Deafblind

 
You are the arm that I hold I am the hand that receives your sign and touch Are you there? Is that You? Let me know that you care.

From ‘Are You There’ by Carol Pollington; Deafblind adult, taken from
http://www.sense.org.uk

 

Deafblind students (also called ‘dual-sensory impaired people’) have a combined sight and hearing loss that leads to difficulties in communication, information-access and mobility. Deafblind students cannot learn incidentally or by imitation. They learn slowly, but this does not necessarily mean that they have cognitive learning difficulties. Deafblind students tend to fall into four groups:

  • Group 1: those born deaf and blind, which may happen if for example the mother suffered Rubella (German measles) during pregnancy.
  • Group 2: those born deaf who then lose their sight. This is often caused by Usher syndrome – (see page 20) deafness followed by a decrease in sight because of retinitis pigmentosa (tunnel vision).
  • Group 3: those born blind who then lose their hearing.
  • Group 4: those who become deafblind, most commonly as a result of old age, or through an illness or accident.