DEAF/BLIND (D/B)
A Person with a Red and White Cane is a deafblind person.
Definition.
Deafblind means concomitant 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.
Eligibility and Placement.
1. For a student to be determined eligible for placement in special programs for the deafblind, the student shall have current optometric or ophthalmological examinations, as well as an audiological evaluation, all administered by qualified professionals. Students who are deaf blind shall have an audiological evaluation administered by a certified/licensed audiologist annually or more often if needed. The annual audiological evaluation shall include but is not limited to: an otoscopic inspection, unaided and aided pure tone and speech audiometry (as applicable), immittance testing, word recognition, hearing aid check and electro-acoustic analysis of the hearing aid (if amplified), and an analysis of a frequency modulated (FM) system check (if utilized). A comprehensive written report indicating the date of the audiological evaluation and a description of the results of the audiological testing and amplification evaluation. In addition, the report should include a description of classroom environmental modifications which will assist the individualized education program (IEP) team in making instructional decisions, the student’s ability to understand spoken language with and without amplification, and an interpretation of the results as they apply to the student in his or her classroom setting.
2. Students who are deafblind may be served in other classes serving students with other disabilities; however, the class-size ratio for deafblind shall be maintained.
Additional Requirements.
Each student who has been diagnosed as having dual sensory impairments shall be reported to the Georgia Deafblind Census.
http://www.deafblindinternational.org/