Editorial

Editorial MISCELLANY • An area of deafness in which great progress has been made over the last decade has been that of visual screening. To a lesser but significant extent there has been improvement in follow -up services to deaf-visually impaired students . By contrast, in the past more programs educating deaf and hard-of-hearing children gave no eye tests at all or else administered only rudimentary visual acuity measures such as the Snellan Chart. These assessments missed the major eye disorders known to be associated with deafness such as Retinitis Pigmentosa, cataracts, glaucoma, and ocular-muscular disorders. With better identification of deaf-blindness has come the beginning of services. Persons such as Linda Annala, Wanda Hicks, and Art Roerhig have developed adaptations of regular curriculum, support services, and resident hall programs which accommodate visually impaired students. These modifications can be applied nationally. A major need, still unmet, is a thorough analysis of career options for deaf-visually impaired adults. As large numbers of rubella deaf-blind youth leave school over the next few years chaos and tragedy are going to result, if adequate services are not provided. For example, currently there is no program preparing professionals for the specialty of working with deaf-blind adults. Deaf-blind adults are beginning to more actively pursue political action designed to obtain for themselves adequate programs. With the cooperation of the National Retinitis Pigmentosa Foundation, deaf-blind people, and parents of deaf-blind children, a set of priorities was developed for those deaf-blind persons who have left school and are adults. The austerity policies now present in Washington will make it difficult to achieve goals (listed below), but efforts to do so are in progress. SERVICES NEEDED FOR DEAF-BLIND PEOPLE I. The provision of four regional residential living facilities in the United States each serving 100 deaf-blind people of 70 IQ or above and maintaining sheltered workshops . This would centralize services in an effective, meaningful way. It would be less expensive and more productive than the multitude of disjointed services and agencies which now have to be mobilized (and usually are not) if the deaf-blind person is to receive help. It is only when deaf-blind people are brought together that they have other people who can and will communicate with them in the tactile sign language they need. II- Services for deaf-blind people of below 70 IQ. A federal reimbursement of twice the current per capita cost for a regular hospitalized retarded person be provided each state which makes provision in their hospital system for the mentally retarded for a separate unit or ward for the deaf-blind with staff who can communicate in tactile sign language. III. Centralization of services for deaf-blind people at the federal level. Currently the deaf, the blind, the mentally retarded, etc., each have separate divisions in the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) to assure them services. The deafblind fall between the cracks in that none of these divisions understands or is set up to meet their needs. The Bureau of Education of the Handicapped has recognized this and provided separate services for deaf-blind children. A corresponding office is needed in RSA for deaf-blind adults. IV. Change the criteria for rehabilitation services . The leading cause of deaf-blindness in adults, Usher's Syndrome, involves a congenital deafness and a progressive blindness due to retinitis pigmentosa. Often, the client with this disease must wait until he is legally blind to get services for his blindness. Often, training and other services could be much more effectively rendered while the person still had some sight and could then prepare for his blindness. V. Provision of improved tactile-vibratory warning devices and telecommunications. The deaf-blind person often perishes in fires or assaults due to a lack of warning devices to which he can respond. Even more problems arise due to the lack of A.A.D. I December 1981 993 Editorial any kind of substitute mechanism for the telephone. VI. Interpreting services. Without some access to tactile sign language interpreting services , deaf-blind people are almost totally isolated, unable to communicate with their doctor, family, congressman, or service agency. VII. Training of...