INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE BOTH DEAF AND BLINDThere are approximately 40,000 deaf-blind people in the United States today, according to the latest estimates. Depending on which is judged to be the primary disability, deaf-blind persons may obtain services from agencies that serve the blind or from agencies which serve the deaf. It is not possible for persons to be served at the same time by both agencies, and very often the two disability agencies do not work harmoniously together to provide deaf-blind people with the services that are needed to assist with this dual disability. There are very few programs which serve the unique concerns of the deaf-blind. The deaf-blind are one of the disability groups which "fall through the cracks" of the governmental service agencies. This is the primary reason that the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults puts emphasis on providing for the needs of the deaf-blind. Earlier in this book, you read Margaret Warren's story about her life. Margaret, like all other blind and deaf-blind people, is a unique individual. A person's other characteristics (such as intelligence, motivation, and persistence) along with environment and opportunity, greatly affect what the individual will do with his or her life. People who are both deaf and blind are frequently isolated from others. The major reason for this is the lack of communication with other people. Lack of contact imposes severe loneliness and isolation. For this reason the outreach work of the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults with deaf-blind people is particularly significant in lessening the pain of human suffering. In working with an individual who is deaf an important issue has to do with whether English or American Sign Language is the primary language. American Sign Language is not simply English expressed through movement. It is a complex language with its own idioms, grammar, and syntax. The thought patterns for sign language and English are different, and someone who is fluent in both is truly bilingual. If children are deaf and blind from a very early age, it usually takes ingenuity and constant effort to help them reach their potential. The key to this is teaching communication skills. Most children listen to sounds and see the actions of the people around them. Deaf-blind children don't know conversations are happening unless someone makes a special effort to interpret what is said. Parents and teachers can learn to use the manual alphabet and sign language. The manual alphabet (or finger-spelling as it is sometimes called) is a bridge between American Sign Language and English. It is a series of hand motions which depict letters. In some instances the fingers are positioned to resemble print letters. Other letters are formed by arbitrary hand positions which bear no resemblance at all to print letters. The manual alphabet and sign language can be used to teach deaf-blind children. For example, when a deaf-blind baby is handed a doll, the mother finger-spells "d-o-l-l" into the baby's hand. Of course, the baby has no idea what the mother is doing. Hearing children don't know what the word "doll" means either. They learn its meaning by hearing it said over and over again and by associating it with the cuddly toy. Deaf-blind children make the same association between a doll and the finger-spelled word for it. Most deaf-blind children begin some form of education before they can walk. Usually a teacher comes to the home and helps the parents learn how to work with the child. Federal law requires an education for deaf-blind children from early childhood through age twenty-one. Some deaf-blind people have been deaf from birth and became blind as teenagers or adults. They generally prefer sign language, which is used by deaf people. Instead of watching the hands and arms of friends, they touch the hands of the person making the signs to learn what is being said. It is usually necessary to restrict the movements involved in making signs so that a deaf-blind person can follow along conveniently. This system requires the speaker to have extensive training in sign language. However, it is possible to interpret quickly using this method. When people become blind later in life, they already have language skills. Therefore, the Braille dot patterns are explained to deaf-blind persons through finger-spelling or sign language. After Braille skills are learned, communication possibilities expand, at least in communicating with another Braille user. Many deaf-blind people, who are Braille users, use a device known as the Tellatouch. This device is portable and weighs less than four pounds. It consists of a small typewriter keyboard, which the interpreter uses to pass on information. The deaf-blind person sits opposite the typist and places a finger on a small Braille "screen." Each letter that is typed appears briefly under the finger of the deaf-blind person. The letter can be felt as long as the typist holds down the key. Only one letter can be felt at a time. Fifty words per minute is probably the maximum speed of the device. The chief advantage of the Tellatouch is that it allows people who have no specialized training to communicate quickly with the deaf-blind. There is now a computerized version of the Tellatouch, known as the TelleBraille, which can be used for face-to-face communication and/or can be used as a telecommunication device for the deaf-blind over the telephone. Since it is extremely expensive, it is used by a very small number of people. It is also possible to communicate with deaf-blind people by tracing the shapes of block letters on the palm of their hand with an index finger. Capital letters should be printed and cursive writing should be avoided. This method can also be used by people with no specialized training. A number of deaf-blind individuals have become amateur radio operators. They communicate in Morse code using equipment which vibrates instead of clicking. Since other amateur radio operators also use Morse code, deaf-blind operators can compete on terms of absolute equality. A few deaf-blind people use a method called Tadoma. Tadoma is lip reading by touch. It is not very popular because it is hard to do and not very accurate. It also makes people uncomfortable to have someone feeling their lips and vocal cords while they speak. In order to communicate with the general public a small number of deaf-blind people may wear a glove with letters and numbers printed on it. The deaf-blind person can tell which letters are meant by knowing which part of the hand was touched. For instance, if the "q" is printed on the wrist of the glove and the "u" is printed on the end of the thumb, the deaf-blind person would know that a touch to the wrist followed immediately by a touch to the thumb means that a word is being spelled which includes the letters "qu." The deaf-blind person must remember where each letter appears on the glove in order to interpret the touches correctly. This is a cumbersome communication method, but it may work when no other method is available. Most deaf-blind people are fairly inventive when they want to communicate. Some speak understandably. Others need to find a way to make themselves understood as well as to understand what is being said. Most deaf-blind people are eager to have someone with whom to talk. They will probably be glad to help teach you how to talk with them. Using the Tellatouch or print-on-palm does not require any special knowledge. The basics of the manual alphabet can be learned in a few hours. It takes some practice to develop speed. Letters are "read" by the deaf-blind person placing his or her hand over the hand of the person making the letters. An interpreter must summarize speeches, lectures, and ordinary conversation. Even so, the manual alphabet can be one of the quickest and most versatile communication methods for a deaf-blind person. If you learn of deaf-blind people who need our assistance, please encourage them to contact us. |