The South Carolina Interagency Deaf-Blind Project is a partnership between the South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind, the South Carolina State Department of Education and the University of South Carolina Center for Child and Family Studies to address the unique educational needs of children and young adults who are deaf-blind, ages birth through 21.

      This consultative model assists professionals and families in topics specific to deaf-blindness, including sensory disabilities, communication, and orientation and mobility.  The project is supported by a five-year grant from the United States Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs.

      The South Carolina Interagency Deaf-Blind Project offers the following services:

• Registration of children and young adults who are deaf-blind on the national Deaf-Blind Census;

• Regional Deaf-Blind Education Teams that offer an educational review for each child and young adult who is registered on the Deaf-Blind Census in the student’s classroom setting, or for a preschooler in the home environment; (Educational review Referral - School -or- Educational Review Referral - Early Intervention.)

• Training for teachers and early interventionists that have children and young adults who are deaf-blind on their caseloads;

• Partnerships and shared resources with family organizations

• Frequent communication by News Alert, listserv and e-mail with school districts and agencies to share data, facts and resources;

• Accessible materials located in the Resource Library at the SCSDB Midlands Regional Outreach Center in Columbia.