TDB! Coming this fall!

Authors: Hillary Keys, Early Childhood Deafblind Consultant, Outreach Program, Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI)

The certification of teachers of students who are deafblind (TDB) will be official in Texas as of September 1, 2025! 

“From a small seed, a mighty trunk may grow.” Aeschylus

Passionate practitioners in the field of Deafblind Education began sowing the seeds of the idea for TDB certification in Texas more than two decades ago. Slowly, the seeds spread across the state from person to person. Strong, deep roots spread as self-identified TDBs connected. Discussions became actions, educational opportunities, and advocacy that nurtured the sprouts.

Fast forward to January 2018, when practitioners in the field and members of the Texas Deafblind Project participated in a series of forums to discuss the need for special education certification redesign. As part of those forums, they advocated for the addition of a TDB certification. Success! After decades, the seed of hope for a certification path began to germinate. It took another six and a half years for the seedling to grow strong and flourish under the care of many dedicated individuals with the passion, drive, lived experience, and expertise to cultivate and bring to fruition official certification beginning in September 2025! 

An army of professionals, family, and community members sent supportive comments to the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) each time the call went forth. In fact, so many passionate members of the deafblind community responded with comments that SBEC noted they received more supportive comments for TDB certification than for any other certification addition in Texas. 

A multitude of people spent innumerable hours advocating for, testifying, and then writing rigorous standards, a test framework, exam questions, preparation materials, and rationales. All the while, dedicated Texas Education Agency (TEA) certification staff facilitated the grueling process. For the last two and a half years, the same staff members truly shepherded the process and are currently wrapping up the final details.

Now, it’s spring! It is time to dig in and prepare. Qualified candidates are those who hold credentials as teachers of students with visual impairments (TSVIs) and teachers of students who are deaf or hard of hearing (TDHHs) and who successfully complete an approved educator preparation program for deafblind certification. The application for university preparation program approval is currently open. Online examination preparation materials will be available beginning in March of 2025 with additional university preparation materials becoming available in the summer. 

TSVIs and TDHHs who have already completed the TTU graduate certificate program in Deafblindness, or a degree including the required coursework from an entity that receives TEA approval, before August 2025, may qualify to take the certification exam. The educator preparation programs, once approved by TEA, will have the option to approve qualified candidates for testing. Thank you and congratulations to all of those in this village who, from decades past to now, gave of their time, energy, and intellect to nurture TDB certification from dream to sturdy reality.