Deaf Blind: How can I get assistance in meeting the needs of a deafblind student?
Deafblindness (also called dual sensory loss) is the combination of hearing and vision impairment. People with deafblindness have varying degrees of combined hearing and vision impairment eg: a person may be hard of hearing and totally blind, or profoundly deaf and partially sighted, or have nearly complete loss of both senses. Usher Syndrome is a common cause of deafblindness and consists of deafness and Retinitis Pigmentosa. The support required for each person is highly individualised, depending on the degree of hearing and sight loss. • The Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children – a provider of education services to children with hearing and/or vision impairment. • The Deafblind Association of Victoria provides support and services to people with deafblindness. • Australian DeafBlind Council. • DeafBlind New Zealand. • Interpreting for people who are deafblind: Australian guidelines. • Link is a computer training and drop-in centre for deafblind people in Melbourne. It provide
