The author provides suggestions for teachers to assess mentally handicapped deaf-blind children with observational techniques. (IM)

This brief booklet lists communication strategies identified at a 1999 national parent workshop by over 100 parents and family members of children with deaf-blindness called "Important Practices in Communication: Making It Happen at Home and in the Community." The booklet addresses four questions: (1) How can we facilitate and promote a child's…

Deaf-blindness is often described as an information gathering disability. People who are deaf-blind are not able to easily obtain information using the distance senses of hearing and sight, and this impacts their ability to interact with others and learn about the world around them. For children who are deaf-blind, this has significant educational…

Discussed is the use of video tape in the education of deaf blind children both in personnel training and as a teaching aid. (CB)

Reviewed are the development of special education and rehabilitation services for the deaf-blind, the program offered by the National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults, and the promise of the future for deaf-blind children. (KW)

Three major limiting factors are outlined: the lack of appropriate psychological tests, the dearth of properly trained psychologists, and the failure to obtain complete case histories. Several methods of overcoming these drawbacks are described. (Author/DLS)

The component parts of a continuum of services needed for the deaf blind individual to function in the least restrictive environment are discussed. The need for both public and private interagency cooperation for the service delivery system to be effective is cited. (PHR)

A summary of evidence regarding the prevalence of visual abnormality among deaf students, appropriate planning for and implementation of vision assessment services, and the importance of follow-up services for visually impaired deaf individuals is presented. The results of seven assessment studies based in educational programs for the deaf are…

Goals of a prevocational program for deaf blind students (ages 3 to 21) are outlined. The goals are divided into six levels of developmental skills and range from the Level II (no specific goals have been provided for Level I students) skill, mobility to and from work with minimal assistance, to development of work tolerance to one day (6 hours).…

This article describes the Community Service Program (CSP) established in 1998 by the Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults. The CSP, which consists of a team of professional service providers, provides rehabilitation teaching, orientation and mobility services, and job development services, and help in accessing…

This article presents a brief overview of the literature pertaining to the use of objects of reference by people with deaf-blindness. It suggests that the establishment of nonsymbolic object use in appropriate routines may facilitate the acquisition of the symbolic use of objects. (MDM)

In 1992, a multiagency model of transition planning was developed and implemented to meet the identified needs of Michigan students who are deaf-blind. This article outlines the project's activities, accomplishments, challenges, and goals for the future. (Author/DB)

This article uses a case study of a deaf-blind infant to examine issues in the early cognitive development of such infants. The study used an ecological approach involving naturalistic observation, videotaping, anecdotal accounts, and the use of four global developmental scales. (DB)

This study examined the use of dual communication boards for teaching appropriate communication responses to three deaf-blind high school students. Students were able to use the boards with 100% accuracy in three communication routines in both school and community environments. (Author/DB)

Case studies are used to demonstrate several strategies used in the San Francisco Bay area to ensure the inclusion of persons with dual sensory impairments and other multiple disabilities in integrated community employment. Strategies include heterogeneous group placement, job restructuring, use of natural support, volunteerism, and social skills…