KY DeafBlind Project
We are the Kentucky DeafBlind Project, the state resource for children, teens and young adults with combined hearing and vision loss. The Project is responsible for providing specialized support to teams working with children and youth who are DeafBlind. Teams can include families, schools, teachers, adult service providers, community, and any other additional support members. We collaborate with statewide partners beginning at birth and continuing into adult services at age 22. This allows us the unique opportunity to develop long-lasting relationships with children and youth as they move toward adulthood.
COMBINED HEARING AND VISION LOSS
What does that mean?
The combination of hearing and vision loss is referred to as “dual sensory loss” and/or “DeafBlind”. The term “DeafBlind” can mean many different things to different people. Sometimes it is a scary term which causes people to believe that DeafBlind individuals cannot hear or see anything. Sometimes it brings up images of Helen Keller since she is the most well known DeafBlind person.
However, the term DeafBlind, simply includes individuals that have a combination of hearing and vision loss. That combination can look different for each person.
THE IMPACTS OF DEAFBLIND
How does the access to the world change?
Access to the world as a whole is impacted for children and youth who are DeafBlind. When you think about it broadly, DeafBlind is a disability of access; access to their information, communication, environment, friendships, relationships and so much more. Below are a few examples of the way access to the world is impacted:
Incidental Learning
- Typically occurs in the world without a deliberate lesson, things that children just happen to see or happen to hear… for children and youth that are DeafBlind, these daily activities and lessons are missed.
- This goes on to impact concept development based on those missed cues that happen outside the child’s visual field, hearing, and reach.
Communication
- Without a shared mode of communication social interaction, access to environmental information, and learning are all impacted.
- Multiple modes of communication can be utilized – verbal, sign, gestures, tactile, device, communication cards – just to name a few.
- Communication throughout the day can change depending on environment, situations, fatigue, communication partners, and expectations of the child.
- Everyone wants to be heard and understood. Communication is very important to develop early on to alleviate communication through behaviors.
Environment
- When a hearing-sighted peer walks into a classroom, the child takes in all of the information contained in that room. Information on the wall, who is in the room, where their friends are, etc. For children who are DeafBlind, they typically are walked to their seats, sat down, and they miss out on all the pieces of the environment.
- When pieces of the environment are learned for children that are DeafBlind, they are learned in small parts and they then have to piece together those parts to make the whole picture.
- Those pieces are best learned tacitly; exploring what can be reached. Oftentimes that is like venturing into the great unknown – it can be frightening for kids to want to reach out their arms or hands to explore the world they cannot see!
Friendships & Relationships
- Everyone wants friends! Without them it is an isolating world.
- Impacts from children who are DeafBlind not being integrated into their typical, everyday classroom – peers do not organically and naturally learn how to interact with each other.
- Children that are DeafBlind spend most of their time interacting with adults that are teachers or service providers.