Deafblind Awareness Week
Deafblind Awareness Week runs from 27th June until 3rd July and people are being encouraged to tell someone else about deafblindness during the week so everyone can be more deafblind aware.
Steve Conway, CEO of Deafblind UK, said: “Deafblindness affects more people than many of us realise, and in many different ways. We’re asking everyone to be aware of deafblindness, understand how to help someone who has it and to tell someone else about it, to help spread the word.
“The more people who understand the condition, the more we can make life a little easier for people who are affected by it. By working together, we can make a huge difference.”
Deafblindness is a combined sight and hearing impairment. It doesn’t always mean no sight or hearing, although for some people this is the case. It affects around 400,000 people in the UK and it affects everyone differently, some people need to make small changes to the way they go about everyday life and some people will rely on others for communication and getting about.
Jack is 22 and is deafblind. He’s a business administration student and has recently qualified in sports and recreation, personal training and indoor climbing assistance. He said: “I need to process things slowly, it takes a moment for me to process what someone has said to me and people sometimes get impatient. I don’t have depth perception either, so I need to look at my feet when I’m walking to make sure I don’t trip.”
During Deafblind Awareness Week, Deafblind UK will be sharing a series of videos called ‘My deafblindness’ – stories from people like Jack who are living with sight and hearing loss – to show how differently the condition affects people of all ages and backgrounds.
There are lots of different ways to take part in Deafblind Awareness Week – from sharing the videos to learning how to make life easier for people with sight and hearing loss. “But whatever you do, please tell at least one other person about the condition,” says Steve.
Click here for more information and downloadable resources, and follow #DeafblindAwarenessWeek.
For support call: 0800 132320 or email: info@deafblind.org.uk
Please do not shout at people who are deaf or partially deaf it won’t make them hear you. I’m partially deaf wear hearing aid and can hear voices but can’t always make out the actual words, shouting won’t help and just makes me feel panicky. On the plus side lately loving all the zoom events having captions really helps
Thank you for sharing your experiences as someone who is partially deaf. It is very interesting to hear about your experiences and that you are having an improved online experience.
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Healthwatch Sefton.