Hearing and/or Visually Impaired Services

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) provides information on educational services and resources to support students who are deaf and hard of hearing, blind or visually impaired, or deaf-blind at its website. The following links to information and resources are excerpted from the VDOE’s Sensory Disabilities webpage:

Guidance Documents

Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Blindness and Visual Impairment

State Agencies

  • Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind (VSDB) - The VSDB is located in Staunton, Virginia and provides a K–12 educational day program, outreach services, and residential services exclusively for students who are deaf or hard of hearing, blind or visually impaired, or deaf-blind. The VSDB Outreach Services assist early intervention providers, local school divisions, and families in meeting the needs of children across the Commonwealth. The VSDB’s admissions policy is available at its website.
    • Contact: Pat Trice, Superintendent, at (804) 536-0591
  • Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired (DBVI) - includes an Education Services Program to provide services to early intervention providers, school personnel, and families to assist children with visual impairment, blindness, and deaf-blindness to be successful in school and the community, and to prepare for the future. The DBVI Library and Resource Center provides services to local school divisions to support the education of children who are blind or visually impaired and persons who are
    print disabled. The Virginia Rehabilitation Center for the Blind and Vision Impaired offers training in the skills of blindness. 
    • Contact: Donna Cox, Director of Education and Library Services, at (804) 887-7327
  • Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (VDDHH) - The VDDHH provides information and services for telecommunication services and equipment, interpreter standards, referrals, Deaf mentors for families, and other services. These resources promote accessible communications so that students and parents who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing may fully participate in programs, services, and opportunities throughout Virginia. 
    • Contact: Eric Raff, Director, at (804) 404-9090 or (800) 552-7917

Technical Assistance Centers and Training Programs

Professional Education and Training Programs

  • Radford University Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program - Radford University offers Virginia’s only academic program leading to Virginia teacher licensure with an endorsement in Special Education-Hearing Impairment PreK-12. Courses are taught through combined on-campus, distance education, and varied educational field experiences. The comprehensive program teaches all communication/instructional approaches used with students who are deaf and hard of hearing.  Tuition assistance is available for qualified Virginia teachers.
  • Virginia Consortium for Teacher Preparation in Visual Impairment (VI Consortium) - The VI Consortium is the only academic program in Virginia for teacher preparation leading to Virginia teacher licensure with an endorsement in Special Education-Visual Impairment PreK-12. Classes are offered through combined on-campus, video, and web conferencing through five universities: George Mason, James Madison, Norfolk State, Old Dominion, and Radford. Tuition assistance is available for qualified Virginia teachers.
  • The VDOE Educational Interpreter Services and Training - VDOE provides grant funding to assist Virginia educational interpreters and cued language transliterators with acquiring and maintaining the required skills and qualifications to work with children who are deaf and hard of hearing in Virginia public schools. Free regional workshops and mentoring support are available.

    American Sign Language-English Interpretation programs/courses are offered at the following Virginia community colleges and universities:

For additional information, please contact:

Wanda Council, Specialist for Deaf/Hard of Hearing, Blind/Visually Impaired, and Deaf-Blind
Virginia Department of Education
(804) 750-8614

Revised: October 2023

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