Georgia Sensory Assistance Project

• Students do NOT need to be totally blind and/or totally deaf to be registered.
• Vision loss can range from low vision (20/70 in the best eye with correction) to blindness, or a documented progressive or functional loss, including Cortical Visual Impairment.
• Hearing loss can be permanent or fluctuating, unilateral or bilateral, range from mild (26-40dB) to profound, or a documented progressive or functional loss.
• A combination of these losses that impacts communication, development, and educational needs qualifies children and youth to be registered.
• Many students have additional disabilities or complex health care needs.
• Students do NOT have to have deaf-blindness listed as an eligibility category on their IEP.
• School districts do not need to obtain parental permission to register students with GSAP. Read this explanation of FERPA.
• Students may be added as "Needs Further Testing" under the vision and/or hearing categories if there is a strong suspicion of sensory impairment without documentation, but this documentation must be provided within a year or the student is removed.
• Anyone can register a student with GSAP.

Contact Carol Darrah to discuss referrals.

GSAP is required to complete an annual child count of children and youth with combined vision and hearing loss. This expanded Special Education Child Count is federally required by OSEP and is used to identify national and state technical assistance needs for children and youth who are deaf-blind, their families, services providers, and the systems which serve them.  The Office of Special Education Programs encourages state and local districts to support the collection of this Child Count data.

Please read the OSEP Dear Colleague letter 2018.

Educators are required to review and update students' records every year in December; however, you are encouraged to update records any time there is a change for the student.

GSAP will contact the designated educator via email with detailed instructions for logging into the secure database and updating records.

View the 2019 GSAP child count summary.

Contact Martha Veto for information about the deaf-blind child count.

Due to restrictions on face-to-face training for the remainder of 2020, GSAP plans to offer a variety of training opportunities through online study groups.

• CVI Study Group: for professionals who wish to expand their understanding of Cortical/Cerebral Visual Impairment and new tools and ideas in the field.
• Active Learning Study Group: for professionals who wish to learn more about Lilli Nielsen's Active Learning materials and instructional strategies
• Deaf-Blind Instructional Strategies Study Group: for professionals who wish to expand their knowledge of instructional strategies effective with students who are deaf-blind.

Click on one of the upcoming dates for more information about that event.

Additionally, education teams can request in-service training on topics related to learners with vision and hearing loss such as the impact of vision and hearing loss on learning, communication strategies, early literacy for students who are deaf-blind, and transition.

Contact Martha Veto for information about training.

GSAP provides technical assistance to educational teams, including families, of children and youth with deaf-blindness from birth through 21 years of age. Technical assistance may include school consultation, in-home consultation, support for the educational team through coaching and training, in-services, summer institutes, referrals to other agencies, and resources. Services may be requested by families of children and youth with deaf-blindness, early intervention and school personnel, and agencies providing services to children and youth with deaf-blindness.

School-based assistance requires administrator approval and involves setting up a technical assistance plan to address specific topics such as: communicating with the child, transition, best practice instructional strategies for students with dual sensory loss, and understanding what the child sees and hears.

Families and/or school teams can invite GSAP to participate in IEP meetings. Please read GSAP's IEP Policy for more information.

There is no charge for any services from GSAP. To request services from GSAP:

1. Print this release form, ask the parent/guardian to sign it, and send it to Martha Veto.
2. Complete this online request form
3. GSAP staff will contact you soon to discuss your specific needs.

Contact Martha Veto for information about GSAP supports.

GSAP offers a variety of supports to families, including:

• Individualized support as your child transitions from early intervention to school, to a new classroom, or from school to adult life.
• Online sign language classes for GSAP family members at any level of signing ability.
• Family 2 Family Communities, which connects families of children with deaf-blindness in small groups using distance technology.
• Person-Centered Planning using tools to meet the needs of your child and family.
• Consultation on topics important to your child and family via phone, email, distance technology, or in-person.
• Connecting families to state and national resources and service agencies.

Contact Diane Foster or Carol Darrah for information about family supports.

Children and young adults who have combined vision and hearing loss have unique needs for communication, developing social skills, and engaging with the world around them. There are great sites to get information and organizations that can provide support in many ways.  Click on the GSAP Resources document for information and links to some of our favorite websites, articles.

Access GSAP Resources