Students with Visual Impairments or Who Are DeafBlind TEA Form
Before the agency can release confidential information collected by the American Printing House for the Blind and the National DeafBlind Project, parents must provide a consent for release of information.
Consent for Release of Confidential Information from the Registration of Students with Visual Impairments
All students who are eligible for special education as visually impaired or deafblind must be registered by the district on TEA’s annual Registration of Students with Visual Impairments. This information is collected for the American Printing House for the Blind and enables the agency to receive federal funds to purchase materials for students who qualify. Non-confidential information is also released to other entities to facilitate local, regional, statewide, and national planning, service development, and evaluation. This information is released on an annual basis.
Information released includes name, birth date, grade, disabilities, acuity, textbook media, reading level, ethnicity, and school district. Also included is information about whether the student receives orientation and mobility services.
Consent for Release of Confidential Information from the DeafBlind Census
All students with combined hearing and vision loss must be registered by the district on TEA’s annual Deafblind Census. This includes students where combined vision and hearing loss are suspected, but assessment is not yet completed in one or both of the sensory areas.
TEA needs parental consent for an annual release of personally identifiable information from the census to the National DeafBlind Project.
The released information facilitates local, regional, statewide, and national planning, service development, and evaluation. It enables specialists from the regional education service centers to contact parents to provide information about the Texas Deafbind Project. A representative of the Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults may contact parents to provide information about their services.
Information released includes social security number, name, birth date, grade, etiology of deafblindness, other disabilities and related information, and parent’s name, address, and phone number.