Graduate Certificate in Deaf-Blindness
- A statement of the educational objectives of the program.
The certificate in deaf-blindness will equip participants with the specific knowledge and skills to address the unique educational needs of students with dual sensory impairments. Specifically, candidates who complete the certificate will have the particular knowledge and skills to understand the unique impact of dual sensory impairments on development and learning; assess the strengths and needs of these individuals and design empirically valid, effective service delivery and instruction, with particular emphasis on communication development; train and utilize deaf-blind intervenors and other paraprofessionals; work collaboratively with families, related service specialists, educators, and other specialists to facilitate academic achievement, functional skill development, and meaningful participation in the school, home, and community; and assume advocacy and leadership roles to ensure appropriate services and opportunities.
- A statement of the admission standards for the certificate program and a statement of the academic retention standards for the successful completion of the program.
The graduate certificate will be available to individuals interested in furthering their education in the area of individuals with deaf-blindness. Successful applicants will hold an earned baccalaureate degree or its equivalent from an accredited college or university and have some academic or practical experience in the field of special education. No other admission requirements will apply.
Students seeking the certificate must be admitted to the East Carolina University (ECU) Graduate School as either degree-seeking or as non-degree students. They may or may not be concurrently enrolled in an ECU graduate degree program.
In the case of concurrent enrollment, students must obtain approval of the director of the degree program in which they are enrolled. They must also remain in good standing in the degree program in which they are enrolled.
All students must remain in compliance with all Graduate School policies and procedures.
- A statement of the proposed course sequence associated with the certificate, including titles and course descriptions both for existing courses and any new courses that may be developed.
Curricula for the proposed Graduate Certificate in Deaf-Blindness reflect initial planning by ECU faculty and consultants, other experts in the disability service field, and family members of individuals who have deaf-blindness. The certificate is based on nationally recognized competencies, selected and reviewed by members of the National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB), a USDOE national technical assistance project. The certificate has 4 requirements for completion: Students must (1) take the 12 certificate hours of graduate-level coursework in Deaf-blindness, (2) pass a proficiency test in Braille and American Sign Language, (3) complete a 3-hour supervised internship emphasizing practical application and collaborative teamwork, and (4) submit a portfolio documenting mastery of certificate competencies.
Courses in this graduate certificate include:
SPED 6810: Characteristics, Issues, and Trends in Education of Studentswith Deaf-Blindness (3 SH)
Impact on development and learning and history, issues, relevant resources, and approaches.
SPED 6811: Essentials of Communication Development for Students with Deaf-Blindness (3 SH) (Prerequisite: SPED 6810)
Effective practices for communication acquisition from pre-symbolic/pre-linguistic levels through formal language and literacy.
SPED 6812; Assessment and Education Program Design for Students with Deaf-Blindness (3 SH) (Prerequisites: SPED 6810, 6811)
Assessment approaches for designing effective instruction and supports, and monitoring student progress
SPED 6813: Effective Teaching and Learning for Students with Deaf-Blindness (3 SH) (Prerequisites: Sped 6810, 6811, 6812)
Strategies for providing quality instruction within an academic, functional and age-appropriate framework
SPED 6814: Internship with Students with Deaf-Blindness (3 SH) (Prerequisites: SPED 6810, 6811, 6812, 6813)
Supervised teaching and leadership experiences to integrate valid effective practices in assessment, teaching and learning
- The catalog copy for the certificate program. (See Appendix 1)
Certificate in Deaf-Blindness
The certificate in deaf-blindness will provide teachers and other school personnel with the knowledge and skills necessary to work with students whose multiple impairments include deaf-blindness. The overall objective of the program is to prepare classroom special educators and/or other school personnel to provide best practice, research based instructional and related services. Specifically, candidates who successfully complete the certificate will have a broad-based knowledge of the characteristics of students with deaf-blindness, strategies for classroom instruction, skills in developing and implementing communication systems, and strategies for collaborating with and supporting families.
Applicants seeking admission must be graduate students or education professionals working in their respective fields. Professionals can enroll as non-degree seeking students. Admission is based on completion of the ECU certificate application and approval by the program coordinator.
The certificate program requires 15 s.h. of graduate-level course work with completion of the following courses: SPED 6810, 6811, 6812, 6813, and 6814.
6810. Characteristics, Issues and Trends in Education of Students with Deaf-Blindness (3). Impact on development and learning and history, issues, relevant resources, and approaches.
6811. Essentials of Communication Development for Students with Deaf-Blindness (3) P: SPED 6810. Effective practices for communication acquisition from pre-symbolic/pre-linguistic levels through formal language and literacy.
6812. Assessment and Educational Program Design for Students with Deaf-Blindness (3) P: SPED 6811. Assessment approaches to design effective instruction and supports, and monitor student progress
6813. Teaching and Learning for Students with Deaf-Blindness (3) P: SPED 6812. Strategies for providing quality instruction within a functional and age-appropriate framework.
6814. Internship with Students with Deaf-Blindness (3). P: SPED 6814. Supervised teaching and leadership experiences to integrate valid effective practices in assessment, teaching and learning.
- A statement of how the proposed course sequences associated with the certificate will meet the stated educational objectives.
The proposed course sequence is offered to provide specialized graduate level instruction for working with students with deaf-blindness. Each course is designed around a current, research-based body of knowledge concerning individuals with deaf-blindness. The training is organized around the three most essential components of service to individuals with deaf-blindness: (a) communication with and by individuals with deaf-blindness, (b) assessment to inform instruction and program delivery, and (c) methods and materials for teaching.
- A statement of the need for the proposed program and the basis for such a need supported by either externally or internally derived data.
The North Carolina General Assembly directed the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to conduct a comprehensive review of programs and services for individuals with deaf-blindness. This review, completed in 2000, determined that there was a severe shortage of personnel qualified to meet this group of learners’ unique needs. As a result of this finding the General Assembly expanded the mandate of HB 1910 to include preparation of professionals and paraprofessionals with a specialization in deaf-blindness. ECU receives funding from HB1910, distributed through DHHS, to develop and offer this graduate certificate and a paraprofessional training program.
Children and youth with deaf-blindness are served in various settings across the state, including public and private schools, specialized schools for children with visual, hearing, cognitive, or emotional/behavior impairments, and residential programs for learners with significant multiple challenges. Despite the label reflecting a combination of two sensory losses, deaf-blindness is recognized world-wide as a unique disability. Personnel with specialization in other disability areas may hold a piece of the puzzle presented by the learner with deaf-blindness, but without someone who has expertise in deaf-blindness, there is no one to guide them in how to apply their particular areas of expertise to an individual with deaf-blindness nor integrate the outcomes of their effort into a coherent and accurate picture of the learner’s particular strengths and needs. The combination of a hearing and vision loss has a unique impact on development, learning, and functioning. While skill sets from vision, hearing, and other categorical disability specialties are relevant to learners with deaf-blindness (e.g. Orientation and Mobility, Vision or Hearing correction, etc.), without knowledge of deaf-blindness effective application of these skill sets is not possible (e.g. concept development, body and spatial awareness, and efficient use of hearing form the framework for training orientation and mobility for persons with visual impairments).
This certificate is critical to helping school-based professionals acquire the skills needed to work with students with deaf-blindness. At this point in time, no other university in North Carolina or surrounding states offers specialized training specific to this field of study. The lack of training programs, coupled with the significant shortage of vision and hearing impairment specialists, are posing notable challenges to the schools. These challenges are further exacerbated by repeated assertions made by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and the National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB) that North Carolina’s population of students with deaf-blindness is both under-identified and under-served. We have received encouragement from public school administrators, educators, and related service providers, including colleagues at DPI and NCDB for this certificate, in hopes that we will better prepare teachers and other school-based professionals to meet the needs of students with Deaf-Blindness in North Carolina.
- The names of the faculty associated with or contributing to the certificate program, either by teaching one or more of the courses associated with the program or participating in the design of the course sequence. Adjunct faculty associated with the program should also include up-to-date curriculum vitae.
The Department of Curriculum and Instruction Interim Chair is Dr. Patricia Anderson. Faculty who has expressed interest in teaching related courses include:
Dr. Melissa Engleman
Dr. Harold Griffin
Dr. Laura King
Dr. Sandra Warren
Dr. Alana Zambone
Any additional faculty recruited to teach these courses will have a terminal degree and experience working with individuals with deaf-blindness.
See Appendix 2 for vita of the SPED faculty.
- The name and curriculum vita of the faculty member who will be designated as the coordinator of the program for purposes of communication with the Graduate School;
Dr. Alana Zambone will coordinate the proposed certificate. Her vitae is in Appendix 2. She may be reached at East Carolina University, College of Education, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Speight 119, Greenville, NC 27858, phone: 252-328-5746, email:
She will collaborate with Dr. Sarah Williams (Interim Coordinator of the Special Education Program Area within the Department of Curriculum and Instruction) and Dr. Nancy Zoeller (Director of Graduate Studies for the Department of Curriculum and Instruction).
- If the proposed graduate certificate program contains no new courses, no new faculty, no additional costs, and maintains the admissions and academic standing requirements of a related degree program, the proposal will be given expedited review in the approval process.
Although the Graduate Certificate in Deaf-Blindness does require new courses, it does not require new faculty or additional resources. The proposed certificate maintains the admissions and academic standing requirements of the graduate degree programs.
- The unit offering the certificate program must specify what professional license, if any, for which the certificate qualifies.
Completion of the Graduate Certificate in Deaf-Blindness will be awarded by the College of Education/Department of Curriculum and Instruction. The certificate does not automatically qualify students for any professional licenses at the state or national level.
- The Classification of Instructional Program (CIP) title and six-digit code.
13.1099 Special Education and Teaching, Other
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