Dr Meredith Prain presenting at the first Deafblind International Regional Conference in Nepal in March 2025.
Dr Meredith Prain may have started working in the deafblind sector purely by chance, but she quickly discovered there was so much to learn that she would be kept busy for many years to come.
“A friend said I might like the role – and I loved it!” Meredith says. “It was challenging, a lot to learn, and every day was different – and that’s still the case!”
That fortuitous job offer was 30 years ago.
Today, Meredith is one of Australia’s leading deafblindness consultants, driving research and championing change for people who have both reduced vision and reduced hearing.
“The needs of people who have limited vision and hearing remain very poorly addressed in Australia and internationally,” Meredith says. “We have research evidence on what works, but it remains difficult to get this to happen on the ground.”
Meredith is working hard to change this, bringing her research and communication skills to leading disability service providers, including SensesWA where she works with our team as Project Manager – Deafblind Information Australia.
Her vision is for a world in which the hearts and minds of people with deafblindness are known and felt by the people around them, and in the communities and societies in which they live, so they can fully participate in all aspects of life.
“I’m passionate about doing myself out of a job!” she says.
“One of the things I’ve loved seeing over the years at SensesWA is the increase in skills and confidence of our deafblind presenters. We take a ‘nothing about us without us’ approach and always include people with deafblindness in our presentation and training offerings.”
Meredith with long time deafblind community member Cathy. Photo taken during Deafblind Awareness Week 2025.
Increased services delivered by people with disability, including deafblindness, is one of the things Meredith is most excited about for the future.
“It would be wonderful to know that there is reduced reliance on service providers because social networks are flourishing,” she says.
One of Meredith’s biggest inspirations is fellow “speechie and researcher” Dr Sheridan Forster, who has worked alongside the field of deafblindness for many years.
“Sheridan is innovative, creative, thoughtful, reflective and fun, and never stops striving for better experiences and outcomes for people with profound intellectual and multiple disability,” Meredith says.
Deafblind poet and advocate John Lee Clarke has also been a major influence.
“I have learned so much from his work and he has changed the way I think about deafblindness and tactile engagement and communication,” Meredith says.
About Deafblind Services at SensesWA
Our team of Deafblind Consultants work in partnership with individuals who are deafblind, as well as with their families and carers, to enhance independence and community inclusion through tailored services.
Deafblindness is described as a unique and isolating sensory disability that results from a combination of hearing impairment and vision impairment, significantly affecting communication, socialisation, mobility and daily living. Learn more about our Deafblind Services at SensesWA.
