1. Meditation and
Haptics
Melissa Evans
Deafblind Consultant and Senior Physiotherapist
Western Australia

2. Acknowledgement
I respectfully acknowledge the Yugambeh People, the traditional
owners of the land on which we meet, and pay my respect to their
elders past, present and future

3. Aim of the Training Package
“For most people, technology makes things easier.
For people with disabilities, technology makes things
possible.” Mary Pat Radabaugh
Technology played an important role in the promotion and delivery of an
accessible, virtual training option for the Western Australian Deafblind
Community

4. Aim of the Workshop
To provide the deafblind community members with access to trial
alternative activities in an accessible and supported environment
To provide accessible and specific training to commguides, volunteers
and deafblind community members prior to the activity
Provide support and encourage the deafblind community members who
want to pursue this activity further to access community-based settings
and to apply the strategies presented in the workshop

5. Why is the Workshop Needed?
Limited access to an accessible and successful trial of a community-
based group/activity
Mental Health issues experienced by a high percentage of individuals
living with deafblindness
Coping Strategies that may be incorporated into everyday lives

6. Motivation
“the same everyday problems as the wider world but they are
compounded/multiplied by my deafblindness ... Deafblind people
have to fight harder than most” LF

7. Why Breathing Meditation?
Focus
Ability to relax
Self Awareness
Self Control
Emotional Health
Physical Health

8. Why Haptics?
Touch gives a sense of presence
Haptic feedback makes action possible
Touch is essential to emotional connection and wellbeing
The sense of touch is astonishingly acute
Haptics provides additional, tactile communication
Haptics can be used on any body part that the individual chooses
Touch is less likely to directly affect the meditation process

9. Training Video Reference Group
Deafblind community members
Deafblind Consultants
Meditation practitioner
Qualified Social Haptics trainer
Psychologist with deafblind experience

10. The Meditation Script
Terminology specific language
Easy haptices – e.g. hold, count
Explanations provided difficult concepts – “witness or watcher of the
mind”
Location of the haptices chosen – e.g. the shoulder rather than the head,
temple or face

11. Activity - Breathing In and Out
Think about what haptices you would choose to represent
breathing in and breathing out
Discuss this with another person near you
Trial the haptic methods chosen
Review – did they convey the correct message?
Discuss with the group

12. Training Video Viewing Options
Designed to be available electronically to all commguides, volunteers
and deafblind community members in an accessible format via:
Dropbox
Email
YouTube
Facebook
Messenger
To enable the deafblind community member to receive support and
experience of the haptices from their support person prior to the
workshop

13. Training Video

14. Meditation Workshop Day
Environmental considerations:
Lighting
Temperature
Comfort
Communication needs:
One or two support people
View of the interpreter
Residual hearing
Haptics preferences:
Ability to change and modify to suit the experience

15. Images from the Day 1
Description – a brightly lit,
large room with people sitting
in chairs and also, sitting and
lying on mats or cushions on
the ground. Positioned in
front of the group is a seated
meditation practitioner and an
Auslan interpreter is standing
beside her.

16. Images from the Day 2
Description – a brightly lit,
large room viewed from the
back, forward - with people
sitting in chairs and also, sitting
and lying on mats or cushions
on the ground. One person in
the foreground can be seen
placing her right hand on the
right shoulder of another
person sitting beside her.

17. Images from the Day 3
Description – a brightly lit,
large room with people sitting
in chairs and also, sitting and
lying on mats or cushions on
the ground. Most of the group
are positioned in pairs - with
one person of each pair
applying haptics on the arm,
back or leg of another person.

18. Images from the Day 4
Description – a gently lit area
within the larger room - taken
from a side view. The
majority of people are lying
down for meditation, however,
there are some people on
chairs and in the distance an
Auslan interpreter is standing
up.

19. Videos from the Day 1
Description - video of
a woman lying on a
mat. A second woman
is sitting at her side.
The second woman is
using haptics. She is
using her right hand to
demonstrate deep
breathing by running
her had from the first
woman’s shoulder
down to her elbow
indicating a breath in,
pausing with a fist,
and moving back
towards the shoulder
for breathing out.

20. Videos from the Day 2Description – a
captioned video
viewing the whole
meditation room
performing a breathing
meditation cycle. There
are pairs of people
sitting in chairs and on
mats, there are also
people lying on mats
on the floor. Out in
front of the group is
the meditation
practitioner (speaking
and sitting), an Auslan
interpreter (signing
and standing) and a
support person
demonstrating the
haptics (standing).

21. Videos from the Day 3
Description – a
captioned video
viewing the meditation
room participants
performing a
breathing meditation
cycle. There are pairs
of people sitting in
chairs and on mats,
there are also people
lying on mats on the
floor. The haptics
demonstrated are
being applied to the
arms and backs of the
participants.

22. Outcomes and Feedback 1
Training Video
The video was distributed via online platforms that are widely available
to the commguides, supports and the deafblind community members
Achieved success in up-skilling a large number of persons with different
accessibility needs in the use of haptics
Prior practise limits for some
Future:
Accessibility training and experience
Possible future Webinar style

23. Outcomes and Feedback 2
Meditation Workshop
Positive response by all participants on the use of haptics.
Participants acknowledged the pre-planning and training aspects
However, some participants also described:
Difficulty relaxing
Emotional distress and visions
Important to identify any issues arising from the activity workshop that
require additional intervention

24. Technology
Technology is challenging the traditional ways we live and work
But while technology continues to advance, there are still significant
barriers to training access and usage for people with disability
Multiple platforms on existing devices
The use of technology and social platforms in this instant, enabled our
deafblind community members the opportunity to achieve a successful
trial of breathing meditation

25. Video Production Thanks
Wilma Brass – Deafblind Advocate living with Usher Syndrome
Claire Belton – Meditation Practitioner
Michael Paul Evans – Videographer and Editor
Karen Wickham and Meredith Prain – Deafblind Consultants Senses
Australia

26. Question Time ☺
?
melissa.evans@senses.org.au
Busselton, WA – 4500km (2800miles)