October 26, 2026

By Morrison

Moving Beyond Rehabilitation Framework and Toward A Cultural-Linguistic Framework

Many educators want to support their DeafBlind students but receive little guidance along with limited tools on how to create classrooms that are accessible, welcoming, and inclusive. Too often, resources focus on modifying the student or simplifying and watering down curriculum rather than examining how the educational environment can become more culturally and linguistically accessible.

The goal of inclusion is not to lower academic expectations. The goal is to ensure DeafBlind students have equitable access to the same learning experiences, information, discussions, relationships, and opportunities as their peers.

The following recommendations are intended as practical starting points for classroom teachers, support staff, administrators, Teachers of the Visually Impaired (TVIs), Teachers of the Deaf (TODs), interveners, interpreters, and educational teams.

Classroom Setup and Physical Environment

Strategic Seating Matters

Many classrooms instinctively place the DeafBlind student in the center of the room. For many DeafBlind learners who have residual vision (low vision) this can create significant visual and physical fatigue. Or if a DeafBlind student has an interpreter or intervenor sitting next to them, this allows for more space to move around with ease.

In classrooms using a semi-circle, U-shape, or in a typical Deaf-space, consider seating the DeafBlind student toward one side of the group rather than directly in the middle.

This allows the student to:

• Track classmates more efficiently.
• Reduce excessive head and eye movement.
• Follow discussions without constantly shifting attention from side to side.
• Conserve energy and attention throughout the day.
• Places them closer to the teacher and the board.

Placement should always be individualized according to the student’s vision, communication needs, comfort, and preferences.

Control Lighting and Glare

Many DeafBlind students are highly sensitive to glare, bright lights, and inconsistent lighting.

Recommendations include:

• Seat students with their backs toward windows whenever possible.
• Avoid placing students facing bright sunlight.
• Close blinds when glare becomes problematic.
• Observe signs of visual fatigue such as squinting, eye rubbing, leaning back, misunderstandings, or avoiding visual tasks.

Avoid assuming brighter is always better. Individual visual needs vary considerably.

Maintain Consistent Lighting

Turning classroom lights off unexpectedly can create disorientation and anxiety for some DeafBlind students.

Avoid:

• Flashing lights for attention.
• Frequent changes between dark and bright environments.
• Sudden lighting transitions without warning.

Instead:

• Use tactile prompts.
• Tap students appropriately and respectfully for attention.
• Teach classmates alternative methods for gaining attention.

Access to Visual Information

Everything Visual Should Have a Tactile Equivalent

One of the most common barriers in classrooms is the assumption that visual information is inherently accessible.

When presenting:

• classroom posters
• diagrams
• maps
• science displays
• anatomy charts
• plant structures
• historical artifacts
• three-dimensional concepts

consider whether a tactile equivalent exists.

For example:

A classroom displaying the anatomy of a flower should also provide:

• a real flower,
• tactile diagrams,
• 3-dimensional models,
• opportunities for exploration through touch.

A lesson on the human body should include:

• anatomical models,
• tactile replicas,
• raised-line diagrams,
• guided tactile exploration.

The goal is not to create a separate curriculum.

The goal is to provide multiple pathways for understanding.

Importantly, tactile learning benefits many students, not only DeafBlind students.

Describe Images Explicitly

When showing:

• photographs,
• illustrations,
• charts,
• videos,
• artwork,
• slides,

provide meaningful descriptions.

Avoid:

“Look at this picture.”

Instead explain:

• What is happening?
• Who is present?
• What details are important?
• What information supports the learning objective?

While does ng this, provide opportunities to interact with something that’s tactile and relevant to the subject. This benefits all learners while ensuring DeafBlind students receive comparable information.

Classroom Discussion and Participation

Build Processing Time Into Discussions

Classroom discussions move quickly.

For DeafBlind students using:

• ASL,
• tactile ASL,
• Protactile
• Tactile-informed communication (Back channeling/Environmental feedback),
• Deaf interpreters,
• support service providers/conavigators/intervenors,

information often requires additional processing time.

Teachers should:

• pause between comments,
• slow discussion pace,
• create structured turn-taking,
• allow time for interpretation,
• allow time for student responses.

The goal is not simply to let the student observe discussion. The goal is to enable meaningful participation.

Ensure Equal Opportunities to Contribute

Many DeafBlind students miss opportunities to contribute because conversations move ahead before information reaches them.

Teachers should intentionally create space for:

• questions,
• comments,
• clarification,
• disagreement,
• leadership within discussions.
• check-ins

Inclusion means participation as a contributor, not merely a passive listener.

Printed Materials and Assignments

Observe Access Before Making Assumptions

Teachers often assume students can access materials because they have not requested assistance.

Instead:

• discreetly observe reading behaviors,
• monitor fatigue,
• notice proximity to materials,
• identify patterns of avoidance.

If barriers are present, provide options.

These might include:

• large print,
• digital copies,
• electronic text,
• color inversion,
• contrast adjustments,
• braille,
• screen reader access.

The accommodation should be offered respectfully and discreetly. Students should never feel singled out because they require these alternatives.

Maintain Academic Expectations

If a student struggles to access a worksheet, make the worksheet accessible.

Do not automatically simplify the assignment.

The question should be:

“How can this student access this material?”

not:

“How can we reduce the difficulty?”

Group Work and Peer Inclusion

Teach Inclusion to Everyone

Peer inclusion should not be the responsibility of the DeafBlind student.

Classrooms should explicitly teach:

• collaborative communication,
• respect,
• accessibility,
• shared responsibility.

Students can learn:

• how to identify themselves before speaking,
• how to include peers in conversations,
• how to share information equitably,
• Use tactile communications,
• how to support communication access.

These skills benefit all students.

Establish Peer Support Models

Peer support systems can foster belonging while reducing social isolation.

When done thoughtfully, peers learn:

• leadership,
• empathy,
• respect,
• accessibility,
• compassion,
• collaboration.

The objective is not charity; the objective is community.

Videos, Multimedia, and Technology

Offer Multiple Access Options

Videos should never rely on a single access method.

Students may benefit from:

• captioning,
• transcripts,
• interpreters,
• Deaf interpreters,
• tactile interpretation,
• visual description,
• enlarged captions.

Most importantly:

Ask students how they prefer to access information. Do not force a single option. Access is a space that should be flexible and individualized.

Emergency Preparedness

Develop Accessible Safety Plans

Many school safety procedures assume students can hear alarms or see visual cues (the flashing of the strobe light and people evacuating). This assumption can place DeafBlind students at risk.

Emergency planning should include:

• individualized evacuation procedures,
• accessible communication plans,
• peer buddy systems,
• designated staff responsibilities,
• drill practice using accessible tactile communication methods.

No student should be left behind during an emergency that the safety plan was inaccessible.

Reconsidering the Role of Teachers of the Visually Impaired (TVIs)

One of the least discussed issues within DeafBlind education concerns the preparation of professionals assigned to support DeafBlind students. Many Teachers of the Visually Impaired (TVIs) receive extensive training in “vision-related” access, learning how to accommodate for students who are blind, not DeafBlind. However, DeafBlind students require expertise that extends beyond sight. A DeafBlind student is not simply a blind student with a “hearing loss.”

They are navigating a specified linguistic, cultural, and communicative experience. This space is the DeafBlind space, that many do not comprehend – including many educators, administrators, and TVIs.

When professionals:

• are not DeafBlind,
• lack fluency in tactile language,
• have limited exposure to tactile communication,
• are unfamiliar with DeafBlind culture, identity,
• rely entirely on interpreters for communication,

students may experience support services as disconnected from their actual needs. This can lead to sessions that feel more like clinical intervention, rehabilitative, than meaningful educational engagement.

Students frequently report stronger outcomes when professionals possess:

• DeafBlind-specific training,
• cultural competency,
• direct communication skills,
• understanding of DeafBlind identity development,
• familiarity with tactile communication practices,
• Understanding of DeafBlind way of life.

Educational access is not simply a matter of providing services. It is a matter of providing services that are culturally, linguistically, and relationally meaningful. More so meaningful and productive if coming from professionals who are DeafBlind.

Final Reflection

The most important shift schools can make is moving away from a mindset that asks:

“How do we support this DeafBlind student?”

toward asking:

“How do we create a classroom where DeafBlind students can fully belong, participate, learn, communicate, and lead?”

“What do WE need to do to accommodate?”

When access is understood as cultural, linguistic, social-emotional, tactile, and educational, inclusion stops being something we do for DeafBlind students and becomes something we build with them. And that is where true educational equity begins.

Interested in taking the leap in having a training or workshop to elevate the space that’s inclusive for DeafBlind students? Interested in looking for a DeafBlind professional to work with your DeafBlind students? Send me an email at Protactile.Connects@gmail.com.