A federally funded consortium project, the American Foundation for the Blind's Deaf-Blind Project, has produced "Hand in Hand" products for students who are deaf-blind. Reasons for using a consortium model, consortium structure, roles, distinguishing features, and advantages/disadvantages are discussed. (DB)

This chronology lists highlights in the history of deaf-blind education from 1789 to 1995. Events covered include those concerning early special schools in Europe and the United States and trends in service delivery. Emphasis is on federal legislative actions since 1968. (DB)

This study of the patterns of contact among 12 students (ages 4-17) with deaf-blindness and their nondisabled age peers at school revealed that students engaged in slightly less than 90 minutes per day in social contact. Many students with deaf-blindness were not developing stable (repeating) contacts with any of their peers. (Author/JDD)

The Communication Observation Schedule (COS) records systematically the pragmatics of communication with children who have deaf-blindness and are functioning from the prelanguage to true words level. The COS provides the opportunity to record the purpose of an interaction, who initiates and who responds to it, the mode of response, and whether the…

This directory lists contact information for programs for the deaf-blind in the United States in 3 categories: (1) programs for deaf-blind children and youth (29 programs listed); (2) Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youth and Adults (1 national and 10 regional offices); and (3) programs for training teachers of the deaf-blind (4…

This directory of programs for deaf-blind children and adults lists program name, address, telephone numbers, e-mail address, Web site, and administrator name. The directory also lists, with similar information, Helen Keller Centers for Deaf-Blind Youth and Adults, and programs for training teachers of deaf-blind students. (DB)

A survey mailed to 200 speech-language pathologists (SLPs) examined their involvement in communication development in children with visual impairments or deafblindness. Analysis of responses (N=49) found striking differences in the preparation and competence of SLPs regarding various types of sensory impairment. Recommendations for changes in…

CHARGE association-syndrome refers to a group of congenital anomalies occurring together more often than chance. Parents of children with CHARGE were surveyed and asked to indicate whether their child had various features commonly found among individuals with CHARGE (e.g., vision or hearing impairment) and to complete an adaptive behavior scale…

Empirical data on the development of interaction, communication, and language in deafblind children is very rare. To fill this gap, a case study was conducted in which the interaction between a teacher and a deafblind boy age 3 years 4 months was analyzed. Sequential analysis of their interaction confirmed some general clinical impressions about…

In British Columbia, Canada, two population-based databases have been linked at the level of the individual child: the "Early Development Instrument", a Kindergarten school readiness measure; and the "Foundation Skills Assessment", a Grade Four academic assessment. Utilising these linked data, we explored the early school…

It may seem that deaf-blindness refers to a total inability to see or hear. However, in reality deaf-blindness is a condition in which the combination of hearing and visual losses in children cause "such severe communication and other develop mental and educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for…

This fact sheet answers frequently asked questions about psychological evaluations for infants, children, and adults who are deaf-blind. It also considers how to use psychological evaluation quality indicators and identifies desired outcomes to maximize benefits to the student. Questions addressed include: (1) what skills and abilities are…

The Including Exceptions in Schools (IES) Project attempted to develop, implement, and validate a system for educating students with the most extreme dual sensory and other cognitive, physical, and health impairments in general education settings. The project involved 17 elementary and secondary students in Oregon, Idaho, and Louisiana over a…

The increase in the number of programs available for the deaf blind requires the setting of standards for evaluating program effectiveness. (Author/LH)