Ill. Admin. Code tit. 23, § 28.340 - Standards for the LBS II/Deaf-Blind Specialist
By October 1, 2025, all candidates for an endorsement as a Deaf-Blind Specialist will be required to complete a program aligned to the Initial Specialty Set for Deafblindness (2015) and the Advanced Specialty Set for Special Education Deaf and Hard of Hearing Specialist (2018), published by the Council for Exceptional Children, 2900 Crystal Drive, Suite 1000, Arlington VA 22202-3557, and available at https://exceptionalchildren.org/standards/specialty-sets-specific-practice-areas. (No later amendments to or editions of these guidelines are incorporated.) The standards effective until September 30, 2025 are as follows:
a) Foundations - The competent deaf-blind
specialist understands the philosophical, historical, and legal foundations of
special education.
1) Knowledge - The
competent deaf-blind specialist understands:
A) communication and language theories,
approaches, and research that are applicable to teaching learners who are
deaf-blind;
B) the history of the
practices, people, and events that have had or currently do have an impact on
the lives of people who are deaf-blind and their possible relevance to current
educational practices;
C)
specialized roles of educators and learners who are deaf-blind; and
D) clinical, functional, and legal
definitions of deafblindness, blindness/visual impairment, and deafness/hearing
loss.
2) Performance -
The competent deaf-blind specialist accesses and evaluates current related
research and practices in communication for their possible relevance in
teaching the learner.
b)
Characteristics of Learners - The competent deaf-blind specialist understands
how disabilities impact the cognitive, physical, emotional, social, and
communication development of an individual and provides opportunities that
support the intellectual, social, and personal development of all students.
1) Knowledge - The competent deaf-blind
specialist understands:
A) the critical roles
of vision and hearing in all learning;
B) the complex and unique effects of combined
vision and hearing losses upon all learners who are deaf-blind;
C) the diversity within the population of
learners who are deaf-blind;
D) the
potential isolating effects of combined hearing and vision losses upon the
learner who is deaf-blind;
E) the
potential impact of the combined effects of hearing and vision losses upon the
learner's opportunities for incidental learning;
F) the potential emotional implications of
combined hearing and vision losses upon the learner who is
deaf-blind;
G) the potential impact
of the combined effects of hearing and vision losses upon the learner's
personal relationships with others;
H) the potential and complex effects of
additional disabilities upon learners who are deaf-blind;
I) the potential effects of the age of onset,
degrees and/or progressions of hearing and vision losses upon learners who are
deaf-blind;
J) the major etiologies
of deaf-blindness and the possible implications of etiologies in teaching the
learner who is deaf-blind;
K) the
potential impact of the combined effects of vision and hearing losses upon the
development of concrete and abstract concepts;
L) linguistic forms/modes of communication
used by learners who are deaf-blind;
M) the structure and function of auditory and
visual systems and how they interrelate in the learning process;
N) impairments in the structure and the
function of the auditory and visual systems; and
O) the influence of vision and hearing in
motor development.
2)
Performance - The competent deaf-blind specialist uses definitions of
deafblindness, blindness/visual impairment, and deafness/hearing impairment to
access services, materials, and assistance for the learner.
c) Assessment - The competent
deaf-blind specialist understands the educational assessment process and uses
various assessment strategies to support the continuous development of all
students (ages 3-22).
1) Knowledge - The
competent deaf-blind specialist understands:
A) non-linguistic forms/modes used by
learners who are deaf-blind;
B)
informal and formal communication assessment procedures that are appropriate
for learners who are deaf-blind;
C)
functional and clinical assessments of vision and hearing; and
D) clinical assessments of vision and hearing
that are used by learners who are deaf-blind.
2) Performance - The competent deaf-blind
specialist:
A) assesses and adapts to
learners' pace/timing of communication;
B) assesses how choice of color, textures,
and patterns of clothing enhances or detracts from social
interaction;
C) assesses
non-linguistic forms of communication;
D) assesses and interprets behaviors as
intentional or non-intentional;
E)
assesses and interprets the meaning of the learner's use of objects;
F) assesses and interprets the meaning of the
learner's intentional use of signals to communicate;
G) assesses and interprets the meaning of the
learner's natural gestures to communicate;
H) assesses and responds to the communicative
functions of positive and challenging behaviors/forms;
I) assesses contexts (physical environments,
people, things, and events) in which the learner who is deaf-blind
communicates;
J) assesses the
communication opportunities and demands in specific contexts;
K) gathers and maintains descriptive
records/portfolios of the learner's communication repertoire across all
settings to assess strengths, challenges, progress;
L) assesses activities for the learner's
communications opportunities and implements appropriate strategies;
M) assesses how the learner processes
auditory and visual information;
N)
assesses situations and environments in which the learner can benefit from use
of FM (frequency modulation) systems (based upon the recommendations of the
audiologist and other team members);
O) assesses, describes, and explains the
effects of vision and hearing losses upon the learner's movements;
P) assesses the proprioceptive and
kinesthetic variables in the environment;
Q) assesses the visual variables in the
environment that influence the learner's effective use of vision;
R) assesses variables within specific
environments that influence the learner's use of hearing;
S) assesses the tactile variables within the
environment;
T) assesses and
explains educational implications of visual and auditory impairments upon the
learner;
U) identifies, adapts, or
develops strategies to assess the learner's functional use of vision and
hearing; and
V) recommends the
learner for additional visual and auditory evaluations/assessments when
necessary.
d)
Planning for Instruction - The competent deaf-blind specialist understands how
students differ in their approaches to learning and creates instructional
opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners. The specialist understands
instructional planning and designs instruction based on knowledge of the
discipline, student, community, and curriculum goals.
1) Knowledge - The competent deaf-blind
specialist understands:
A) the development of
communication partnerships between learners who are deaf-blind and
others;
B) the possible
communicative functions of behaviors of learners who are deaf-blind;
C) the development of vocabulary (content) in
learners who are deaf-blind, based upon their forms and functions of
communication;
D) the need for
learners who are deaf-blind to have communication embedded/incorporated in all
activities and settings;
E)
assistive listening, low vision, and vibro-tactile devices that enhance
auditory and visual functioning;
F)
technology to enhance orientation and mobility skills;
G) visual, auditory, tactile, and olfactory
information in various environments that influence learning;
H) technological devices and appliances for
independent living; and
I) visual,
auditory, and tactile characteristics of materials needed by learners who are
deaf-blind.
2)
Performance - The competent deaf-blind specialist:
A) provides opportunities for the learner to
develop basic concepts through participation in meaningful and motivating
real-life experiences;
B) provides
opportunities for the learner to actively explore and experience common objects
that learners with vision and hearing learn about incidentally;
C) tactually models for the learner the
functional use of objects;
D)
provides opportunities for the learner to understand and express abstract
concepts;
E) creates opportunities
for turn-taking;
F) provides
objects for the learner to anticipate activities, adjust to change within
activities, and to terminate activities;
G) selects, adapts, or creates tools and
procedures appropriate for the communication assessment of a learner who is
deaf-blind;
H) accesses resources
for alternative and augmentative communications assessment and communication
devices;
I) accesses sources of
devices and appliances that will enhance the learner's ability to live as
independently as possible;
J)
operates and maintains hearing aids, FM systems, and vibro-tactile
devices;
K) checks and maintains
glasses, contact lenses, and low vision devices; and
L) teaches the learner to use appropriate
optical aids.
e) Learning Environment - The competent
deaf-blind specialist uses an understanding of individual and group motivation
and behavior to create a learning environment that encourages positive social
interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation.
1) Knowledge - The competent deaf-blind
specialist understands the development of the learner's personal identity and
relationships to another person or a group.
2) Performance - The competent deaf-blind
specialist:
A) establishes a trusting
relationship with the learner who is deaf-blind by providing nurturance and
consistency in people, interactions, and routines;
B) uses personalized visual, auditory, and
tactile forms to identify the person who is initiating the interaction with the
learner;
C) provides opportunities
for the learner to recognize himself/herself and others by name;
D) makes appropriate adaptations to enhance
the learner's auditory functioning in a variety of physical
environments;
E) uses contrasting
tactile cues or adaptations to assist the learner in gaining information about
the environment; and
F) draws the
attention of the learner to the sources of naturally occurring vibrations and
smells in the environment.
f) Instructional Delivery - The competent
deaf-blind specialist understands the central concepts and methods of inquiry;
uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage students' development
of critical thinking, problem-solving, and performance skills; and creates
learning experiences that make content meaningful to all students (ages 3-22).
1) Knowledge - The competent deaf-blind
specialist understands:
A) the development of
body image in learners who are deaf-blind;
B) the development of positive self-esteem in
the learner who is deaf-blind;
C)
visual, auditory, and tactile adaptations that enhance social/communicative
interactions between the learner who is deaf-blind and others;
D) communication devices and technology that
are appropriate for learners who are deaf-blind;
E) the development of literacy in learners
who are deaf-blind;
F) the basic
principles of orientation and mobility for learners who are deaf-blind;
and
G) curricula specific to or
adapted for learners who are deaf-blind.
2) Performance - The competent deaf-blind
specialist:
A) moves together (co-actively)
with the learner in daily routines to establish body awareness and awareness of
another person;
B) uses touch to
make the learner aware of the learner's body and another's throughout
functional and play activities;
C)
provides opportunities for the learner to learn the functions of body
parts;
D) provides opportunities
for the learner's increased proprioceptive (feedback through muscles and body
position) and kinesthetic (feedback through body movement) awareness during
daily routines and planned activities;
E) provides opportunities for the learner to
develop confidence by making choices;
F) provides the learner with opportunities
for self-advocacy;
G) provides
opportunities for the learner to learn from naturally occurring successes and
failures;
H) creates opportunities
for the learner to initiate conversations with or without words around topics
of interest;
I) uses appropriate
distance between the learner and the communication partner;
J) determines optimal position of the learner
in relation to others that will enhance participation in group
activities;
K) maintains
interaction at eye level of the learner who is deaf-blind or makes adjustments
to accommodate for specific visual conditions;
L) uses touch cues to initiate and terminate
interactions;
M) interprets for the
learner information about other interactions and events taking place around the
learner;
N) reduces or eliminates
unnecessary visual, auditory and tactile clutter;
O) develops object communication systems for
the learner to use receptively and expressively;
P) uses formal sign language systems, both
visually and tactually;
Q) uses
alphabet systems, both tactually and visually;
R) uses the Tadoma method of speech
reading;
S) selects and prioritizes
receptive and expressive vocabulary that is meaningful and motivating to the
learner;
T) responds to the
learner's non-linguistic forms of communication while fostering opportunities
to move to linguistic levels;
U)
develops strategies to encourage the learner to use multiple non-linguistic and
linguistic modes/forms of communications depending upon the environment and
communications partners;
V) selects
and prioritizes receptive and expressive vocabulary that is meaningful and
motivating to the learner;
W)
models the use of vocabulary words that are meaningful and motivating to the
learner;
X) provides vocabulary for
the learner to understand and express abstract concepts;
Y) provides opportunities to use and expand
vocabulary through frequent and natural conversations;
Z) organizes vocabulary into
syntax;
AA) modifies existing
reading materials to adjust for the learner's language level and reading
media;
BB) designs and makes
non-technological communication devices that are appropriate to the learner's
needs;
CC) selects or adapts
assistive technological devices as tools for communication;
DD) provides opportunities for the learner to
use augmentative communication devices in a variety of environments and with a
variety of communication partners;
EE) provides opportunities and means for the
learner to communicate within and about activities and places;
FF) uses naturally occurring events for the
learner to use and practice communication skills;
GG) recommends appropriate positions to
optimize visual functioning;
HH)
recommends appropriate positions to optimize auditory functioning;
II) implements strategies to accommodate for
and to improve the learner's visual and auditory functioning based upon
assessment results;
JJ) assists the
learner in organizing information about space and objects within
space;
KK) models ways for the
learner to move in and through space;
LL) provides opportunities for the learner to
move outward in progressively larger spaces;
MM) adapts orientation and mobility
techniques according to the learner's communication skills and ability to use
residual hearing and vision;
NN)
provides opportunities for the learner who is deaf-blind and has physical
disabilities to learn orientation and mobility skills;
OO) teaches the learner to attend to
kinesthetic and proprioceptive variables to inform the learner about how the
learner's body relates to the environment;
PP) makes appropriate visual adaptations to
accommodate for specific visual impairments;
QQ) uses and adapts appropriate devices and
appliances;
RR) based upon clinical
and functional assessments, uses and creates materials that will maximize the
learner's use of vision, hearing, and touch in specific situations to meet the
learner's visual, auditory, and tactile needs;
SS) incorporates literacy as part of the
everyday activities according to the learner's experiences and interests;
and
TT) uses touch to accommodate
for lack or distortion of visual and auditory information.
g) Collaborative Relationships -
The competent deaf-blind specialist uses knowledge of effective written,
verbal, and visual communication techniques to foster active inquiry,
collaboration, and supportive interaction among professionals, parents,
paraprofessional educators, and students.
1)
Knowledge - The competent deafblind specialist understands:
A) the potential impact of deafblindness upon
attachment/bonding between learners who are deaf-blind and their primary
caregivers;
B) effective use of
communication support personnel to assure that the learner who is deaf-blind
has optimal access to opportunities for receptive and expressive
communication;
C) resources that
provide technical assistance at the local, State, and national levels related
to the field of deafblindness; and
D) resources of support services for learners
who are deaf-blind and their families.
2) Performance - The competent deaf-blind
specialist:
A) assesses and explains the
effects of combined vision and hearing losses upon relationships between the
learner and the learner's primary caregiver;
B) provides opportunities for the learner to
learn about family relationships and relationships to others;
C) provides opportunities for the learner to
understand the role of him/herself and others in the contexts of specific
groups;
D) provides opportunities
for the learner to meet and establish relationships with other people who are
deaf-blind;
E) exchanges
information about the learner's communication style/abilities with others to
ensure consistency of interpretation and use of the learner's communication
repertoire;
F) teaches significant
peers and adults to communicate effectively with the learner who is
deaf-blind;
G) exchanges ongoing
communication assessment findings with others to develop effective strategies
that will enhance the learner's communication abilities;
H) identifies the responsibilities and the
roles of the communication support personnel according to the needs of the
learner and environments;
I)
interprets for other team members clinical and functional information regarding
the learner's vision and hearing;
J) recommends appropriate referrals to
low-vision and hearing specialists in collaboration with other team members to
assess the need for assistive devices;
K) collaborates with orientation and mobility
specialists and other appropriate specialists in adapting strategies to
encourage the learner to move safely and independently;
L) consults and collaborates with others who
provide care, education, and adult services to people who are
deaf-blind;
M) provides information
and education to team members (including families) about the uniqueness of the
disability of deafblindness; and
N)
provides training to caregivers, school personnel, and peers that will improve
the quality of their interactions/relationships with the learner who is
deaf-blind.
h)
Professional Conduct and Leadership - The competent deaf-blind specialist
understands teaching as a profession, maintains standards of professional
conduct, and provides leadership to improve students' learning and well-being.
1) Knowledge - The competent deaf-blind
specialist meets the standards set forth in Section
28.100(h)(1).
2) Performance - The competent deaf-blind
specialist advocates for learners who are deaf-blind and their families to
obtain high-quality services ranging from early intervention to transition to
adult services.
i)
Reflection and Professional Growth - The competent deaf-blind specialist is a
reflective practitioner who continually evaluates how choices and actions
affect students, parents, and other professionals in the learning community and
actively seeks opportunities to grow professionally. The competent deaf-blind
specialist meets the standards set forth in Section
28.100(i).
Notes
Amended at 38 Ill. Reg. 6313, effective February 27, 2014
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No prior version found.