Separated by a Driveway: Collaboration between Two State Specialized Schools to Assess Students with Deafblindness

Abstract

Two years ago the California School for the Blind (CSB) and the California School for the Deaf (CSD) began a collaborative effort to provide assessment, consultation, and instructional services to students who are deafblind. Prior to this time, students who are deafblind received limited support from teachers of students who are visually impaired and orientation and mobility (O&M) specialists. Although the students with deafblindness discussed in the report presented here currently have enough usable vision to qualify them as learners, many of these students have the potential to lose significant vision over time. The purpose of this report is to share information about the outreach, assessments used, challenges faced, and the rewarding aspects of serving students who are deafblind. According to the National Institutes of Health, Usher syndrome is the most common condition that affects both hearing and vision. The vision loss in Usher syndrome results from retinitis pigmentosa (What Is Usher Syndrome?, n.d.). In the past, CSD had a support group for students with Usher syndrome and occasionally contacted CSB for O&M services for these students. Last year CSB was asked to provide in-service advice to staff members at CSD to share information about Usher syndrome and how the staff members at CSB could assist with the education of these students. It was quickly determined that CSD had a great need for the vision services that are provided by teachers of visually impaired students and O&M specialists. The staff members at CSD began to realize that they had many students with visual impairments, in addition to those with Usher syndrome, who could benefit from vision services. Liaisons were identified at both schools in order for the referral and assessment process for students with deafblindness to begin. Within 12 months, 12 students were identified as needing services from teachers of visually impaired students or O&M specialists or both. The ages of the students needing such services ranged from 6 to 21 years old. Table 1 outlines the grade level, number of students, and diagnoses of those selected to receive vision services. ASSESSMENTS All referrals began with assessment plans that were based on medical diagnoses, observations of teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students, and in some cases students' or parental requests for services from CSB. Once the assessment plan was signed, a teacher of visually impaired students or an O&M specialist, depending on the need outlined in the assessment, began a functional vision assessment, learning media assessment, or an O&M assessment. Assessment procedures varied depending on the age of the student, academic functioning, current travel skills and interest in independent travel, and the degree of the visual impairment. Before an assessment was completed, it was imperative that current information from the teacher of deaf and hard of hearing students about the student's expressive and receptive abilities in American Sign Language (ASL) be provided to the assessor. Information about the communication skills of the students helped the assessors (the authors) select appropriate assessment tools and determine best practices. Each assessment described below was completed with the help of an ASL interpreter. Observational assessments Observational assessments took place during the students' natural routines, thus providing information about the classroom environment, academic activities, and the outdoor spaces where students interact and play. In addition, the observational assessments helped determine whether or not the visual impairment was affecting communication through ASL, access to instructional materials and activities, and travel skills. Student interviews Interviews with students allowed the authors to gather background information about the visual history, current educational programs and goals, and self-reported travel skills of the students. …