is well known that the development of social interaction and communication is important for the development of children and adults who are congenitally deaf-blind, and the development depends on the skills of a partner (such as a teacher of students with visual impairments, a teacher of students who are deaf and hard of hearing, and parents) in…

This article presents information on instructional strategies and the effective use of personnel needed for educating students with dual sensory impairments in integrated learning environments. To counter the practice of educating students in separate environments according to their most apparent weaknesses and limitations, the authors contend…

This publication describes a comprehensive approach to assessment known as authentic assessment, which can be used with children who are deaf-blind or have multiple disabilities. Authentic assessment involves obtaining information about children in their everyday environments during normal activities. It provides a way to learn what children know…

This, the 31st annual National Child Count of Children and Youth Who Are Deaf-Blind, is the first and longest running registry and knowledge base of children who are deaf-blind in the world. Begun in 1986 on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education, it represents a thirty-plus year collaborative effort between the National Center on…

This study explored the impact of race/ethnicity on three of the four essential characteristics of self-determination--autonomy, self-realization, and psychological empowerment--directly assessed in the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2. Specifically, the impact of race/ethnicity was examined with six disability groups established in…

This article, written by Leda Kamenopoulou of Roehampton University, reports a research project on deafblindness and inclusion in education. Deafblindness is a rare and therefore significantly under-explored disability. Even less systematic research has focused on deafblind young people enrolled in mainstream schools. The study presented here used…

The population of people with congenital deafblindness faces challenges concerning communication and mobility. Due to the significance of the sensory loss it is difficult to diagnose mental and behavioral disorders. This article investigates the prevalence of mental and behavioral disorders among 95 congenitally deafblind adults. Seventy-four…

Experiences that occur during the earliest years of life critically impact children's abilities to learn, move, and interact with others. This is especially true for children with severe sensory and multiple disabilities, for whom physical, communicative, cognitive, social, and emotional developmental domains are deeply intertwined. In…

Faculty Shortages in the study of low-incidence sensory disabilities (deafness, blindness, deaf-blindness) constitute personnel preparation challenges, as documented by a variety of organizations. To alleviate this deficit in the low-incidence sensory disability professoriat, the National Leadership Consortium for Sensory Disabilities (NLCSD) was…

Introduction: The objectives of the study reported here were to describe the physical and psychological health of persons with Usher syndrome Type II (USH2) and to explore any differences in terms of gender. Methods: The participants were recruited from the Swedish Usher database. In the first step, 122 persons received the questionnaire by mail,…

It is essential that children who are deaf-blind have learning experiences that improve their quality of life. Unfortunately, even when educational teams work together to create individualized education programs, these students do not always have full and equal opportunities to learn. This issue of "Practice Perspectives" describes the basics of…

Imagine being in college and being deaf-blind. What opportunities might you have? What types of challenges would you face? This publication describes a study that begins to answer these questions. During the study, 11 college students with deaf-blindness were interviewed about their college experiences. They were like most college students in many…