Eye Health Care Charity of the Month
The charity offers a friendly, accessible helpline to answer questions and offer support
Deafblind UK is the UK’s only national charity that solely specialises in supporting people who have combined sight and hearing loss. The charity empowers people to continue doing the things they love and create a world where deafblindness is more widely understood and accepted.
Offering understanding and advice, practical support, emotional support services, residential support as well as care and social opportunities, Deafblind UK also leads research to help the world understand and live better with deafblindness.
So, what exactly is this condition?
Deafblindness is the loss of sight and hearing to the extent that one’s communication, mobility and ability to access information are impacted. It is sometimes known as ‘dual sensory loss’ or ‘dual sensory impairment’. Either way, it doesn’t always mean that someone has no sight and no hearing. Often, people who are deafblind have some useful sight or hearing, but the impact of an impairment in both senses creates unique condition with unique challenges.
Deafblindness comes on a huge spectrum ranging from struggling to see and hear the TV right through to not being able to see or hear anything at all. However, many people with deafblindness can hear and/or see something – it affects everyone in different ways.
It is estimated that there are 450,000 people living with deafblindness in the UK. Due to our ageing population, this is expected to increase to over 600,000 by 2030. Deafblindness affects people of all ages, including children and young people, but it is more common in older people as our sight and hearing naturally deteriorate as we get older.
Specialist support for a unique condition
Deafblind UK supports people who are deafblind, their family, friends and the professionals who work with them. The charity, which is almost 100 years old, has a range of personalised support services to help people cope with the practical and emotional challenges of living with deafblindness.
These include:
- A friendly, accessible helpline to answer questions and offer support
- Opportunities to socialise and make new friends through befriending and social groups
- Support with housing, benefits and other issues
- Accessible holiday accommodation
- Care and support at home if needed
- Supported independent living at Rainbow Court in Peterborough
- Support for carers, friends and family
- An annual conference where specialists in the field share their current research/work to an audience of 1000+ attendees
In addition, the charity provides specialist support for technology, mental health and employment, as well as a dedicated service for people impacted by Usher syndrome.
Making connections through technology
Deafblind UK’s technology team run free webinars and provide bespoke support to help people access digital technology. This often means teaching someone how to personalise the inbuilt settings on their own devices, but the team also supports people to set up screen readers and other accessible tech.
Qualified counsellors work with members to help them come to terms with the impact of deafblindness
Well-being and mental health support
Living with deafblindness can be difficult for both the person affected, and their family and carers. Deafblind UK has a team of qualified counsellors who work with members to help them come to terms with the impact of deafblindness.
Support to develop employability skills
Deafblind UK runs a unique ‘access employment’ programme to support people in their journey to employment, voluntary work or education. Specialist coaches take members through a 12-week programme to build their knowledge and confidence to enter the world of work.
Supporting people impacted by Usher syndrome
Recently, Deafblind UK expanded its services for people impacted by Usher syndrome – a genetic condition which results in deafblindness. The Usher service provides specialist support for those affected by all types of Usher syndrome, including education around Usher syndrome and communication techniques, support with accessing services and providing opportunities to network and socialise.
Commitment to research
Deafblind UK is committed to researching deafblindness to better understand the condition and identify interventions that will improve the lives of those affected by deafblindness. The charity’s current research projects include: ‘How graphic communication for the deafblind population can best be expressed in contemporary visual form’ – a study researching the accessibility of printed communications; and ‘Improving academic and social success for children with dual sensory impairment’ – a project examining the prevalence of deafblindness in children in mainstream education.
Deafblind UK is also involved in the UK National Eye and Hearing Survey.
Join Deafblind UK
It’s free to join Deafblind UK. Becoming a member means services users and their families can access free support services when needed – which might be today, tomorrow or further in the future.
Free helpline: 0800 132 320
Text: 07903 572 885
Email: info@deafblind.org.uk
Text relay: 18001 then 0800 132320
BSL video relay: deafblind.org.uk/bsl