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In response to public outcry, the U.S. Department of Education reinstated grants for students with both hearing and vision loss, about a month after the funding cut.
But rather than send the funds directly to the four programs that are part of a national network that supports students with hearing and visual impairments, known as deafblindness, the department instead redirected the grants to another organization that provides funding to such vulnerable students.
The Trump administration targeted the program in an attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion. A department spokesperson cited “conflicting concepts” and “equity” concerns in explaining the decision to withhold funding.
Last month, ProPublica and other news outlets reported on the cancellation of grants to institutions serving these students in five states participating in the consortium: Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin and New England.
The program then appealed to the Department of Education to maintain funding, but the appeal was denied. Last week, the National Center for the Blind and Deaf, the parent organization of the rejected institutions, told the four programs that the Department of Education would provide additional funding, which the center would pass on to each program.
“This will allow families, schools, and early intervention programs…to continue to meet the unique needs of children who are deafblind,” according to a letter from the group to government agencies provided to ProPublica. Education Department officials did not respond to ProPublica’s questions. The automated email response mentioned the government shutdown.
The program was halfway through a five-year grant that was scheduled to continue until September 2028 when funding was discontinued. Funding from the Center is only available for one year.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen” in the future, said Lisa McConachie of the Oregon Deafblind Project, which supports 114 students in the state. McConachie said funding uncertainty forced her agency to cancel a retreat it had planned this fall for parents to exchange medical equipment, share resources and learn about services that can help students as they age. She hopes to reschedule to spring.
“It’s still confusing for the family. It creates a sense of distrust that you’re gone and you’re coming back and you’re coming back again,” she said.
Oregon’s 2023 grant application for the Deafblind Program included a statement that it would address “inequality, racism, and prejudice” and marginalization of disabled groups, language encouraged by the Biden administration. Also attached is a strategic plan for Portland Public Schools, where the DeafBlind Oregon Project is headquartered, and mentions the creation of a Center for Black Student Excellence, which is unrelated to the DeafBlind Project. The Department of Education’s letter said such efforts were “contrary to the Department’s policies and priorities.”
A program for students with hearing and vision loss who were harmed by President Trump’s anti-diversity promotion.
Advocates for deafblind students said they were happy to see funding restored, but said the department’s decision-making was “amateur” and confusing for students and families. “It’s mean to do something like this to families, to children, to school systems at the beginning of a year when all of this should be going so smoothly,” said Maurice Belote, co-chair of the National Coalition of the Deafblind, which is sponsoring legislation to support deafblind children and youth.
Grants to the four institutions total approximately $1 million annually. The department began funding state-level programs to support deaf-blind students more than 40 years ago in response to the rubella epidemic in the late 1960s. According to the National Center for the Blind and Deaf, there are approximately 10,000 deafblind children and young adults aged from infants to 21 years old nationwide, and more than 1,000 in the eight affected states.
Although it has a small population, its service delivery is among the most complex. Educators rely on DeafBlind programs for support and training.
