{"id":1970,"date":"2021-11-17T20:47:25","date_gmt":"2021-11-17T20:47:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wesp-dhh.wi.gov\/wdbtap\/?page_id=1970"},"modified":"2026-01-29T16:35:34","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T16:35:34","slug":"whatisdeafblindness","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wesp-dhh.wi.gov\/wdbtap\/whatisdeafblindness\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Deafblindness?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"mean\"><a name=\"overview\" id=\"overview\" class=\"anchor\"><\/a><strong>What Does Deafblindness Mean?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Deafblindness is a combined vision and hearing loss that creates communication, developmental, and educational needs beyond either disability alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Deafblindness is a disability of access<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A student does not need to be fully deaf or blind to be considered deafblind.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Most individuals have some usable vision or hearing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Only 1% of individuals nationwide have no usable hearing or vision.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>About 90% of children who are deafblind have three or more disabilities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.legis.wisconsin.gov\/code\/admin_code\/pi\/11\/36\/4m\">PI 11.36 (4m) Wis. Admin. Code<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"learning\"><strong>How Can Deafblindness Impact Learning<\/strong>?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Students with deafblindness may experience challenges in:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Communication and language development<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Concept development<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Orientation and mobility<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Social interaction<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Overall learning and participation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Supports and strategies may include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Using additional sensory channels (touch, movement, smell)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Individualized communication approaches<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Specialized instruction and environmental adaptations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Educational teams must design supports that go beyond accommodations for hearing-only or vision-only loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"importance\"><strong>Why Is It Important to Consider Deafblindness in Students with Hearing and\/or Vision Loss?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vision and hearing are our primary learning channels, about 90% of information comes from these senses.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Students who are deafblind cannot rely on vision to compensate for hearing loss and they can not rely on hearing to compensate for vision loss.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Individuals who are deafblind:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>May face unique learning challenges that are not addressed by programs for just vision or hearing loss alone.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>May require specialized strategies and support in areas such as communication, social interaction, and access to educational materials.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Benefit from early identification to ensure:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Access to appropriate interventions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Maximized independence<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Effective learning<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you have a child or work with a child that fits any of the descriptions above, please consider <a href=\"https:\/\/wesp-dhh.wi.gov\/wdbtap\/services\/\">requesting services<\/a> from the Wisconsin Deafblind Technical Assistance Project (WDBTAP).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What Does Deafblindness Mean? Deafblindness is a combined vision and hearing loss that creates communication, developmental, and educational needs beyond either disability alone. How Can Deafblindness Impact Learning? Students with deafblindness may experience challenges in: Supports and strategies may include: Educational teams must design supports that go beyond accommodations for hearing-only or vision-only loss. Why Is It Important to Consider Deafblindness in Students with Hearing and\/or Vision Loss? Vision and<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/wesp-dhh.wi.gov\/wdbtap\/whatisdeafblindness\/\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_mc_calendar":[],"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1970","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wesp-dhh.wi.gov\/wdbtap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1970","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wesp-dhh.wi.gov\/wdbtap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wesp-dhh.wi.gov\/wdbtap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wesp-dhh.wi.gov\/wdbtap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wesp-dhh.wi.gov\/wdbtap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1970"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/wesp-dhh.wi.gov\/wdbtap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1970\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3750,"href":"https:\/\/wesp-dhh.wi.gov\/wdbtap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1970\/revisions\/3750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wesp-dhh.wi.gov\/wdbtap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1970"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}