Sensory Disabilities are a Fact of Life.

Not the End of It.

No one said it was easy to raise a child or be a child with a hearing loss or vision impairment. But with good information, helpful training, and the right technology, what was once an unthinkable difficulty can turn into a quite manageable fact of an otherwise wonderful life.

Washington Sensory Disabilities Services (WSDS) is here to assist children who are deaf or hard of hearing, blind or visually impaired, or deaf-blind, by providing training and other support to families and service providers.

WSDS is a state needs project funded through the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction – Special Education Section.

What's New?

New! Recorded Trainings
Two three-part trainings on Educating Children with Combined Hearing Loss and Visual Impairment now available! Topics: "Planning for Their Success" and "The Communication Matrix."

New! Clock Hours for Recorded Trainings
You can earn up to 4.5 clock hours for each three-part training series (6 clock hours for the four-part series) on dual sensory disabilities by: (a) viewing the three or four parts of the recorded training (~90 minutes each), (b) completing questions for each of the three or four parts, and (c) completing the evaluation survey. The clock hour instructions and questions for each of the training series are located with the recorded trainings, as well as the evaluation surveys. Please contact Mikaela O’Brien if you have questions.

New! Take a quick peek at the Baby Jamboree held August 12-14, 2011, on the campus of Washington State School for the Blind!

New! Facebook

The Deaf-Blind Program now has a Facebook page! Check out current updates to our program, training opportunities, or just chat with fellow friends on our page. You can search for WA Deaf-Blind Project or click on the Facebook logo below.