The Missouri DeafBlind Project strives to improve services and results to youth who are deafblind and their families by strengthening collaborations among local, state, and national teams, provide consultations, and professional development through individual schools or through weeklong trainings at Missouri School for the Blind. These efforts increase early identification and intervention, increase access to communication and the general education environments, facilitate family engagement, support successful transitions, and increase the number of highly-qualified personnel. Technical assistance, training, support, and resources are available for families and service providers of individuals with vision and hearing differences (birth through 21 years of age) at no cost.

Quick Links for Census and Requests

• What is the Missouri DeafBlind Project?PDF Document
• DeafBlind Assistance Request form
• Missouri DeafBlind Census Reporting Form
• Release of Information for DeafBlind Census
• Update Contact Info Form
• Infants and Toddlers AssistancePDF Document
• None to Report form

Like the Outreach Facebook Page for information about events and more!

Upcoming Events:

Hand In Hand: Understanding Deafblindness

Registration Now Open!

Ready to Register? Click here for Hand in Hand Registration


NEW LOCATION! Kansas City, MO
Dates: October 20-24, 2025

Location: Children's Center for the Visually Impaired (CCVI)
Kansas City,MO

This course provides instructional strategies and practices specific to the education of students with combined vision and hearing loss with or without additional disabilities. The course is taught by specialists in the field of DeafBlindness and contains two sessions. Session one, includes information on such topics as common causes of DeafBlindness, assessments specific to students with DeafBlindness, and instructional strategies shown to be most impactful for this population of learners. Session two, dives deep into the communication needs of learners with DeafBlindness and the specific application of materials from part one for the individual students being served by participants. Follow-up coaching and mentoring is available from MoDBTAP Project staff to deepen comfort levels with real-world application.


The target audience for this course includes any members of the educational team serving a student with combined vision and hearing loss inclusive of those with multiple disabilities. We welcome all teachers (general or special ed.), the learner’s caregivers/parents, paraprofessionals, related service providers, or post-secondary students intending to work with learners with combined vision and hearing differences.


Midwest Transition Institute 2025

Stay tuned for details

The Midwest Transition Institute returns Summer of 2025. More details coming soon!
Who can participate? Any young adult who is DeafBlind, age 16 through 22. Candidates will be language users (with or without devices), able to engage in group activities for at least 30 minutes at a time, and able to stay overnight in a dorm-type setting.
What is the purpose of the Institute? Young adults who are DeafBlind will make progress toward their self-identified transition priorities by completing sections of a transition portfolio, interacting with other young adults and DeafBlind adult mentors from across the Midwest, and learning transition skills related to their life plans in a fun environment. Parents and guardians will learn together about life after graduation and how to plan ahead.

Contact MoDBTAP:

314-633-1587

Ashley Foley

ashley.foley@msb.dese.mo.gov

What is an Intervener?

Knowing whether your child would benefit from the support of an intervener is a burning question for many families. Let’s start with the basics. An intervener is a person who works consistently one-to-one with an individual who is deafblind to help them gather information, develop and use communication skills, and establish relationships. The need for an intervener is typically determined during the development of a child or youth’s individualized education program (IEP). In school settings, they work under the supervision of a classroom teacher or other person responsible for implementing the IEP.

For more info on Intervener Certification, see our Professional Development Listing here

For Intervener training/OHOA through MoDBTAP, Contact:

Dena Molen

dena.molen@msb.dese.mo.gov

314-633-1553

 

DeafBlind Census

DeafBlind Census Reporting Flow ChartPDF Document
DeafBlind Census Reporting Form

Parent Guardian Release of Information
No Longer Enrolled/None To Report
Divulgación de información por parte de los padresPDF Document

 

More Information:

Importance of the DeafBlind Census PDF Document
OSEP Dear Colleague Letter on DB CensusPDF Document

Frequently Asked Census QuestionsPDF Document

Eligibility Chart: Combinations of Vision and Hearing LossPDF Document

• Eligibility Chart - AccessiblePDF Document

Cuadro de Elegibilidad: Combinación de Pérdida Auditiva y VisualPDF Document

• Versión accesible- Cuadro de Elegibilidad: Combinación de Pérdida Auditiva y VisualPDF Document

¿Qué es el Proyecto de asistencia técnica de Missouri para sordociegos?PDF Document

ASL Transliteration Videos

Family/Service Provider Resource Links

• DeafBlind LiveBinder Resources

• Family Funding ApplicationPDF Document

The Missouri DeafBlind Technical Assistance Project (MoDBTAP) is excited to offer financial support to families of children with deafblindness. MoDBTAP will provide financial assistance for family members of infants, children and youth (ages birth through 21) who are deafblind to further their knowledge and understanding of their child’s disability and/or the programs and services that support their child, through the Family Involvement Fund. The financial assistance provided should be used to attend conferences and workshops (e.g. registration fees, lodging, travel), as well as to participate in online trainings and webinars or other agreed-upon opportunities.

• Solicitud de Fondo de Familia