Guidelines for the Administration of Educational Programs for Students who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing, Visually Impaired, or Deafblind

A hearing loss, visual impairment or deafblindness (the combination of hearing loss and visual impairment of any type or degree) potentially interferes with typical ways of interacting and learning. Students with these sensory disabilities comprise less than two percent of all children and youth with disabilities and only two-tenths of one percent of the entire school-age population (U.S. Department of Education, National Center on Education Statistics (NCES), 2012). Such a low prevalence results in some districts having very little experience with students who have sensory impairments. This lack of experience may lead to misunderstandings, lower expectations, and a lack of knowledge about evidence-based practices. The authors of this paper reviewed the research literature in their respective fields of deaf/hard of hearing, visual impairment (including blindness), and deafblindness for high quality research that met the standards of evidence established by the Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform (CEEDAR) Center, University of Florida. This Center was funded to provide technical assistance to state education agencies (SEAs), institutions of higher education (IHEs), and local education agencies (LEAs) to increase alignment in professional learning systems (i.e., certification/license, preparation, program evaluations) to enhance learning opportunities for teachers and leaders.