Deaf-Blind
(a) “Deaf-blind”, which may be referred to as dual sensory impaired, means a disability that: (1) is a concomitant hearing and vision loss or reduction in functional hearing and vision capacity; (2) causes significant communication and adaptive behavior deficits; (3) adversely affects the student's educational performance; and (4) cannot be accommodated for by use of a program or service designed solely for students who are: (A) deaf or hard of hearing; or (B) blind or have low vision.
(b) Students who are deaf-blind represent a heterogeneous group that includes the following: (1) Students who are both deaf and blind with: (A) measured acuities and intellectual and adaptive functioning; or (B) estimated acuities and intellectual and adaptive functioning supported by a description of pathology. (2) Students with hearing and visual reductions of a mild to severe degree: (A) with additional learning or language disabilities that adversely affect educational performance; or (B) who have been diagnosed with a chronic or degenerative pathology or a disease that may potentially result in deaf-blindness. (3) Students with generalized central nervous system dysfunction who: (A) exhibit: (i) auditory and visual impairments; or (ii) deficits in auditory-visual functioning; and (B) may demonstrate inconclusive or inconsistent responses: (i) during hearing and vision assessments; or (ii) to auditory and visual stimuli in the environment.
(c) A student who is solely deaf-blind is not considered to be a student who has multiple disabilities as defined in section 9 of this rule.