The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Division supports services for people who are deafblind through a grant to DeafBlind Services of Minnesota. The grant funds the Children, Youth and Family Services program and the Adult Community Services program. 

What are the benefits? 

Many parents of children who are deafblind find it hard to connect with others like them. Families also want to connect their child to the community and the child's interests. Children, Youth and Family Services (CYFS) provides support in these areas, along with training and qualified community intervener services. Trained interveners work with the child and their family. They help them learn about their environment and community. They also help them to meet childhood development goals and build communication strategies. This sets the child up for success in the future. 

The Adult Community Services (ACS) program provides support service providers (SSP) to adults who are deafblind. SSPs may guide people who are deafblind in public places or provide information from the environment. This empowers the person who is deafblind to maintain their independence and self-sufficiency. 

What people say about the program

• “Allows our child to connect with his community in a more uninhibited way.” 
• “Without intervener services, our son would have almost no access to friends and community opportunities.” 
• The intervener “helps to introduce my child to things that she wouldn’t usually do or try.” 

Latest news

So far this year, the CYFS program has served 29 children. The ACS program has served 47 adults. More interveners and support service providers are needed in Minnesota. If you want to learn more about how to become an intervener or a support service provider, please email Sharisse Leier at DHHSD.

Do you have questions about these programs?

If you have questions about interveners or Children, Youth and Family Services, please email Kim Johnson, program manager. 

If you have questions about support service providers or Adult Community Services, please email Matthew Priebe, program manager. 

You can learn more about the programs on the DeafBlind Services Minnesota webpage. More details about the grant are shared on Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Division's grant webpage.