Our team of Deafblind Consultants bring expert knowledge on the unique challenges of deafblindness and offer tailored strategies for improving communication, accessibility, and mobility for a more accessible and supportive environment for all.
What is a Deafblind Consultant?
Deafblind Consultants have an understanding of low vision and blindness and Deafness and hearing impairment and a deep and broad knowledge of the variety of ways they can present together. They are aware of all the potential issues which face people with deafblindness in accessing communication and information, socialising, performing daily activities, understanding where they are and moving safely from place to place.
Deafblindness can also occur with other disability, medical and neurological conditions and deafblind consultants are familiar with service provision options for people with complex needs and multiple disability.
Deafblind Consultants are aware of the broad range of communication options, assistive technologies, principles and culture of deafblind interaction and socialisation, environmental adaptions to support access and of orientation and mobility principles. They refer to and work closely with specialists in these areas to raise awareness of the adjustments required to these specialties because of the individual’s unique deafblind presentation. They also work in this way with the person’s generalist supports and services and have a role to play in advocacy and building deafblind awareness.
Deafblind consultants are professionals who have an allied health or teaching qualification who have gone on to do additional study or work, over a number of years, in the specialised area of deafblindness.
What is the difference between having and not having a Deafblind Consultant on a team?
Deafblind consultancy can ensure a person with deafblindness has a team of service providers who understand their particular deafblindness and its impact so a person:
- Has access to the environment and information and opportunity to use any functional vision and hearing they have
- Has an accessible communication system that may include tactile communication systems where applicable
- Understands where they are, what is around them and can navigate through their environment and move safely from place to place
- Utilises their strongest senses in learning and completing activities of daily living
- Has well matched, accessible assistive technologies
- Has the option to connect to deafblind support groups and networks
The following are some examples of outcomes where a deafblind consultant has not been part of service provision to someone with deafblindness:
- Vision and hearing levels and the combined effect of these are not recognised or are misunderstood and therefore inappropriate or no access to communication, information and the surrounds is provided
- Changes or decline in these senses are not noticed or resulting changes in behaviour are attributed to other conditions or diagnoses
- The person receives mismatched or inaccessible communication systems & other technologies. For example, visual communication systems are prescribed for someone who cannot see them or can only partially access them, auditory systems are used with people who cannot hear them, or cannot hear them well enough to extract meaning
- Professions such as orthoptists, orientation and mobility specialists and communication guides are not utilised, limiting access, learning and independence
- Disorientation to space, time and place (because no one knows how or is aware they may need to support orientation)
- The person is approached and interaction is provided in a culturally inappropriate or inaccessible way, resulting in feelings of distrust, fear or insecurity
- A person is guided from place to place in a way that adds risk or in a way that makes the deafblind person feel disoriented, unsafe or powerless
- Logical deafblind actions, ways of communicating and ways of gathering information are interpreted as meaningless or as behaviours of concern
- Social isolation, loss of independence, underachievement, withdrawal, depression
Where can I find a Deafblind Consultant?
There are very few Deafblind Consultants in Australia and only a couple of organisations in the country have them. A few work privately. SensesWA is based in Western Australia and Able Australia is based in Victoria. Deafblind Consultancy can be provided remotely, provided there is a dedicated team and strong case management locally.
For more information about Deafblind Consultants view this captioned and Auslan interpreted video on YouTube or visit Services available to people with deafblindness under the NDIS. For more information about deafblindness go to Deafblind Information Australia.
