1. Verification Guidelines for Children with Disabilities
Technical Assistance document
Nebraska Department of education
Special education office
September 2008

2. Deaf-Blindness Introduction Three Part Eligibility Requirement
Meet verification criteria (92 NAC )
Documentation: Adverse Effect on Educational Performance
Determination: Need for Special Education Services
This disability category is located in the Verf. Guidelines TA Document on pages (website pages).
The guidelines provides parents and educators information on the identification, verification, and determination of eligibility for special education services for children with deaf-blindness.
3-Part Requirements outlined in Rule 51 includes –(read slide above)

3. Deaf-Blindness (cont’d)
State Definition
Deaf-blindness or dual sensory impairments means a combined hearing and visual impairment, the combination of which causes severe communication and other developmental and educational needs.
Deaf-blindness or dual sensory impairments cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for children with deafness or blindness, unless supplementary assistance is provided to address the educational needs resulting from the combined disabilities.
Deaf-blindness or dual sensory impairments means a combined hearing and visual impairment, the combination of which causes severe communication and other developmental and educational needs. Deaf-blindness or dual sensory impairments cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for children with deafness or blindness, UNLESS supplementary assistance is provided to address the educational needs resulting from the combined disabilities. (in other words, this is a combined loss of both vision and hearing)

4. Deaf-Blindness (cont’d)
Multidisciplinary Evaluation Team Composition
Verification Guidelines
Hearing Impairments
Report from Audiologist verifying unilateral or bilateral hearing loss
MDT should be composed of those professionals required to verify a hearing impairment and a visual impairment.
Parent, child’s teacher, an educator to teach a child with hearing impairments, an educator to teach a child with visual impairments; a SLP, a school district administrator or designed rept. The MDT can also consider an audiologist or an individual qualified to interpret the results of the audiological report.
Verf Guidelines: The child with deaf-blindness should meet the criteria for both hearing impairments and visual impairments.
Hearing Impairments—report from audiologist

5. Deaf-Blindness (cont’d)
Adverse effect on at least one of these:
Effective Communication
Expressive or receptive language development
Speech reception or production
Academic and vocational performance
Cognitive ability
Social or emotional competence
Adaptive behavior skills; or
Result in a social/behavioral disability
Continued for hearing impairments

6. Deaf-Blindness (cont’d)
Visual Impairments
A child with a visual impairment, including blindness, should be verified in one of the three categories:
Blind
Legally Blind
Partially Sighted
IN addition, the child must meet criteria for visual impairments.
This information is outlined with specific details on pages of the TA Document
Review 3 areas under visual impairments.

7. Deaf-Blindness (cont’d)
Visual Impairment: Blind
No more than light perception as stated in a signed report by a licensed ophthalmologist or optometrist
Need for adapted curriculum and materials
Educational significance of the visual impairment:
documentation of behaviors which impede the child’s overall functioning;
deficiencies in one or more of the following areas: daily living, social interaction, academic achievement, performance in the educational setting, or orientation and mobility
Review this information

8. Deaf-Blindness (cont’d)
Visual Impairment: Legally Blind
Visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye after correction, or a field restricted to 20 degrees or less stated in a report by a licensed ophthalmologist or optometrist;
Need for adapted curriculum and materials
Educational significance of the visual impairment:
documentation of behaviors which impede the child’s overall functioning;
deficiencies in one or more of the following areas: daily living, social interaction, academic achievement, performance in the educational setting, or orientation and mobility

9. Deaf-Blindness (cont’d)
Visual Impairment: Partially Sighted
Signed report by a licensed ophthalmologist or optometrist to certify a structural defect, condition, or disease of the eye, which may affect the child’s ability to learn visually
Educational significance of the visual impairment:
documentation of behaviors which impede the child’s overall functioning;
deficiencies in one or more of the following areas: daily living, social interaction, academic achievement, performance in the educational setting, or orientation and mobility

10. Deaf-Blindness (cont’d)
In addition to these two criteria, the child must meet the requirements of either of these:
An assessment of the child’s functional vision. Significant delays in 3 or more of the visual behaviors should include but are not limited to:
peripheral orientation, fixation, ability to shift gaze, ability to track, and ability to converge.

11. Deaf-Blindness (cont’d)OR
A visual assessment as stated in a signed report by a licensed ophthalmologist or optometrist to certify at least one of the following:
distant visual acuity of 20/70 or less, in the better eye after correction;
near visual acuity equivalent to or less than 8 point type at 40 centimeters, in the better eye after correction;
central vision field loss of any degree in both eyes; or
peripheral visual field of 60 degrees or less in better eye

12. Deaf-Blindness (cont’d)
Procedures to Determine Adverse Effect on Educational Performance:
Factors to Consider
Type and degree of hearing and visual impairments
Etiology of hearing and visual impairments
Age of onset of hearing and vision impairments
Age of identification and current age
Nature/status (permanent, stable, progressive, fluctuating)
Current medications and current medical information
History and use of interventions
Relevant family/medical history
Educational Performance (communication, orientation and mobility, language, academic, social-emotional)
In addition, there are some guiding questions to assist teams in making determination of whether the disability has an adverse effect on the child’s developmental/educational performance. (pages 58-59)

13. Deaf-Blindness (cont’d)
Related Definitions
Frequently Asked Questions
References and Resources
Good related definitions, frequently asked questions, and references and resources also included on pages

14. For Additional Information
Special Education Office Nebraska Department of Education Telephone: Web Address: