Deaf-Blind Child Count

By: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com
November 14, 2015

Each December in the United States, the National Center on Deaf-Blindness conducts a deaf-blind report on children identified in each state as deaf-blind. It is the longest running registry of children who are deaf-blind in the world. The purpose of the count is to meet federal grant requirements for state, multi-state, and national technical assistance projects. Additionally, it provides a means of collecting data and reporting on the numbers throughout the states. Finally, the information is used to identify research needs in developing personnel preparation programs and in targeting national and state product development and dissemination activities. ​

Identification

To include a child in the count, they must be identified as a deaf-blind child. The IDEA 2004 definition states:

"Deaf-blindness means concomitant hearing and vision 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."

Deaf-blindness refers to a combination of hearing and vision loss but most persons who are identified as deaf-blind are not totally blind or deaf but have a range of vision and hearing.

Information Requested in Child Count

The following information is required in the Child-Count
  • State of residency
  • Student's state identification number (different from the social security number, this number is used to identify the student across school years)
  • Gender
  • Date of Birth
  • Etiology (Students primary disability)
  • Race/Ethnicity
  • Documented Vision Loss
  • Documented Hearing Loss and Indicate if a student has a central auditory processing disorder
  • Whether the student has corrective lenses, listening devices and/or assistive technology
  • Presence of other impairments or conditions

Purpose & Implications

The Child Count intent is to provide a "Snap Shot" count for the year to compare to previous years and note trends. Data collected shows trends toward educational placement and access to the general curriculum. States can use this information to ensure that families are provided with access to parent networks and provide educational opportunities and support.