Implications

As alluded to in the definition page, learners who experience deaf-blindness cannot be thought of as merely deaf with blindness added on or blind with deafness added on. They may be partially deaf or profoundly deaf, and have some vision loss or total vision loss. In all cases, however, deaf-blindness is unique, presenting different challenges to students and teachers than the sum of challenges for blindness and deafness.

Educators should ask:

• How can I provide cues about what is happening next? 
• How can I help the child to gather information from the environment?
• How can I help them to interact with peers and adults?
• How can I help them to  explore the environment?

These questions put the responsibility for providing information to the child on the communication or interaction partner. We must bring the world to the learner with deaf-blindness. (adapted from this presentation from East Carolina University)

For students with this disability, the teacher often must find ways to provide tactile information, since touch is the primary communication sense which is not directly affected by the disability. However, taste and smell can also be used to provide cues to learning, especially when learning new vocabulary words for concrete physical items with unique flavors and scents. More information on how to provide tactile information can be found on the inclusive practices page. 

Braille version (download) Part 1, Part 2

Recording: