When people hear the word “deafblind” they often think it means seeing and hearing nothing at all – and, as a result, assume deafblind people “can’t do much at all”.

But with the right support, deafblind New Zealanders can do nearly anything.

An inspirational deafblind woman who championed the rights of deafblind people was Helen Keller. Born on 27 June 1880, her birthday is celebrated each year in New Zealand to raise awareness of this unique disability.

“A deafblind person is someone who has both a vision impairment and a hearing impairment, a combination which fundamentally affects every aspects of a person’s life, most notably communication, socialisation and mobility,” says Juliet Witheford, RNZFB Deafblind Services Coordinator, South Island.

“While some deafblind people are totally blind and profoundly deaf, most have some limited but useful vision, hearing or both. But the important issue we want to raise here is that deafblind people CAN participate and lead normal lives.

“One of the biggest barriers deafblind people face is other people’s lack of awareness and understanding of deafblindness. With the right support and patience, there are untold things deafblind people can do – work, join clubs, raise families. You name it.”

There are around 1500 people in New Zealand who are deafblind and 400 are registered members of the RNZFB.

If someone doesn’t seem to notice you or doesn’t respond when you speak to them, it might be because they have difficulty seeing and hearing you. If you meet someone that is deafblind these tips will make it easier for you to make contact with them and start to overcome the barriers that limit participation:

• Let the deafblind person know you are there. If they can’t see you or hear you, then a gentle but confident touch on the arm will tell them you’re there. Keep your hand in place for a few moments while the person finds you.
• Tell the deafblind person who you are. Even if they’ve met you before, it may be hard to recognise you. Don’t make them play guessing games.
• Let the deafblind person know when you leave. No one likes being left talking into empty space!
• Let the deafblind person know what is going on. It’s easy to miss what’s happening if you don’t see and hear everything.
• Be respectful of people’s hands - in many ways they can act as the eyes of a deafblind person. Don’t grab hands or put things in them without warning. Ask permission, and try guiding hands from underneath (your hand under the deafblind person’s).
• Allow plenty of time for things.

One deafblind New Zealand who has put a spin on an old adage, “deafblind can do anything”, is Carl Lintott.

Like most 20-something New Zealand males, Carl enjoys rugby, Playstation and going out with mates. The only difference is Carl was born deafblind and has guide dog Danny to help him get around safely.

“I spend a lot of my time teaching people about being deafblind. I’m the deafblind representative on a number of committees and groups, I talk to school groups and government and health departments and generally anyone else who asks me!” says Carl.

“Without the public’s support there would be a lot of things that I couldn’t do. I use communication cards to ask people to help me and my guide dog cross roads that don't have a controlled crossing. I also use cards to catch lifts at the hospital. When there are four lifts together all opening and closing, I can never get to the right lift fast enough!

“I also use cards on the bus as I need the drivers to let me know the right stop to get off at. Without this kind of help and acceptance I wouldn't be able to move independently around the city.”

The RNZFB is the primary provider of vision-related rehabilitation services to 11,700 blind, deafblind and vision-impaired New Zealanders.

The RNZFB’s Deafblind Services offers information and advice, specialist assessment, support to develop new or adapted ways of communicating and access to other RNZFB services, and training for professionals and others. Deafblind Services works with deafblind people to improve their quality of life by reducing isolation, enabling deafblind people to live as independently as possible in their local community.

Just one-third of the RNZFB's $22m annual operating budget comes from Government sources. The RNZFB has to fundraise the rest.

ENDS

For more information please contact:

Jude Cooney, RNZFB Communications Manager

Ph: 09 355 6923 or 0274 964 174

Or

Bill Moore, RNZFB Head of Corporate Communications

Ph: 09 355 6867 or 02175 508 061