Georgia Sensory Assistance Project

Introduction

The Georgia Sensory Assistance Project (GSAP) is a federally-funded discretionary grant administered through the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) under Part D of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Housed in the University of Georgia Mary Frances Early College of Education since 2013, GSAP is Georgia’s designated deafblind technical assistance project.

Deafblindness is a rare condition in which an individual has combined hearing and vision loss, thus limiting access to both auditory and visual information. Deafblindness is a low-incidence disability and within this population, there is great variability in terms of age, race/ethnicity, cause of deafblindness, and severity and type of hearing and vision loss. It is not uncommon for the same conditions that cause deafblindness to also lead to additional cognitive, physical, or other disabilities and health care needs (National Center on Deafblindness , 2026).

GSAP’s mission is to increase statewide capacity to effectively educate children and youth with combined vision and hearing loss, from birth through age 21. GSAP provides consultation, training, and resources aligned with federal priorities for evidence-based practice and systems improvement. GSAP integrates family engagement into all service delivery to promote informed decision-making and long-term outcomes for deafblind children. GSAP’s technical assistance is offered at no cost to recipients.

GSAP Registry of Deafblind Students

Who is eligible?

• 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

• Students do NOT have to have deafblindness 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 exemption )

• Anyone can register a child with GSAP

Deafblind Child Count

GSAP is required to complete an annual deafblind child count and submit the de-identified information to the National Center on Deafblindness for aggregation. This expanded special education report is federally required by OSEP and is used to identify national and state technical assistance needs for children and youth who are deafblind, their families, services providers, and the systems which serve them. OSEP encourages state and local education agencies to support the collection of this child count data.

Please read the dear colleague letter from GSAP’s OSEP project officer. Each year, GSAP contacts the designated educator via email with detailed instructions for logging into the secure data system and updating records.

Visit the NCDB National Child Count webpage for more detailed information and reports.

Resources for Educators and Families

Deafblind children and youth have unique needs for communication, developing social skills, and engaging with the world around them. The GSAP team curated a list of our favorite websites, articles, and organizations.

If we have a signed release of information, the GSAP team can assist in making referrals to organizations. Some examples include:

• Babies Can’t Wait
• Georgia PINES
• Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency
• Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities
• Helen Keller National Center
• iCanConnect National Deafblind Equipment Distribution Program

Please contact us if we could help connect you with a specific resource or organization, or if you have general questions about deafblindness.

Access GSAP Resources

Assistance for Educators

The GSAP team can connect you with resources, information, and organizations; a release of information is not needed for general questions. The National Center on Deafblindess website is a great place to find current information about best practices for teaching deafblind children and includes a searchable information center.

Child‑Specific Technical Assistance

If the child’s family has agreed and signed a release of information, the GSAP team is available to provide child-specific technical assistance (TA). TA is a collaborative problem-solving process that focuses on increasing the knowledge and skills of educators and increasing the use of evidence-based practices for children who are deafblind.

Common TA topics include but are not limited to:

• Understanding hearing and vision
• Access to information
• Communication
• Appropriate approaches for assessment
• Effective instructional strategies
• Transition to life beyond high school

TA consultation may include:

• Reviewing records
• Observing the child
• Interviewing team members
• Sharing appropriate assessment tools
• Collaborating to gather information
• Providing recommendations
• Following up to determine progress

Collaboration is necessary for TA to be effective, and team readiness is assessed throughout the process. Ongoing TA for educators requires administrator approval and involves setting up a technical assistance plan to address specific topics.

As general guidance, GSAP uses the process outlined in the National Center on Deafblindness Implementing Evidence-Based Practices for Children Who Are Deaf-Blind: A TA Reference Guide . For more information, read the GSAP TA frequently asked questions document .

Contact us with questions or to get started with GSAP technical assistance.

Assistance for Families

GSAP assists families by sharing information and resources, facilitating connections with other families, encouraging collaboration with your child’s education team, and promoting positive post-school outcomes. Here are a few websites and links to resources:

• The National Family Association for DeafBlind is an organization that empowers success for families of the deafblind community.

• Parent to Parent of Georgia supports Georgia families and individuals impacted by disabilities or special health care needs. P2PGA is our state parent training and information center.

• Family 2 Family Communities (F2FC) connects families of deafblind individuals in small groups via Zoom. Each year, F2FC offers a variety of groups, registration is open during the summer, and groups meet monthly from September to May.

The GSAP team is available to talk with you about your child and family and share relevant information and resources on topics such as communication and social skills, participating in family activities, person-centered planning, and times of transition (from early intervention to school and from school to adult life).

Contact us and a GSAP team member will reach out to you.