This year DeafBlind Awareness Week is June 25 to July 1, 2024. Marked annually during the last week of June in honor of Helen Keller’s birthday on June 27th, DeafBlind Awareness Week is an important time to raise awareness and support the DeafBlind community to promote inclusivity and understanding for individuals with varying sensory needs.
What is DeafBlindness?
DeafBlindness can refer to any combination of hearing loss or visual impairment and does not mean that an individual has a complete loss of both vision and hearing. Most children who are DeafBlind have some usable vision and/or hearing—only 4% are totally blind and only 20% have a profound hearing loss. Since the term encompasses a spectrum of experiences, many DeafBlind children share similar needs.
DeafBlind Expert Care
At Texas Hearing Institute, our expert providers take these factors into consideration when providing care to patients and their families. Our pediatric audiologists work to ensure the best possible auditory access with a variety of hearing technology. Their knowledge about the sensory sensitivities common in children who are DeafBlind helps support families in making decisions about hearing technology.
Our Speech-Language Pathologists help DeafBlind children build their expressive and receptive communication skills using spoken language, total communication and assistive technology to better understand their world, communicate and build social relationships.
Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) and School Services
There are approximately 10,000 children nationally who are identified as DeafBlind. In the state of Texas alone, there are over 840 children between birth and 22 years old who are DeafBlind. Texas Hearing Institute’s educational liaison continually works to provide consultations and assistance to families regarding their child’s Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) and school services.
Many families are unaware that children between birth and three years old are eligible to receive early childhood intervention (ECI) services, which includes specialized support from a Teacher of the Deaf and teacher of the visually impaired.
Children between three and 22 years old can receive special education services and supports tailored to meet their unique needs, including specialized instruction from a Teacher of the Deaf and a teacher of the visually impaired in the child’s preferred communication mode. Other supports can include assistive technology, such as communication devices and tactile instructional materials, support services from a speech-language therapist, occupational or physical therapist, or a certified orientation and mobility specialist.
DeafBlind Support Services at Texas Hearing Institute
Without appropriate intervention, a DeafBlind child’s limited access to their environment through hearing and vision can lead to isolation that will affect their development and learning. By providing specialized intervention and education services, Texas Hearing Institute’s early intervention and support services can help children who are DeafBlind reach their full potential and achieve success in both their academic and personal development.
Texas Hearing Institute offers specialized audiology, speech therapy, early childhood education, family support services, and professional expertise, giving hope to children and families affected by hearing loss. Contact us at (713) 523-3633 if you’d like to learn more.
For more information on how to give the Gift of Sound to a child with hearing loss, please click here.
