Deaf-Blind People: Diversity and Commonality
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Transcript of Deaf-Blind People: Diversity and Commonality
Deaf-Blind People: Diversity and Commonality Chapter 4.1.1
Overview• What does it mean for a population to
be diverse? Often we think of diversity in terms of racial and ethnic diversity; certainly this is true of people in the DB Community.
• Other elements of diversity are age, sexual orientation, education levels and family backgrounds. DB people vary along these lines as well.
Overview, cont.Finally, what does it mean to be “deaf-blind”?Parallel to the term “deaf” one can use this label from different perspectives:• Medical perspective• Practical perspective (how much can a
person hear/see)• Socio-cultural-linguistic term (core
members of a Community)
THE PRACTICAL / SERVICE AGENCY VIEW
Variation in Hearing/Vision• Some DB people have good central
vision but very limited peripheral vision while others have cloudy central vision.
• Some DB people are hard-of-hearing while others are profoundly deaf.
Who is Deaf-Blind: Ophthalmological, Audiological views
Blind Partially Sighted Tunnel Vision
Sighted
Deaf DB DB Deaf Hard-of-Hearing DB DB Hard-of-
Hearing
Hearing Blind Low Vision Hearing
Deaf-Blind: The Service Agency ViewServices: • Orientation & Mobility• Braille Instruction• Interpreters• SSPs• Independent Living Instruction • Advocacy• Vocational Placement
Deaf-Blind People:Life History, the Sociological View• Born deaf – then lose vision • Born hearing or Hard-of-Hearing – then
lose vision • Born partially sighted or blind – then
lose hearing• Born deaf and blind
Deaf-Blind People:Life History, the Sociological View, cont.• Born deaf and blind• Born deaf and blind with other
complicating medical conditions• Born hearing and sighted – then…
Accident• Etcetera
Deaf-Blind:The Linguistic ViewFirst Language• ASL• English• Other (e.g. Colombian Sign
Language, spoken Spanish)
Modality / ChannelPrimary Modality:• Visual Sign Language • Tactual Sign Language • Auditory (spoken language)• Other (e.g. Print-on-Palm – POP)
THE DB COMMUNITY VIEW
Disability and Community• To think of deaf-blind people as just
having a disability is to miss the importance of communication: language and culture.
• To think of deaf-blind as just being members of a socio-linguistic minority is to miss the importance of the barriers DB people face to get information and move about the town safely.
Complexity• The temptation is to then assume one
must think of DB people on a ‘case-by-case’ basis and yet this itself is a service agency view (and an over-simplification).
• Communities are always complex and always composed of individuals and yet, they form a community, i.e. there are over-riding commonalities.
LANGUAGE, CULTURE AND IDENTITY
Identity• Identity is complex, situated and
evolves with time. We may, for example, identify as New Yorkers, parents, or artists and so on as, indeed do DB people.
• But, gender, race, and language-group are essential elements of our identity that grow in complexity over time, but do not change or disappear.
Life-History and Identity • What we commonly see in the DB
Community is three sub-groups.• The largest group are people who
identified as deaf as children. The next largest group is those who identified as hearing or hard-of-hearing as children and do not use Sign Language regularly. The third (tiny) group is people who have identified as deaf-blind since childhood.
The DB Community and Language• The largest grouping in the DB
Community is therefore composed of people who primarily communicate using a sign language. The next largest group are those who primarily use a spoken language, and the third, people who also use a sign language.
• Remember, we are speaking here of the DB Community, not all DB people.
Local Communities and the National Community• Many DB people live in areas with very
few DB people. They may socialize and participate primarily with non-deaf-blind people or be very isolated.
• Some DB people choose to move to cities where there are more DB people and better opportunities for participation.
Local Communities and the National Community, cont.• Nationally, the American Association of
the Deaf-Blind (AADB) provides both educational and social opportunities for DB people.
• Internationally there are connections as well.
Some Deaf-Blind Israelis
Deaf-Blind Japanese
Mexican-American DB man
GEOGRAPHIC VARIATION
SSPs Support Independence• SSPs work with DB people who are able
to make independent decisions.• DB people who need help managing their
money or making other life decisions need other services to support them.
• For example, one DB person may use primarily interpreters and SSPs, while another may use interpreters, SSPs, an advocate and a case manager.
Barriers• The barriers to participation in society
for DB people are communication and transportation.
• Without access a DB person becomes more and more isolated and is forced to depend on family members.
• Technology is a tremendous help if it is available at a reasonable price with appropriate instruction.
Barriers, cont.• DB people who live in areas where
there are good interpreters, qualified SSP service, employment and good transportation can form communities, equal friendships and avoid isolation.
Communication Access:Qualified Interpreters
Communication Access: SSPs
Communication Access: Braille
Equipment: Deaf-Blind Communicator (DBC)
Orientation & MobilityPhoto credit: Seattle Lighthouse for the Blind, Horizons newsletter, Spring 2006
Transportation Access
Jobs
FriendsCommunity, Communication, and Touch
The DB Community is Complex: Non-DB People Can Be MembersCOMMUNITY MEMBERS• Deaf-Blind People• Deaf-Sighted People• Hard-of-Hearing-Sighted People• Hearing-Sighted People
The DB Community is Complex: Non-DB People Can Be MembersSOME AFFILIATIONS• Spouses• Children • Parents• Interpreters• SSPs• Deaf Community members…
Dual Roles: Interpreter-SSP
Dual-Roles: SSP & Friend• Some SSPs also have friends who are
deaf-blind.• It is important to be clear when you are
in which role.
Conclusion• What it means to be “deaf-blind” is
complex. • To some extent it depends on
perspective. • Within the DB Community there is both
diversity and commonality.
Conclusion, cont.• Among professionals & DB people
there are multiple roles and relationships.
• The only way to really understand is to get involved, keep an open mind, observe and learn.
The Future• DB people have only recently been
recognized by the law and by professionals.
• Access is still spotty and developing.• Communities are coalescing and
beginning to progress.