After working for the DeafBlind Project’s ECU teacher support program as the designated person for Early Intervention, I have come to find out that one of the biggest issues facing DeafBlind Projects all over the country is the under-reporting of children with DeafBlindness 0-3 on the states’ DeafBlind Census. The graph below shows the percentage … Read more
As teachers and support staff, how do you describe your students with DeafBlindness to other professionals? Do you tend to focus on their abilities or their disabilities? We have all likely heard the idea of using ‘people first’ language but do we also think and speak in ‘ability first’ language? It’s important to take into … Read more
The annual DeafBlind Census is just around the corner. In some ways, the DeafBlind Census reminds me of my favorite childhood swimming pool game of Marco Polo. We know that learners with DeafBlindness and their families live throughout the State of North Carolina, but identifying and locating them can be a challenge. Imagine being a … Read more
So you may have heard about person-centered planning but you’re not sure of the details. Well, we’ve provided our own question-and-answer session to help you understand! What is Person-Centered Planning? A valuable tool that can be used in a variety of ways to assist in meaningful educational and life planning using a holistic approach for … Read more
Touch is the primary sense of all sensorimotor learners. ~ Millie Smith, 2015 When we think of communication, we tend to think of auditory and visual options first. But how does this affect learners with DeafBlindness? Are visual and auditory methods their first line of communication? Are they the most effective routes if the learner … Read more
Being closed off from communication opportunities can be tough on any of us. Imagine how tough it can be for individuals with DeafBlindness who, without access to communication methods, may have limited awareness/interactions with their environment. It is our job as educators to ensure that they have the resources needed to receive and initiate communication. … Read more
One of the biggest issues facing DeafBlind Projects all over the country is the under-reporting of children with DeafBlindness birth to three years on the states’ DeafBlind Census. This is a problem because the early years are so important in a child’s overall development. Young children with dual sensory impairment must begin receiving individualized services … Read more
We all have things we like and things we don’t like. At the risk of sounding old, I really like watching old Columbo reruns. I’ve seen all of the episodes multiple times and still enjoy them all. I don’t like old cowboy TV shows but my husband loves watching them. To me, they are just … Read more
Upon hearing the saying, “Hey, what’s the big idea?”, old episodes of “The Three Stooges” come to mind. We can relate to this phrase when trying to determine the main idea of an event or story, minus the physical interactions of the show’s characters, of course! When reading a story, how do you know what … Read more
Routines, we all have them and we all depend on them. Stop and think about your daily life. How many routines can you count before you leave the house each morning? I think of breakfast, coffee, showering, dressing, and making the bed to name a few. When we go to bed at night, we usually … Read more
