Shel,
If I'm thinking about the same person, I might know your boss and may have spoken to him via TeleBraille several years ago. (As you may know, the deafblind community is very small and because of that, many of us -- the deafblind -- know one another especially through organizations like AADB) What an inspiration to myself and others!
I used to know someone here in my city who was completely deafblind and traveled independently. He rode the city bus, crossed intersections (with sighted assistance by using a card which requested that pedestrians tap him on the shoulder and place his hand just above their elbow in the sighted guide position) and never let his deafblindness get in the way of his goals and persuits. After I was told about this individual at my local deafblind center, I thought to myself, "If he can do it, so can I." At the time I had severe-profound hearing loss and was learning tactile sign, TeleBraille (Braille TTY) and Teletouch (a communication device for the deafblind).
I'm so thankful I was told about this person because after learning about him, I no longer had any fears about losing all of my hearing.
To bring this post back on topic, the first person I knew who had Usher's was a woman I met while in a blindness vocational rehabilitation program. She was totally blind and had profound hearing loss. This woman never let her disabilities get in her way and she had a wonderful sense of humor when it came to her blindness and hearing loss.
Deafblindness isn't the end of the world. While Jake will have to learn how to do things differently, that does not mean he can't enjoy life to the fullest. Like you Shel, I hope Jake's parents teach him how to live as a happy, curious and independent person.
