Deafblindness

Deafblindness is a complex sensory disabilities, deafness and blindness occur in together. The term refers in general not only to the complete loss of hearing and vision, but also to the much more frequent combination of more or less severe hearing and visual impairments. Major problems of the affected people are to a mobility and spatial orientation, on the other hand, the communication that is made possible by using a variety of different communication systems. For these problems grow your own, about the blind and deaf people beyond needs. Deafblindness is a disability that has independent characteristics. Sufferers may, in contrast to blind or deaf people do not compensate by the other sense the impairment of a remote sense (seeing / hearing). They are dependent on demand and ongoing support and assistance to live independently and participate in the society.

Symptoms and complaints

Basically, one can distinguish between:

  • Born blind and deaf before language acquisition,
  • Born blind and deaf after language acquisition,
  • Deaf born blind,
  • Born deaf and blind in childhood,
  • Born deaf and blind in old age,
  • Neither deaf nor blind from his birth; later deafened and blinded ( either simultaneously or at different times ).

It is easy to imagine that in the first three situations blindly specific tools play a greater role in the two then mentioned situations, a membership in the Deaf ( culture ) is community possible in the latter situation it completely different ( significantly helpful in need ) life is lived.

Causes

There are more than 70 different causes of deaf- blindness, one of them is Usher syndrome. It can generally be divided into two broad categories: acquired and congenital deafblindness.

Deafblindness own disability

The members of all factions in the Bundestag agree to the Federal Association of the Deafblind and the German Association of the Deaf that " BL " for blind and " eq " for deaf in combination are not a substitute for your own shopping character " TBL ". Deafblindness is a unique disability, individuals have special needs that you allow the deaf or blind people can not compare. The Foundation deafblind life, the Federal Association of the Deafblind and the club life with Usher syndrome have handed over 14,000 signatures for frontlets " tbl " to the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs on 20 March 2013. The fraction of the SPD has submitted to the German Bundestag on 27 November 2012, an appropriate application. The Conference of Labour and Social Security Minister has approved the introduction of the Information label in November 2012 unanimously. It is now working on it, recognize the need for deaf blind people and creating services. In Germany there are about 6,000 deaf-blind.

Treatment

Deafblindness is a disability and not a disease. Below is described in extracts, which is helpful in addressing the limitations of both remote sense:

At low vision can be used to read certain tools (large screens, reading magnifiers ). The learning of sign languages ​​with the help of haptic sensations such as feeling and touching is another way to improve communication skills. At low hearing can be used with hearing aids. A small number of deaf -blind children is also supplied with a cochlear implant, that is, with a hearing prosthesis. This is possible when the auditory nerve is functional.

Consequences and complications

Deafblindness complicates the independent living considerably. Training at school ( special school ), the choice of employment, working life, the partnership or marriage, parenting, mobility and activities of daily living are strongly affected.

Blindness difficult in this context, the spatial orientation, the mobility and the recording of all the information, which is solely or predominantly only the optically available.

Deafness restricts the communication so that a conversation tactile sign language ( language contact ) requires, for example Lormen or Tadoma.

In countries where the decisions of the Milan Congress of 1880 were implemented (eg, Germany and other German -speaking countries), sufferers were often not free to choose their form of communication. Here is the Lormen ( is sampled at the in the palm of the hand ) widespread, while in many other countries of deafblind people who " guided gesture " is used, a special sign language that is adapted to the fact that them from the " hearing " at the hands of " Talking " is sensed.

An exception was the Oberlin house in Potsdam. From 1887 to 1962, this was the only school and residential facility for deaf- blind people in Germany. From the outset, was daktyliert here and / or to the body ( tactile) behaves.

Deafblind assistance

Since May 2012 there is an agreement between the deafblind Assistant Association ( TBA) and the health insurance companies in NRW over Deafblind assistance in services of health and nursing care. This Agreement shall be governed, that people with deafblindness get paid a deaf and blind assistance.

Famous deaf-blind

Laura Bridgman (1829-1889) was at the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston (Massachusetts / USA ), the first deaf blind, which was made possible by Samuel Gridley Howe an education. Laura Bridgman lost at the age of two years, hearing and vision, and later the olfactory and taste, was thus dependent only on the sense of touch. From Bridgman developed for the educational system for deaf-blind Helen Keller benefited (1880-1968), she learned Bridgman personally know. Keller became the most famous deafblind person. She lost at the age of 19 months by a still not well identified disease her sight and her hearing. Keller's literary talent was discovered by the Viennese philosopher Wilhelm Jerusalem, with her he had his life in letter contact and could mitbegründen with their help in 1913 in Vienna and boarding school for deaf-blind. The born deafblind Marie Heurtin (1885-1921) was also the possibility of education in Larnay (France). In German-speaking countries known is the deafblind Hertha Schulz ( 1876-1957 ). Hertha Schulz was taken to the Oberlin house on 14 January 1887. At that time she was ten years old and could neither see nor hear. With its inclusion of the diaconal ministry for deaf- blind people in Germany began. Hertha learned to read, write and daktylieren.

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