About Deaf Students with Additional Needs

  • Some children who are deaf or hard of hearing will need more support to access education, and daily living skills. Deaf students with additional needs may require specialized assessments to help identify specific areas of need, and could qualify for additional special education services based on other disabilities.

    The Statewide Outreach Center at the Texas School for the Deaf provides resources and information to parents and educators serving children who are deaf or hard of hearing but may also have severe cognitive disabilities, are medically fragile, or are deafblind. These special needs are referred to as low incidence disabilities. Professionals and resources will often refer to this group as Deaf Plus, High-Risk Deaf, or Deaf with additional needs.

    Assessment and IEP decisions determine where, along the continuum of placement options, students who are deaf or hard of hearing and have additional special needs will be served.

    These additional resources can help families and professionals to assist individual student needs.