Blind Deaf

Deafblindness is defined under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) as: "concomitant (simultaneous) hearing and visual impairments, the combination of which causes such severe communication and other developmental and educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for children with deafness or children with blindness."

Simply put, if a child has a teacher of deaf/hard of hearing and a teacher of blind/visually impaired on his or her Individualized Education Program (IEP) team, then members should consider the Minnesota Rule for Deaf-Blind. Deafblindness does not only mean a child is fully deaf and fully blind; it includes a wide range of hearing and sight levels that occur at the same time and have a unique impact. If a student meets criteria for deaf/hard of hearing and blind/visually impaired, then the student meets eligibility for deafblindness. IEP teams should also consider evaluating hearing and vision levels when a student has at-risk potential, such as an identified condition or syndrome, including extreme prematurity, CHARGE Syndrome, or Usher Syndrome. See the list of syndromes on the Minnesota DeafBlind Project webpage for more information. (Info obtained from MDE)