Deaf blindness is a condition characterized by little or no useful sight and hearing. It is a heterogeneous group affecting people with varying degrees of visual and hearing impairment. Deaf blindness can be present from birth, develop later in life, or be acquired through genetic conditions, infections, accidents or other causes. People with deaf blindness may exhibit difficulties with communication, behavior, cognition, physical abilities, and require specialized education that emphasizes parental involvement and partnership with professionals.

1. “Concomitant hearing
and visual impairments”
“Deaf blindness is the condition of
having little or no useful sight and
hearing”
“heterogeneous group of (people)
who may suffer from varying degrees
of visual and hearing impairment”
“Deaf blindness is a
unique disability”

2. Those who are born deaf and blind,
which can happen if the mother, inter
alia, contacted Rubella (German
Measles) during pregnancy.
Those who were born deaf and then lost
their sight. This is often caused by the
Usher Syndrome – deafness followed by
a decrease in sight because of retinitis
pigmentosa (tunnel vision).
Those who were born blind and then
lost their hearing.
The adventitious deafblind, as a result of
old age, or through an illness or accident
later in life.
blind
peopl
e fall
into
four
group
s:

3. CAUSES OF
DEAF
BLINDNESS
Genetic
Conditions
– A number of genetic conditions can give rise to deaf blindness.
Usher’s syndrome, for example, is caused due to a gene
irregularity, present from birth with effects appearing gradually
over the years.
Infections – Meningitis is an example of an infection, which can cause
impairments at any time in life
Rubella – Rubella, a childhood disease, caused by a virus, may be
transmitted from person to person as droplets in air through
coughing and sneezing or through close contact
Birth
Trauma
– Visual and hearing impairments can arise as a result of
at birth or soon after
Accidents – Any accident involving head injury can damage the parts of the
brain that deal with processing information through sight and

4. POSSIBLE REFERRAL
CHARACTERISTICSA. Communication
1.Difficulty with spoken language (nonverbal in some
instances)
2.Limited vocabulary
B. Behaviour
1.Exhibits low frustration tolerance
2.Difficulty in demonstrating age-appropriate behaviour
3.Exhibits problems in adjusting to change
4.Exhibits self-stimulatory behaviours (body rocking,
attraction to light and hyperactivity)
5.Exhibits inappropriate behaviours in touching and

5. C. Cognitive
1.Inability to perform basic academic tasks
2.Difficulty in performing functional life skills
D. Physical
1.Difficulty with environmental mobility
2.Difficulty with vision
3.Difficulty with hearing
4.Difficulty with physical ambulation (motor problems/
orthopedic problems/cerebral palsy)
5.Displays seizure activity
6.Difficulty with eating
7.Difficulty with bowel and/or bladder control
8.Difficulty in administering self-care

6. EDUCATION OF
THE DEAF
BLIND
Parental
Involvement
A partnership between
parents and professionals is
very essential for ensuring
that children who are
deafblind receive every
opportunity to achieve their
potentials. By strengthening
this partnership, there is a
great deal of learning for
both groups, which help the

7. It is essential that both
parents and professionals
have realistic expectations
of each other’s time and
efforts with the deafblind
child. The family’s
involvement in their
deafblind child’s daily
routine activities helps them
to learn as much about their
Parent-
Professional
Partnership
EDUCATION OF
THE DEAF
BLIND

8. The development of many
skills depends upon the
child’s opportunities to
freely and safely explore the
environment. Close physical
and emotional contact has a
tremendous impact on the
learning abilities of
deafblind children
The Importance
of Family
EDUCATION OF
THE DEAF
BLIND

9. It is therefore the responsibility
of the professional, to help the
parents to get more and more
tuned to look at the different and
unique ways in which their child
is growing and learning
• Make the family more knowledgeable about their
deafblind child’s assets and deficiencies
• Build more methods and strategies that can help
the family members to get small, but positive
experiences with the deafblind child
• Develop more ‘Touch’ and ‘Movement’ techniques
in family members for interacting with the
deafblind child
• Open new ways of looking at their deafblind child’s
Building up the
Partnership
EDUCATION OF
THE DEAF
BLIND

10. “Deaf blindness isolates; it cuts
the individual off from other
people and from the reality of
her/his surroundings”