Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Hawaii Project for Children and Young Adults who are Deaf-Blind?
It’s a federally funded program designed to enhance the provision of services for individuals, birth through age 21, who have both vision and hearing impairments.
The project is designed to improve the identification of infants, toddlers, children and young adults who are deaf-blind. The project equips families, educators and other service providers with the knowldge and skills needed to improve individual outcomes. The goals of the project are:
- To identify children and young adults from birth through age 21 in Hawaii who are deaf-blind, or are at risk of becoming deaf-blind.
- To address the needs of families of children and young adults in Hawaii who are deaf-blind and increase their capacity to enhance their children's development and education.
- To deliver training and technical assistance to teachers and other service providers in an effort to increase their capacity to provide educational, transitional and related services to children and young adults who are deaf-blind.
What is Deaf-Blindness?
Deaf-Blindness is the combination of a vision and hearing loss. Losses in these areas may range from mild limitations to total blindness and profound deafness. The combination of these two sensory losses, whether mild or severe, may qualify an individual for the deaf-blind services.
Who is Eligible for Services?
- Individuals who have been diagnosed as deaf-blind.
- Individuals who have mild to severe hearing and vision impairments, which require adaptations or modifications.
- Individuals who have a diagnosis, which places them at risk for developing vision and hearing impairments.
- Individuals with multiple disabilities who may demonstrate inconclusive responses during evaluations or in a natural environment.
Who Benefits for Services?
- Individuals who have a vision and hearning loss
- Parents and family members
- Education personnel
- Personnel from state and community agencies
- Health care professionals
- Other care providers
