Helen Keller Education Act

Section 101: This section ensures that children with concomitant vision and hearing losses are identified, located, and evaluated even if they are classified in a disability category other than deafblindness. This is positive because it prevents children from falling through the cracks and guarantees they receive appropriate special education and related services.

Section 102: This provision formally recognizes intervener services as a related service provided by a qualified intervener. This is a positive step for individuals who are deafblind because it ensures they receive individualized, qualified support in school environments.

Section 104: This section requires evaluations for children who are deafblind to assess language and communication proficiency levels using their preferred mode of communication. This is beneficial because it ensures that assessments are actually tailored to the child's specific way of communicating, such as tactile sign language.

Section 201: This provision improves early intervention plans for infants and toddlers who are deafblind by including ongoing language assessments and direct communication access with trained peers and professionals. This is positive because it helps families support their young children's language development early on.