The Arkansas Department of Education, Special Education Unit, Project for Children with Deafblindness is preparing the annual federal census of children in Arkansas, birth to age 21, who have been identified as having deafblindness. The Project is required to submit this report to the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) each year. The purpose of this Commissioner’s Memo is to assist the Project’s staff in the identification and reporting of children in Arkansas who are deafblind.
The Arkansas Deafblind Project is supported through a federally-funded grant administered by the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE), Special Education Unit. The Project provides technical assistance through on-site consultations, trainings and other resources to teachers, agency personnel, and parents who have children that are identified and listed on the Deafblind registry.
Children referred to the Project do not have to be totally deaf and totally blind, or have to have been identified as deafblind on the district’s December 1 Child Count. Often these children are counted on the December 1 report as having other primary disabilities. such as Mental Retardation, Multiple Disabilities, or Other Health Impairments. For consideration for the Deafblind Project, the child must have some degree of both vision and hearing loss, or have cognitive impairments that limit the use of both senses.
Attached is the 2009 Federal Census Form that is to be used to report the information required by the USDOE on each child. Please consider all of the children served by the district to determine those individuals who might be eligible for the Project and its services. For each child that the district believes may qualify, a 2009 Federal Census Form should be completed. If unsure about a child’s eligibility, the Project’s staff will review all information and make the final determination as to eligibility.
Districts will receive a separate letter from the Project for any children in the district who have already been identified and are listed on the Deafblind registry. A 2009 Federal Census Form will be included for those individual children that will only require information to be updated.
The public agency’s cooperation is appreciated in assisting the Project’s efforts to identify and maintain accurate information on children with deafblindness within the State of Arkansas. Please return the 2009 Federal Census by January 18, 2010, to:
Arkansas Project for Children with Deafblindness
Arkansas Department of Education, Special Education
1401 West Capitol Avenue, Suite 450
Little Rock, AR 72201
Attention: Beth Bourgeois
For additional information, or questions, contact Beth Bourgeois, Project Family Consultant, at 501-682-4222, by fax at 501-682-4248, or e-mail sandra.bourgeois@arkansas.gov.