Deafblindness

Oregon Secretary of State Administrative Rules

Deafblindness

(1) If a child is suspected of having deafblindness, the following evaluation must be conducted:

(a) The minimum evaluation procedures for hearing impairment and vision impairment under OAR 581-015-2150 and 581-015-2180, respectively;

(b) If the child demonstrates inconsistent or inconclusive responses in an assessment of one sensory area, a functional assessment must be administered by a state licensed educator of the visually impaired, a state licensed educator of the hearing impaired or an audiologist licensed by the State Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology.

(2) To be eligible as a child with deafblindness, the child must meet one or more of the following minimum criteria:

(a) The child meets the minimum criteria for both vision impairment and hearing impairment under OAR 581-015-2150 and 581-015-2180, respectively; or

(b) The child meets the minimum criteria for either vision impairment or hearing impairment and demonstrates inconsistent or inconclusive responses in an assessment of the other sensory area; or

(c) The child meets the minimum criteria for either vision impairment or hearing impairment and has a degenerative disease or pathology that affects the acuity of the other sensory area.

(3) For a child to be eligible for special education services as a child having deafblindness, the eligibility team must also determine that:

(a) The child's disability has an adverse impact on the child's educational performance; and

(b) The child needs special education services as a result of the disability.