AnnAnnual Resources Update for Serving Students with Sensory Disabilities (Revised October 2023)

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) provides information on its website about educational services and resources to support students who are deaf or hard of hearing, blind or visually impaired, or deaf-blind. The following resources are excerpted from VDOE’s Sensory Disabilities webpage and from websites for partnering agencies, centers, and college/university programs in Virginia.

Guidance Documents

Deaf and Hard of Hearing (including Deaf-Blindness)

• Guidelines for Working with Students Who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Virginia Public Schools (Revised September 2019)

   

• Virginia Communication Plan for a Student Who is Deaf or Hard of Hearing (Revised September 2019)

   

  Blindness and Visual Impairment (including Deaf-Blindness)

• Guidelines for Working With Students Who are Blind or Visually Impaired in Virginia Public Schools (Revised December 2017)

   

• Unified English Braille Implementation Plan for Virginia Public Schools (Updated September 2019)

   

  State Agencies

• The Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind (VSDB) is located in Staunton, Virginia, and provides a comprehensive PreK–12 educational day program, outreach services, and residential services exclusively for Virginia students who are deaf or hard of hearing, blind or visually impaired, or deaf-blind. The VSDB Outreach Services assists early intervention programs, local school divisions, and families in meeting the needs of children with sensory disabilities across the Commonwealth. The VSDB’s admissions policy is available on its website.
  • Contact: Pat Trice, Superintendent; telephone: (804) 536-0591
• The Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired (DBVI) includes an Education Services Program to provide services to early intervention providers, school personnel, and families to assist children with visual impairment, blindness, and deaf- blindness to be successful in school and the community, and to prepare for the future. The DBVI Library and Resource Center provides services to local school divisions to support the education of children who are blind or visually impaired and persons who are print-disabled. The Virginia Rehabilitation Center for the Blind and Vision Impaired offers training in the skills of blindness.

• Contact: Donna Cox, Director of Education and Library Services; telephone: (804) 887-7327

• The Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (VDDHH) provides information and services for telecommunication services and equipment, interpreter standards, referrals, Deaf mentors for families, and other services. These resources promote accessible communications so that students and parents who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing may fully participate in programs, services, and opportunities throughout Virginia.
  • Contact: Eric Raff, Director; telephone: (804) 404-9090 or (800) 552-7917

  Technical Assistance Centers

• The Accessible Instructional Materials Center of Virginia (AIM-VA) developed an extensive library and alternative system for providing accessible educational media under standards set by federal law to students who meet the federal requirements for print disabilities and who are eligible for accessing educational media through an Individualized Education Program (IEP). The AIM-VA Center, in conjunction with partnering agencies, provides required accessible educational materials to students and training for school division staff at no cost to local educational agencies.
  • Contact: AIM-VA Help Desk; telephone: (888) 496-0252
• The Center for Family Involvement (CFI) at the Partnership for People with Disabilities at Virginia Commonwealth University provides information and training to support children with disabilities, their families, and professionals.
  • Contact: CFI Office; telephone: (877) 567-1122
• The Technical Assistance Center for Children Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing (TAC-DHH) provides information, training, and technical assistance pertaining to children who are deaf and hard of hearing. Assistance is available to Virginia public school divisions, including early childhood special education and early intervention programs, through the Virginia Network of Consultants for Professionals (VNOC) Working with Children Who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
  • Contact: Tracey Yurechko, Project Director; telephone: (804) 828-1342
• The Virginia Hearing Aid Loan Bank (HALB) program provides hearing aids and FM systems to eligible children in Virginia whose hearing loss is confirmed by an audiologist. Devices are loaned at no cost for up to six months while families and school divisions are waiting for a permanent device to arrive.
  • Contact: Sandra Woodward, Program Director; telephone: (434) 924-0222