Understanding deafblindness

Facts about deafblindness

• Deafblindness is a low incidence, high needs population. People with deafblindness are considered a hidden group (Gray, 2006)

• People with deafblindness experience difficulties and inequalities accessing education, healthcare, employment and social life (Jarrold, 2014; World Federation of the Deafblind, 2018)

• Children with mild range hearing and vision experience lower academic achievements than hearing sighted peers (Hill, Hall, Williams et al. 2019)

• Early intervention relies on identification and recognition of deafblindness as a unique disability, without identification access to appropriate early intervention can be delayed (Murdoch, 2002).

• An ICF core set has been developed to support the recognition of the impact of deafblindness in a more consistent manner. The intention of developing a core set is to actively advance recognition of deafblindness as a unique and distinct sensory impairment globally (Wittich, Dumassais, Jaiswal, et al. 2024, Wittich, Dumassais, Prain, et al, 2024)

• Deafblindness can be difficult to identify in children and young people with additional cognitive disabilities. Children and young people with known deafblindness and additional cognitive disabilities tend to have stronger communication skills and academic attainment and use more assistive technology than those with suspected deafblindness (Karvonen, Beitling, Erickson et al, 2021).

• Children with additional cognitive disabilities combined with known deafblindness and suspected deafblindness demonstrate lower academic achievement than hearing-sighted peers with additional cognitive disabilities (Karvonen, Beitling, Erickson et al, 2021).

• There is a higher incidence of mental health and behavioural disorders in children and young people with Usher Syndrome (a significant cause of deafblindness), particularly Usher Type 1 (Dammeyer, 2012). This affects the whole family.

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