Deafblindness

     
CONTENTS

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0. Foreword
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1. An Overview
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     1.1. What is Deafblindness
     1.2. The Main Groups of Deafblindness
          1.2.1. Congenitally Deafblind
          1.2.2. Congenitally Deaf with later onset of Blindness
          1.2.3. Congenitally Blind with later onset of Deafness
          1.2.4. Acquired Deafblindness

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2. Impacts of Deafblindness
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     2.1. Communication
     2.2. Daily Living Skills
     2.3. Education
     2.4. Employment
     2.5. Social Inclusion
     2.6. Family & Friends
     2.7. Psychological

     2.8. Other Impacts

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3. Communication Techniques
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     3.1. TactileSign Language
     3.2. Tactile Fingerspelling
     3.3. Body Sign
     3.4. Braille
     3.5. Individuality in Communication

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4. Glossary
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0. FOREWORD


This Guide/Wiki has been written in an attempt to provide a brief introduction to Deafblindness and allow visitors to get a glimpse of the ideas, concepts and challenges that Deafblind individuals have and face.  This is not aimed as a definitive guide to Deafblindness and it is important to realise that this information is ever changing and evolving.

As someone who is Deafblind myself I have found that many people simply do not understand the challenges we face on a daily basis.  Even after I have provided many definitions.  Perhaps simulation would be much a better approach but of course this is unrealistic from a web perspective (at least at the moment).  I do however, hope this guide can provide you with some insights and that it is found useful by those who read it.


1. AN OVERVIEW


1.1. What is Deafblindness?
Deafblindness is a sensory disability that affects both the auditory and visual senses.  Within the community there are various degrees of the disability ranging from mild to completely Deafblind.  However, one thing is fairly certain, it has a fairly large impact on the ability to communicate with the general public.

1.2. The main groups within the community.
There are four easily identifiable groups that fit under the banner of Deafblindness.

1.2.1. Congenitally Deafblind
Congenitally Deafblind people are born with Deafblindness.  This poses very unique issues particular to this group as they often do not possess an ability to learn a formal language that the general population may understand.  Often we need to look at their behavior in an attempt to understand them.  Some also have other disabilities which may compound and complicate matters.  Learning difficulties are often present due to the barriers presented by a lack of formal language however it is important to appreciate that it is not impossible for them to learn.  It does take a fair bit of time and patience. 


1.2.2. Congenitally Deaf with later onset of Blindness
This group is born with Deafness and has a later onset of Blindness.  Ushers Syndrome is a well identified cause of people within this group.  Often people in this group establish a formal language that is visual and accepted within the local Deaf Community.  As such they typically grow up wwith the Deaf Culture and associate with this group predominantly.  As they lose vision they may become more estranged from their primary group of identification due to difficulties with relying on a visual language.  Their communication may have to be adapted to a more tactile approach or if enough vision remains they may use close visual frame signing.

1.2.3. Congenitally Blind with later onset of Deafness
This group is born Blind and has a later onset of Deafness.  People falling into this group often relate to the local Blind community relying on the local spoken language.  As such they often relate with the general public int erms of language and their later language choices may reflect this.  They may later wish to learn a tactile version of sign similar to that utilised by congenitally Deaf people however this is difficult and often requires sight (or a lot of patience!).

1.2.4. Acquired Deafblindness
This group is born into the Hearing-Sighted community and typically establishes a formal spoken language common to their related community.  This may impact on their language choices later in life in a similar way to those with congenital Blindness.  As acquired Deafblindness often occurs during later stages of life (notwithstanding medical causes) many find it difficult to summount the challenges posed by becoming Deafblind.  A common language used in this group is Tactile Fingerspelling as it is simple and easy to learn and bases it's grammar and syntax around that of the original language learnt by the individual.