What happens if someone is blind and deaf

They have many jobs and roles: teachers, professors, counselors, homemakers, agency directors, business executives, government workers, and others. Some have their own businesses. Others are students, and still others are retired. Many use public transportation—buses or subways, especially if they live in an area where public transportation is available.

They also use paratransit—vans or special taxis, especially if they live in rural areas or in an area where public transit is not available.

Some may use car or van pools. Others may depend on family and friends for transportation, or travel on foot if they live within walking distance of where they need to go. Deaf-blind people use many different ways to communicate.

They use sign language adapted to fit their visual field , tactile sign language, tracking, tactile fingerspelling, print on palm, tadoma, Braille, speech, and speech reading. The communication methods vary with each person, depending on the causes of their combined vision and hearing loss, their background, and their education.

Deaf-blind people use many types of technology and equipment in their daily lives. It's great for Miles and makes family activities meaningful and fun. She lives in Texas with her mom and dad.

Laci has a cochlear implant and communicates using spoken language. Her parents would love for her learn to sign in the future. Laci's favorite hobbies are biking, exercising, swimming, hanging out with her cousin Abby, playing video games, Harry Potter, taking trips to the beach, and reading. She is proud to say she has had 30 surgeries and currently feels great!

Liam is in the 5th grade. He uses tactile ASL receptively. Liam is a happy, social, and busy boy. You will always find him with a big smile on his face. He loves being around people, going to school, reading braille, and math. Some of his favorite activities are going for walks or swimming, and getting new braille books! Devin is a year-old high school sophomore. His deaf-blindness is due to Mosaic Trisomy He is caring and loving and has a contagious smile that lights up a room.

He is surrounded by family that includes cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and his mom! Devin loves to be outside riding his AMBUCS bike or playing baseball, hanging out with his peers at school and home, and socializing and talking to other people he uses sign language to communicate.

He is very chatty! One day each week, he goes to the Sedgwick County Zoo where he works by cleaning statues and assisting with other tasks and socializing! Krishangi, who lives in Texas, is 10 years old and in the 4th grade. She has Usher Syndrome Type 3B. She believes she can achieve whatever she works hard for and isn't scared of challenges.

Her hero is her brother Aryan. Aryan, who lives in Texas, is 14 years old and in the 8th grade. He has Usher Syndrome Type 3B. He is a sweet, caring, kind soul who has always been the mature and responsible older brother to his younger sister Krishangi. A sure way to become Aryan's friend is to engage him in trivia and ask his opinion on world events. Skip to content Skip to navigation.

What is deafblindness? Deafblind children usually have one of the following experiences: They have both hearing and vision loss from birth or early childhood. They are blind from birth or early childhood and lose hearing later on.

They are deaf from birth or early childhood and lose sight later on. Deafblindness is a lifelong condition. Causes of deafblindness Some of the causes of deafblindness in children include: genetic conditions like Usher syndrome and CHARGE syndrome viral infection during pregnancy, including infections like rubella and encephalitis cerebral palsy fetal alcohol spectrum disorder premature birth illness, trauma or injuries.

But babies who are deafblind might not : turn their heads to hear where a sound is coming from make much eye contact with you or other people react to loud noises, voices or sounds, or they might take extra time to react make sounds reach out and move towards things move their arms and legs much, grasp objects, sit, pull themselves up to stand and walk by the time you expect like being touched by people or things.

If someone already has either a hearing or vision problem, it's important to look out for signs that suggest the other sense may be getting worse too.

It's best to seek advice as soon as possible, as treatment for some underlying causes of deafblindness see below can be more effective if started early.

Early diagnosis will also ensure the person is able to access local support services sooner. Read more about diagnosing and assessing deafblindness. There are many potential causes of deafblindness. Each deafblind person will have a different level of hearing and sight loss, which means they'll have their own individual care needs.

Your local authority should arrange an assessment to determine exactly what care and support is needed.