Deafblindness

A person who is deafblind has a substantial degree of loss in both sight and hearing, the combination which results in significant difficulties in accessing information.

Deafblindness is a unique condition that prohibits an individual from fully utilizing both their sense of sight and their sense of hearing; therefore inhibiting educational, vocational, avocational, recreational, and social goals.

Deafblindness may be classified into two different categories: congenital, in which the loss of vision and hearing occurs before or at birth (early adventitious); or acquired, in which the loss of the two senses occurs after birth (adventitious).

DEFINITIONS

Deafblindness: "Deafblindness is a distinct disability. Deafblindness is a combined vision and hearing disability. It limits activities of a person and restricts full participation in society to such a degree that society is required to facilitate specific services, environmental alterations and/or technology." Definition courtesy of the Nordic Staff Training Centre for Deafblind Services.

Intervention: The term “Intervention” means to go between or to mediate between. With regards to persons who are deafblind, Intervention is the process which allows an individual who is deafblind to receive non-distorted information such that he or she can interact with his or her environment.

Intervenor: An Intervenor is a person who provides Intervention to an individual who is deafblind. An Intervenor mediates between the person who is deafblind and his or her environment to enable him or her to communicate effectively with and receive non-distorted information from the world around them. An Intervenor acts as the eyes and ears of the person with deafblindness.

All people who are deafblind will live rich, meaningful lives.

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Brantford, Ontario | N3T 3G8

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