Definition: Deaf-Blindness, is the coexistence of severe hearing and visual impairments that cause significant impact on a person's ability to communicate and learn. To qualify as deaf-blind under the IDEA, the child's impairment in both senses must be so severe that the child cannot be accommodated in an educational program that only addresses one of these impairments.
Deafness would include both inability to hear and severe hearing impairment. Learn about the degrees of severity of hearing impairments.
Examples:
Children with deaf-blindness require highly specialized individual education programs that include extensive multisensory teaching.
