Sharing Our Stories, details the challenges, triumphs, and setbacks of families whose child or children have deafblindness. The Ohio families participating in Sharing Our Stories were courageous enough to share their experiences so that others could learn from their journeys.

Sharing our Stories is included in a joint Perkins New Jersey Statewide Parent Advocacy Network (SPAN) and OCDBE webcast titled, Advocating for Your Child’s Needs by Diana Austin. Based on the Education Service Guidelines developed by SPAN, the webcast “…can help educators understand the implications of combined vision and hearing loss on learning and recognize the need for specialized assessment, program planning and service delivery.”

In Stories from the Classroom: Appreciating High Expectations Billy Pickens explains how his teacher’s high expectations for him were not always welcome in high school, but as an adult who is deaf-blind he now appreciates how important high expectations were for his future. The Progress Center: Promoting Progress for Students with Disabilities website includes additional videos from student and professional perspectives.

Advocating for Your Child’s Needs

Access the webinar and/or transcript for Advocating for Your Child’s Needs on the Perkins School for the Blind website.

Additional child and family stories

Helen Keller National Center

National Center on Deaf-Blindness

National Family Association for Deaf-Blind

Perkins School for the Blind

More Information

What is Deafblindness?
OCDBE Services
Ohio Deafblind Census