Usher syndrome type I (https://omim.org/entry/276900) is an autosomal recessive condition characterized by profound congenital hearing impairment with unintelligible speech, early retinitis pigmentosa (usually evident within the first decade), and constant vestibular dysfunction. Type I is distinguished from type II (276901) on the basis of severity of hearing loss and the extent of vestibular involvement. Type I patients are profoundly deaf, whereas type II patients are ‘hard of hearing.’ Vestibular function is defective in type I patients, whereas type II patients have normal vestibular function (Moller et al., 1989). Patients with type III (USH3; 276902) have progressive hearing loss.