|
If 95% of what we learn comes from our eyes and ears, imagine what it must be like to be deafblind.
Deafblindness is a complex disability that combines varying degrees of both hearing and visual impairment, making it unique to each individual. They may not be completely deaf or completely blind, but do not have enough of either sense to navigate their environment independently. Although All individuals who are deafblind experience challenges with communication and mobility, many also have additional physical disabilities and medical issues. Because of the complexity involved in having two sensory impairments, individuals who are deafblind require services that are unique from those designed exclusively for either blind people or deaf people. Even with this severe disability, deafblind individuals have the capacity to build their life skills, gain independence and contribute to the greater community with the support of specially trained staff.
There are many causes for deafblindness and the challenges it brings are unique to each person. When someone is born with combined sight and hearing difficulties this is called CONGENITAL deafblindness. If they develop these problems later in life, this is called ACQUIRED deafblindness. This may be due to an accident, illness or as a result of aging. In some cases, people may be born with a genetic condition such as Usher syndrome, which may mean that they progressively lose their sight and hearing. Individuals with congenital deafblindness lost their sense of sight and hearing prenatally or shortly after birth, so they have no reference or memory of what it’s like to have either sense. There are approximately 1000 children and adults in B.C. who are deafblind.
|
