ARIZONA DEAFBLIND PROJECT

Serving children and youth with combined vision and hearing loss from birth through age 21

ARIZONA DEAFBLIND PROJECT

The Arizona Deafblind Project is a federally-funded grant program from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs and is administered by the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and Blind (ASDB). The project provides technical assistance, training, and support for children and youth who have a combined vision and hearing loss. This support extends to families, educators, and service providers of children and youth who are deafblind. 

OSEP logo displaying the text Ideas that Work

Arizona Deaf Blind Project logo represented by the AZ state outline and a cactus

Need Assistance?

Arizona Deafblind Project

We strive to improve educational, social, and communication outcomes for children and youth who are deafblind through:

N

Collaboration

N

Family Engagement

N

Training and Technical Assistance

N

Transition Planning and Supports

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.

Z

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

Z

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

Z

Special Projects

  • Intervener Training Program
  • Annual Child Count
Home

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.

Meet our Staff

Lisa Yencarelli

Lisa Yencarelli

Project Director

Statewide
520.770.3247
lisa.yencarelli@asdb.az.gov

Pat Jung

Pat Jung

Deafblind Specialist

Phoenix/Maricopa County
602.771.5237
patrice.jung@asdb.az.gov

Amy Trollop

Amy Trollop

Deafblind Specialist

Statewide
480.662.2657
amy.trollop@asdb.az.gov

Our Goals

quote graphic

“Collaborate with other agencies and organizations to increase awareness, knowledge, and support to meet the unique needs of students with deafblindness by promoting the use of evidence-based policies and practices”

“Through the use of high-quality practice provide technical assistance and training to families and service providers who work with children who are identified as deafblind; promoting access to the general education curriculum and grade-level academic standards.”

“Provide families, especially those from culturally and linguistically diverse groups, information, leadership skills, and support so they can successfully advocate on behalf of their children and young adults.”

“Provide information, support, and opportunities for families and educational teams to make effective plans for secondary transition of students who are deafblind. “

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

Learn MoreContact Us
Skip to content