Chances are, if you are reading this, you serve students who have combined vision and hearing loss and you’re searching for answers.
Many times, those questions include:
- How can I guide my student with combined hearing and vision loss to use receptive and expressive modes of communication?
- Where can I turn for help? I struggle to incorporate curriculum requirements while making appropriate adaptations to provide access.
There is an old saying that if you’ve met one student with deaf-blindness then you’ve met one student with deaf-blindness. Each student is unique and requires very individualized considerations. Many times there are multiple other concerns besides just deaf-blindness that need to be addressed in order to assist the student.
Many teachers struggle with confidence in addressing active participation, communication, and teaching learners with combined hearing and vision loss. The East Carolina University Teacher Support Program (ECU TSP) for learners with deaf-blindness supports teachers and service providers as they work hard to provide effective instruction and opportunities for communication for their students.
Brittany is a new teacher in a self-contained classroom serving students with multiple disabilities, including deaf-blindness. She recently graduated from college with a degree in special education but has limited experience in working with students with complex needs, including deaf-blindness. She has a new student, James, who is non-ambulatory, non-verbal and has complex medical issues. He also has combined vision and hearing loss and qualifies for the Deaf-Blind census. Brittany is challenged with James’ receptive and expressive communication modes. She wants to be able to create effective academic opportunities for James and increase his ability for communication but she’s feeling very frustrated by her limited knowledge in working with students with deaf-blindness.
Brittany has reached out for help but her principal, mentor teacher, and service providers are also limited in their knowledge of the field of deaf-blindness. She feels alone in her struggles to do the best she can to improve the quality of life for James but doesn’t know where else to turn. James’ parents are depending on Brittany to guide them with generalizing skills he learns at school into the home and community setting. She doesn’t want to disappoint them but feels overwhelmed by the task.
As a former teacher, I struggled to find the most effective forms of communication with my students to ensure that they were able to actively participate in their day. I brainstormed and investigated information online, attended workshops, and worked to carry out the things I’d learned. The ECU TSP was a wonderful support as I learned methods and adaptations that would help my students to communicate and actively participate. They shared methods that I could use for assessing, developing a communication plan and increasing the active participation of my students. I also learned methods of how to create adaptations that would assist the students with using their primary modes of learning and physical access to be active participants in their environment.
The East Carolina University Teacher Support Program for learners with deaf-blindness offers services for teachers, administrators, and other professionals who work with students on the North Carolina Deaf-Blind census. The program can offer virtual or face-to-face consultation for identified areas of concern for learners with deaf-blindness. The ECU TSP can provide resources such as: materials and training around specific topics, evidence-based strategies to access to general education curriculum, and consultation on an on-going basis.
You are not alone in your teaching journey as you work with learners with deaf-blindness. The ECU TSP is here to help with multiple ways of providing assistance. We collaborate, share resources, visit classrooms and provide feedback (virtually, for now), provide workshops and training on topics related to the field. We are here as a guide and support as you grow and gain knowledge in the area. If you teach in North Carolina and serve a student with deaf-blindness, then you qualify for receiving support…at no cost to you or your school. Just fill out the information on the following link and we will be in touch!
ECU TSP Technical Assistance Request
Let us hear from you! Have you received support from ECU TSP? If so, what did you find most helpful?
Julie Brickhouse, M.Ed., NBCT, East Carolina University DeafBlind Project Teacher Support Program, Technical Assistance Consultant