In the United States in 2020, the National Deafblind Child Count reported approximately 10,483 children identified as having combined hearing-vision loss (aka deafblindness). The annual Ohio Deafblind Census is the process for registering children, birth through 21 years of age, who have a combination of vision loss and hearing loss for the National Child Count.

The Ohio Center for Deafblind Education (OCDBE) is required under federal regulation to identify students throughout Ohio who have a combination of hearing and vision losses, also known as deafblindness. The Ohio census is part of the United States Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) mandate to identify and register all children with deafblindness. The National Center on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB) is charged by OSEP with aggregating data from each state’s deafblind census for the National Deafblind Child Count.

It is important that students with combined hearing-vision loss are identified and registered on the DB census. Registration on the census allows for the provision of training and services for families, educators and agency personnel.

Register a Child for the Ohio Deafblind Census or Update a Child’s Census Record

All Ohio school districts should register children with a combination of vision and hearing loss on the Ohio Deafblind Census regardless of the child’s special education disability category (e.g., visual impairment, multiple disabilities, etc.) identified under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Additional OCDBE Resources

Parents Guide for the Identification of Children with Deafblindness

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Educators Guide for the Identification of Students with Deafblindness

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Medical Professionals Guide for the Identification of Children with Deafblindness

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Early Intervention Decision Tree: Guidance for Identification and Program Planning for Children with Vision and/or Hearing Loss

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Decision Tree: Risk Factors and Behavior Suggesting Possible Vision and/or Hearing Concerns in Young and School-Age Children

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Web-based Hearing Loss and Vision Impairment Assessments

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More Information

What is Deafblindness?
OCDBE Services
Identification