ARIZONA DEAFBLIND PROJECT
Serving children and youth with combined vision and hearing loss from birth through age 21
Our Services
Deafblindness is a unique information gathering disability which brings great challenges, both to the children who live with combined vision and hearing losses, but also to the parents and educators who live or work with these children. The Arizona Deafblind Project is here to assist educators and parents to better understand the learning needs of their children and acquire strategies that have proven successful with other children who are deafblind.
General Services
• Assist in determining if a child has a combined vision and hearing loss and qualifies as deafblind
• Provide classroom or program consultation visits
• Demonstrate strategies and techniques to use with children who have combined loss
• Provide information and resources
• Deliver trainings and in-services
• Attend IEP/IFSP, transition, and other meetings
• Lend materials from the Project’s Loan Library (books, DVDs, etc.)
• Assist with transitions
Parent Specific Services
• Provide home consultation visits
• Facilitate parent group meetings
• Host family-centered events
• Offer services through our Family Engagement Coordinator
• Assist parents to attend workshops and conferences
Special Projects
- Intervener Training Program
- Annual Child Count
ARIZONA DEAFBLIND PROJECT
Arizona Deafblind Project Services are offered statewide to children and youth birth through 21 on the Deafblind Registry.
What is Deafblindness?
Deafblindness … combined vision and hearing loss … dual sensory impairment …. co-occurring vision and hearing loss… All of these terms mean the same thing.
A deafblind child is a child who has a degree of loss in BOTH sight and hearing, the combination of which results in significant difficulties in accessing information – whether educational, environmental, or communication information. Most children who qualify as deafblind actually have some usable vision and/or some usable hearing (or some of both). For them however, neither the remaining vision nor remaining hearing can completely compensate for the loss or restriction of the other sense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible for the Deafblind Registry?
Any child or youth between the ages of birth and 22 years who is at risk for, or has a combined vision and hearing loss is eligible.
Who should fill out the referral form?
Any parent, guardian, family member, educator, service provider, or medical professional can make a referral.
Should I refer a child who is still being evaluated or does not yet have a documented hearing loss or vision loss?
Yes. Referral is recommended as long as a child functions as if they have both a vision and hearing loss.
Should I still refer a child or youth to the registry even if they have a mild or unilateral hearing or vision loss?
Yes. A child or youth with any combination of hearing and vision loss should be referred.
The infant/toddler/child/youth doesn’t have a vision or hearing loss yet, but is considered “at risk” Should I refer them?
Yes. This is especially important in cases of degenerative conditions that involve a progressive loss in hearing or vision.
Should I refer a child with a vision and hearing loss who has multiple disabilities?
Yes. The child should be referred as long as they have a combination of hearing and vision loss, regardless of their eligibility category.
Can I refer a student based on an education evaluation?
Yes. If the evaluation comes to the conclusion that the student is functionally deafblind, the student should be referred.
The student can still see. Are they still eligible for the Registry?
Most students referred to the Registry have some form of usable vision and/or hearing. Any combination of vision and hearing loss qualifies that student for the Registry.
What happens once I refer the child?
Project staff will follow up with the referring source and the child’s family to confirm eligibility. The child’s family and educational team members can qualify for services from the Arizona Deafblind project at no cost.
How Do I request services once a child or youth is eligible?
Please fill out a Request for Assistance Inquiry
What if I’m not sure whether the child is already on the Deafblind Registry?
Please contact the Arizona Deafblind Project to confirm whether a child is already on the Deafblind Registry. Contact Us Today!
Arizona Deafblind Project
Improving educational, social, and communication outcomes for children and youth who are deafblind