Many people think that it means that a child has to be totally deaf and totally blind.
The combined effects of vision and hearing losses, even if both are mild, may qualify the child for services. Having a combined vision and hearing loss is considered a low incidence disability because of its rarity. The effect of deafblindness can create unique needs for children especially if they are to participate effectively at home, school, and in other settings in the community. Although all children identified as deafblind are individual, they often share common needs in the areas of communication, mobility, and overall learning, in addition to concerns about their vision and hearing. Each person's level of vision and hearing loss differs.