Services for Sensory Disabilities

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)

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

 


The Virginia Deafblind Project (VDBP) provides technical assistance, training, distance education, and networking information to service providers and families of children with deafblindness and dual sensory disabilities.

  • Contact: Ira Padhye, Project Director; telephone: (804) 828-2052

Professional Education and Training Programs

  • Radford University’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program offers Virginia’s only academic program leading to Virginia teacher licensure with an endorsement in Special Education- Deaf and Hard of Hearing PreK–12. Courses are taught through combined on-campus, distance education, and varied educational field experiences. The comprehensive program teaches all communication and instructional approaches used with students who are deaf and hard of hearing. Tuition assistance is available for qualified Virginia teachers.
  • The Virginia Consortium for Teacher Preparation in Visual Impairment (VI Consortium) is the only academic program in Virginia for teacher preparation leading to Virginia teacher licensure with an endorsement in Special Education-Visual Impairment PreK–12. Classes are offered through combined on-campus, video, and web conferencing through three universities: George Mason, Old Dominion, and Radford. Tuition assistance is available for qualified Virginia teachers.
  • The VDOE Educational Interpreter Services Training Program is supported with grant funding from the VDOE to assist Virginia educational interpreters and cued language transliterators with acquiring and maintaining the required skills and qualifications to work with children who are deaf and hard of hearing in Virginia public schools. Free regional workshops and mentoring support are available.
    • Contact: Marla Pollack, Region 4 Interpreter Training Grant Coordinator; telephone: (571) 982-1504

     

    American Sign Language-English Interpretation programs and courses are offered at the following Virginia community colleges and universities:

For questions regarding this guidance, contact Wanda Council, Specialist for Deaf/Hard of Hearing, Blind/Visually Impaired, and Deaf-Blind, at (804) 750-8614 or   [email protected].

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