Deafblindness is a combination of vision loss and hearing difference that makes accessing the environment, language and communication more complex. It varies in severity and type and can be present at birth or acquired at any age.
With both vision and hearing impacted, access to the world often requires individualized supports for independent living, education and social interaction.
The Nebraska Deafblind Project provides statewide support to students with a combined vision and hearing loss, and their educational team members and families. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, the program’s services include technical assistance, professional development opportunities and maintaining a statewide child count of Nebraska deafblind students.
Mackenzie Savaiano, associate professor of practice in the Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders, has served as director of the Nebraska Deafblind Project since 2023.
“Deafblind individuals are a low-incidence population whose needs are remarkably specific, so parents and early interventionists or teachers often struggle to find appropriate resources to support the child,” said Savaiano, a CYFS research affiliate.
Thanks to a new database and website, data collection and reporting for the program has been streamlined, helping clear information-gathering hurdles of past years.
The project database and website, both developed by Kindred Media — a creative team housed within CYFS specializing in communications and media services — provide users with secure, password-protected accounts. Current student information appears on each user’s dashboard, and additional names and details can be added and revised in real time.
Administrator functions enable Savaiano to organize data reports for the National Center on Deafblindness. She can also categorize cases by cause to connect parents and educators with targeted resources.
The dynamic online system replaces a paper-based process, ensuring an accurate statewide registry and eliminating guesswork by notifying administrators when records change and need attention — such as when educators relocate or when students age out of the system.
Previously, Savaiano received student information from request forms completed by parents and educators. The data was then compiled and manually entered onto spreadsheets, which were printed and stored in locked cabinets.
“The Nebraska Deafblind Project is consistently good at supporting educational professionals, but an area in which I think we need to do better is supporting the families,” Savaiano said. “That support has been hindered at times by inefficiencies in the child count. The database has made things so much more efficient.”
Another crucial element that has been streamlined is the yearly child count required by the U.S. Department of Education. Because the department categorizes children by primary disability, deafblind students with multiple disabilities are often counted in more than one category within the national registry. The new database allows for a more specific deafblind child count.
Now in its first year of use, Savaiano pilot tested the database with select districts.
So far, so good, she said.
“I’ll have more confidence when I reach out to families now that I have the most up-to-date information,” Savaiano said. “By this spring, we’ll have a fully updated database, and then I’ll be able to start focusing more heavily on the parents and families, which I’m excited about.”
College of Education and Human Sciences
Special Education and Communication Disorders
