The Annual Ohio Deafblind Census: How to Register a Child, Update a Child’s Record, or Report No Children with Deafblindness brochure provides the steps to register a child, birth to 21 years, with a combined vision-hearing loss (deafblindness) on the Ohio Deafblind Census and if already registered, steps to update a child’s census record.
The following letter and fact sheet provide information on intervener services on behalf of the Ohio Center for Deafblind Education and the National Center on Deaf-Blindness.
Who We Are – An Overview of OCDBE Services describes a variety of no-cost services available to children, birth through 21 years, who are registered on the Ohio Deafblind Census. Services include no-cost professional learning opportunities, trainings, and consultation for families, educators, and service providers.
Do you know a child who is deafblind? is a rack card designed to be used in locations with information display racks. The rack card includes information about deafblindness, services provided by the Ohio Center for Deafblind Education, and how to register a child on the census.
The Parent to Parent Peer Mentoring Program provides parents the opportunity to connect and speak with another parent who has a child with vision and hearing losses. Simply complete and return the form to the Ohio Center for Deafblind Education to be matched with another parent, who will contact you by phone or email.
The Parents and Families Guide for the Identification of Children with Deafblindness provides guidance for assisting in the identification of a child with a possible vision impairment, hearing loss, or combined vision-hearing loss (deafblindness) and how to register a child with deafblindness on the Ohio Deafblind Census.
The Educators Guide for the Identification of Students with Deafblindness brochure provides information on combined vision-hearing loss (deafblindness) based on the degree of each sensory loss, steps to take in school when a combined vision-hearing loss is suspected, services offered by the Ohio Center for Deafblind Education, and how to register a child on the Ohio Deafblind Census.
The Medical Professionals Guide for the Identification of Children with Deafblindness brochure provides information on combined vision-hearing loss (deafblindness) based on the degree of each sensory loss, risk factors that may indicate a vision and/or hearing loss, services offered by the Ohio Center for Deafblind Education, and how to register a child on the Ohio Deafblind Census.
The Early Intervention Decision Tree provides steps to follow if a child is suspected to have a vision loss, hearing loss, or a vision-hearing loss.
The Early Intervention Guideline Document Identification and Program Planning for Infants, Toddlers, and Young Children with Vision and/or Hearing Loss provides quick guidance about red flags for possible vision and/or hearing loss and the steps to follow when an infant, toddler, or young child has or is suspected of having one or more sensory impairments.
The Decision Tree flow chart of risk factors and behavior for vision and hearing to consider in determining if a child may have a vision and/or hearing loss, suggested next steps for follow-up to any concerns, and what to do if a hearing and/or vision loss is confirmed.
The content of A School Psychologist’s Guide to Deafblindness: Identifying & Supporting Students with Combined Hearing-Vision Loss defines deafblindness, describes the impact of deafblindness on student learning, and presents the steps in evaluating a child with deafblindness.
Making Sense of Early Intervention highlights ways to meet the unique needs of a child, under the age of three, with vision and/or hearing loss and to maximize his or her strengths and includes specific information on Early Intervention services, supports and resources.
Strategies for Parents to Use in Developing a Foundation for Literacy provides parents with strategies with their child to develop a foundation for literacy in the areas of motor, communication, and language. Strategies in the areas of concept development, touch, play, and communication are included to enhance the development of their child’s pre-literacy skills.
Early Intervention Services for Infants, toddlers, and Young Children with a Combined Vision-Hearing Loss includes information about what deafblindness means, assessing for deafblindness, what a parent can do if deafblindness is suspected, and resources for deafblindness.
Hold Everything! provides parents and early childhood educators with 20 ideas for developing “stay-put” play spaces for infants and young children with sensory impairments and other special needs. The ideas presented enable parents and early childhood educators to develop creative approaches that encourage self-initiated exploration, play, and learning.
Parents and Families of Children and Youth with Deafblindness: What You Should Know is designed to support parents of children with a hearing and vision loss with information related to: Where can families begin learning about deafblindness? What is “early intervention” for children with deafblindness? and How can families support their child’s learning at home?
The Literacy Guide: Building a Literacy Foundation for Children with a Vision-Hearing Loss provides parents, families, educators, and service providers with information related to the development of literacy skills, factors to consider, and resources to support the development of a child’s language, communication and literacy abilities.
Students who have a combined hearing and vision loss have unique communication needs. Educational interpreters working with these students need skills and knowledge in order to make the necessary modifications for each student to facilitate clear communication interactions in the classroom, support the development of interpersonal peer relationships, encourage self-determination, and promote equal access to the general education curriculum.
The Transition Resources Toolkit provides federal, national, Ohio and professional resources to assist IEP post-secondary planning and IEP development and transition to adulthood.
Consultation services provide parents and school teams with observational information, recommendations and resources to use in the development of a student’s IEP and instruction.
The Postsecondary Transition Manual for Students Who are Deafblind provides the steps to develop a Transition Plan required as part of a student’s IEP beginning at age 14.
This IS Communication is an online learning series that focuses on communication intervention for students who do not have a consistent communication mode or who need to expand their current communication mode to engage socially, behaviorally, and academically and benefit from their educational experiences.
The web-based Hearing Loss and Vision Impairment Assessments assists parents in accessing important information related to their child’s vision and hearing. By clicking on the Hearing Loss or Vision Impairment Assessment and responding to a series of “yes/no” prompts, parents can obtain essential information about their child’s vision and hearing and any next steps to take in the vision and/or hearing evaluation process.
Copyright © 2023 University of Cincinnati, Systems Development & Improvement Center, The Ohio Center for Deafblind Education.
All rights reserved.
The Ohio Center for Deafblind Education is primarily supported through a grant (#H1326T180011) with the Research to Practice Division, Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education. Additional support for targeted activities is provided by the Ohio Department of Education, Office for Exceptional Children. Opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of Education or Offices within it, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Project Officer, Eric Caruso.
