Practical Strategies for Access, Regulation, and Independence

Teachers of the deaf are increasingly serving students with complex needs — including students who are deafblind or deaf with additional disabilities.

These students require more than amplification systems, interpreters, or modified instruction. They require intentional access to their environment.

Without access, learning cannot happen.

Recently, during one of our Professional Academy meetups, Arden Norkus, Director of Community Programs and Advocacy for the Deaf-Hearing Communication Centre, shared practical strategies for creating accessible learning environments for deafblind and deaf students with additional disabilities.

Arden brings both professional expertise and lived experience as a deafblind adult with Usher syndrome, offering a perspective that many educators rarely have the opportunity to hear.

Her message was simple but powerful:

Access and regulation must happen together for learning to occur.

If students cannot access their environment, they cannot regulate themselves.
If they cannot regulate themselves, they cannot participate in learning.

This article shares several key strategies from that training that teachers can begin using immediately.

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Why Access Must Come Before Learning

When teachers see behaviors like shutdowns, refusal, or disengagement, it is easy to assume the issue is behavioral or cognitive limitations.

But often the real issue is lack of access.

For deafblind students or students who are deaf with additional disabilities, environments that feel ordinary to others can be overwhelming.

Examples include:

• Loud environments

• Busy visual spaces

• Unpredictable transitions

• Unclear routines

Any of these can lead to dysregulation.

Arden explained:

“When access and regulation happen at the same time, that’s when participation happens.”

The goal is independence, confidence, and meaningful engagement.

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The Foundations of an Accessible Classroom

Accessible learning environments typically include three key components.

1. Visual Clarity

Students with low vision need reduced visual clutter and clearly organized materials.

2. Tactile Access

For deafblind learners, information must be accessible through touch.

3. Predictability

Predictable routines help students understand what is happening and what will happen next.

Predictability reduces anxiety and allows students to focus their energy on learning rather than simply trying to interpret the environment.

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Strategy 1: Visual and Tactile Schedules

Most teachers are familiar with visual schedules.

However, deafblind students often require tactile schedules instead.

A tactile schedule allows students to feel objects that represent activities throughout the day.

Examples may include:

• A ball representing recess

• A bowl representing breakfast

• Clay representing art

• A maraca representing music

These objects help students anticipate transitions, which significantly reduces anxiety.

For some students, the schedule may include the entire day’s sequence.

For others, only two or three upcoming events may be appropriate.

Each tactile schedule must be individualized for the child. It cannot simply be packaged and used for everyone.

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Why Predictable Schedules Reduce Anxiety

Schedules answer a critical question for many students:

“What happens next?”

When students cannot access environmental cues through vision or hearing, transitions can feel abrupt and confusing.

By consistently previewing upcoming activities, students can prepare themselves mentally and emotionally.

Helpful strategies include:

• Use tactile symbols that directly connect to the activity

• Preview the next activity before transitions occur

• Maintain consistent order whenever possible

• Allow students to remove completed activities from the schedule

These strategies support independence while also reducing behavioral disruptions.

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Strategy 2: Tactile Labels for Classroom Navigation

Many classrooms rely heavily on visual labeling.

But for deafblind students, tactile labels are essential.

Instead of placing flat pictures on bins, consider attaching the actual object associated with the material.

For example:

• Glue stick attached to the glue box

• Scissors attached to the scissors bin

• Paintbrush attached to the paint container

This allows students to identify materials through touch rather than relying on visual recognition.

Consistency is critical.

If the glue box uses a glue stick symbol in one classroom but a glue bottle symbol in another, the student may not recognize the connection.

Consistency across environments helps students navigate independently.

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Simple Tools Can Make a Big Difference

Many teachers assume accessibility strategies require elaborate materials or hours of preparation.

In reality, simple solutions are often the most effective.

One example from the training included a tactile schedule made from shoe boxes containing objects representing daily routines.

For example:

• Bowl for breakfast

• Hairbrush for grooming

• Shoes for leaving the classroom

These simple object cues help students understand routines without requiring complicated materials.

It doesn’t have to be a Pinterest project. Simple adaptations can make a big difference.

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Strategy 3: Tactile Pathways in the Classroom

Another powerful strategy involves creating tactile pathways that allow students to move safely through the classroom.

This may include:

• Textured floor tape

• Rugs to mark learning areas

• Foam puzzle mats for activity zones

• Raised tactile markers near transitions

These markers serve the same purpose as truncated domes on sidewalks, which signal transitions from sidewalk to street for blind pedestrians.

In the classroom, they help students understand:

• Where to stop

• Where to turn

• Where activities take place

This reduces reliance on adults and increases confidence.

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Helping Students Map Their Environment

One way to build independence is to have students create their own tactile classroom maps.

Teachers can walk students around the classroom repeatedly, helping them identify key locations such as:

• The teacher’s desk

• Student desks

• Doors

• Bathrooms

• Activity areas

Students can then recreate the classroom layout using tactile symbols.

If something changes — such as new equipment added to the room — the map can be updated.

This approach empowers students to understand their environment rather than relying on adults for navigation.

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Strategy 4: Consistency Between Home and School

Consistency across environments is especially important for children who are deafblind and deaf with additional disabilities.

If symbols used at home differ from those used at school, the child may not understand their meaning.

For example, if a ball represents “school” at home but a book represents “school” at school, the child may not connect the two experiences.

However, if the same object is used in both environments, the meaning becomes clear.

When tools are consistent across environments, students gain confidence and security.

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Communication Between Families and Schools

Strong family communication is critical when supporting deafblind learners and those who are deaf with additional disabilities.

One critical strategy is a communication notebook shared between home and school.

This allows families to share information that students may not be able to communicate themselves, such as:

• Poor sleep

• Illness

• Stressful events

• Changes in routine

Without this information, teachers may misinterpret behaviors.

A dysregulated student may simply be exhausted.

Communication ensures everyone is responding with understanding rather than assumption.

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Creating Brave Spaces in the Classroom

One of the most powerful ideas shared during the training was the concept of brave spaces.

A safe space protects students.

A brave space encourages them to take risks with support.

In a brave classroom:

Students can try new things.
Students can make mistakes.
Students can explore independence.

The goal is not to eliminate challenge.

The goal is to provide support while students navigate that challenge.

For deafblind and students with additional disabilities, bravery and independence must be nurtured intentionally.

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What Teachers Can Do Tomorrow

If you work with deafblind students or students who are deaf with additional disabilities, you do not need to change everything at once.

Instead, begin with one strategy in one environment.

For example:

• Create a tactile schedule for morning routines

• Add tactile labels to classroom bins

• Introduce textured pathways between classroom areas

• Establish consistent transition cues

Do one thing. Then after that's completed and mastered, do one more.  Small steps create meaningful change.

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Continue Learning with the Professional Academy

If you are navigating complex cases like these, you should not have to do it alone.

Inside The Professional Academy, teachers of the deaf receive access to:

• Monthly live trainings with national experts such as Arden Norkus

• Case study discussions and consultations with other TODs

• Practical classroom strategies you can implement immediately

• Resources designed specifically for deaf and hard of hearing students

This community exists so teachers can continue learning, collaborating, and building confidence in their practice.

If you want to strengthen your skills and connect with other professionals who understand the work you do, you can learn more about joining the Professional Academy at The Online Itinerant.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a "deaf plus" student?

A deaf plus student is a student who is deaf or hard of hearing and also has additional disabilities such as autism, intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, or vision loss.  It is considered more appropriate to identify these students as "deaf with additional disabilities".

Why are tactile supports important for deafblind students?

Deafblind students rely heavily on touch to understand their environment. Tactile supports allow them to access information that sighted or hearing students receive visually or auditorily.

How long does it take to create a tactile schedule?

Not long! Many tactile schedules can be created quickly using simple objects that represent daily activities. You can also create these schedules with your student, increasing their understanding of the schedule and reducing any extra time you need to spend on creating it outside of your direct service time. 

What is the most important strategy to use for a deafblind student or a child with additional disabilties?

Consistent communication systems between home and school can help students understand routines and transitions across environments, reducing anxiety and confusion, allowing a child to be regulated in their school environment. Access and regulation must happen together for learning to occur.

How can teachers help deafblind students navigate classrooms independently?

Teachers can use tactile pathways, environmental labels, predictable routines, and guided exploration to help students build spatial understanding and confidence.

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Final Thoughts

For deafblind students and deaf students with additional disabilities, access is not optional.

It is the foundation for learning, independence, and confidence.

When classrooms are designed intentionally — with tactile supports, predictable routines, and collaborative teams — students gain the ability to navigate and participate in their environment rather than simply react to it.

Sometimes, the smallest adaptations create the biggest breakthroughs.

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