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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.
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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)
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.
Deaf-Blind –The Service Agency View • Services: • 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 • Born deaf and blind with other complicating medical conditions • Born hearing and sighted – then… Accident • Etcetera
Deaf-BlindThe Linguistic View • First Language • ASL • English • Other (e.g. Colombian Sign Language, spoken Spanish)
Modality / Channel • Primary Modality: • Visual Sign Language • Tactual Sign Language • Auditory (spoken language) • Other (e.g. Print-on-Palm – POP)
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.
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. • Nationally, the American Association of the Deaf-Blind (AADB) provides both educational and social opportunities for DB people. • Internationally there are connections as well.
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.
Orientation & Mobility Photo credit: Seattle Lighthouse for the Blind, Horizons newsletter, Spring 2006
Friends Community, Communication, and Touch
The DB Community is Complex: Non-DB People Can Be Members COMMUNITY MEMBERS SOME AFFILIATIONS Spouses Children Parents Interpreters SSPs Deaf Community members… • Deaf-Blind People • Deaf-Sighted People • Hard-of-Hearing-Sighted People • Hearing-Sighted People
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. • 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.
