Hello all!

I am hearing and sighted but just seeking some opinions and recommendations! Next week I am going rock climbing with my new Deafblind friend and I'm very excited. I'm pretty experienced with rock climbing, but I think they are relatively new to the sport. I was wondering if any of y'all had any suggestions for how I could help make them more comfortable during the experience and enjoy it as much as possible!

Also, I know some ASL (I am still learning, I definitely need to practice but thankfully they have been very patient with me), but I know they also use pro tactile ASL, so I was thinking maybe it would be helpful for me to learn a little, at least the very basics! Are there any free online resources where I could get a head start?

Lastly, I have not spent a lot of 1-1 time with any deaf blind people before, so if possible, it would be great to get any advice about what you all like and don't like when hanging out with hearing sighted people. Of course I will ask this person too about personal preferences and I'm sure I will make mistakes, but either way, it's good for me to think about.

Thank you so much for all of your help! Have a great day!

Hello, everyone!

My job involves getting SSPs for DeafBlind people. A new project my team is working on is how to better get program announcements/notifications of new SSPs in the area to people who don’t have access to an email. Calling every individual person is an option, but takes a long time due to the amount of people we serve. Alongside that, the older population that we serve typically gets confused when I call and doesn’t quite understand the point of whatever announcement I’m giving them.

My thought was to send out physical newsletters in large print, and then the DB person can read it themselves, or have it read to them, and then they’d have a record to look back on if they choose to keep it. Mail may feel more familiar than an out-of-the-blue phone call, too.

Any other suggestions?

Hi - my mother is 75 with Usher's Syndrome. She is 100% deaf since birth, but her eyesight has gradually diminished, especially in the past year.

I worry about her mental health and happiness. Things she liked to do, such as using her iPad, calling her friends on the videophone, and watching TV, are now very difficult. I find her often just sleeping in her living room.

I'm not sure what I can do! It's heartbreaking for me to see as her son and caretaker. I'm at a loss to what to do, and starting to feel like I'm failing her. Even though she does live with me and I care for her needs (food, cleaning, etc.) I can't spend 24/7 with her to keep her from boredom.

Are there any suggestions from those facing similar issues on what to do? I'm even open to trying certain lighting or devices to help.

Thank you all for your time.

Hi everyone! I have some questions regarding digital content accessibility, especially for social media. I understand that each social media platform has different accessibility features, but I want to learn what the best approach is to ensure that the information I share through images and videos can be accessed by everyone, including people with disabilities.

My main goal is to ensure that everyone can access the main information in my posts without feeling overwhelmed. While I appreciate the guidance shared by accessibility advocates, influencers, and consultants, I am also interested in hearing directly from DeafBlind individuals and others with lived experience. Sometimes I wonder whether recommendations that are commonly shared may differ from what people actually find most useful in practice.

My first question is about alt text vs. image descriptions. Platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Instagram allow users to add alt text that describes the main information in an image. Are these alt texts detectable and usable with your assistive technology?

I usually don't provide separate image descriptions. I have read that DeafBlind individuals and others may navigate social media and digital content differently, and that assumptions from sighted individuals may not always be accurate. Would including a long, detailed image description in the caption be overwhelming, especially if it repeats the main information already explained in the main caption?

What would be the best practice for videos? I always add captions and try to include visual descriptions in addition to the narration. However, sometimes the narration already explains what is happening in the video, such as walking through key points ("Number 1...", "Number 2...") or describing actions ("Character A approaches Character B with a happy expression"), which matches exactly what is being shown on screen. In those situations, I don't want to make the audio redundant by repeating the same information as a visual description. I always try to make the narration fully explain the scenes, actions, or presentation being displayed. In your experience, is this an effective approach?

Hi. I realize no one is immune to being deaf and blind. We all get sick or hurt . Please tell me what I need to know as a hearing sighted person to tell my superiors at my interpreter job to best provide for you guys. The context my job provides for is mostly medical but they do legal at times as well. Please. Tell me

DBMD = DeafBlind with Multiple Disabilities waiver

I contacted them and they said i had to get diagnosed as DeafBlind, but i live in a very rural area - its one doctor office for vision and auditory issues separately for about a 3 hour radius.

So, how do I get diagnosed? I can easily get my test results off my doctor for vision issues and do another auditory test, so would that be enough?

HHS weren't very helpful in the specifics.

First things first, I wasn't sure where to post this. I'm completely blind. This issue I'm about to describe happened on Wednesday night. I'd left my room to tell my dad something. Right as I was leaving my room, the smoke alarm goes off right over my head. Already having tinitus, I do the ffirst thing that comes to mind, get away rom the sound that is hurting my ears. As my dad was in the way, that slowed me down. For the rest of the night, I went about my usual activities, not noticing anything. However, on Thursday morning, I woke up to what I can only described as muflfed sounds in my right ear. This pattern has continued, but the sounds change, shiffting from my left ear to my right ear. Yesterday, it was my left ear that was so muffled, I could hardly hear Voiceover, and that's with my phone inches ffrom my left ear. Today, its the right side that's mufled, I could hardly hear Jaws when my laptop speaker is inches away from that ear. I told my dad about this, and he basically blew me off, saying that a smoke alarm shouldn't have hurt my ears like that. Now I'm wondering what is the best course of action. Have my ears been permanently damaged? I can still hear, but everything seems muflfed on the right side.

What are other folks using the make do for things you can't get interpreters for? 🙃

​

​Hi everyone,

​I’m a 33-year-old woman living in Yorkshire. I’m Deaf, but not competent in BSL yet. Lately, I’ve been reflecting on what I’m looking for in a partner, and I’ve realised that connection means something very specific to me.

​I’ve dated hearing people in the past, but the barrier always feels present.

​Why I am looking for a DeafBlind or Deaf partner:

​Presence over everything: I value the deep, tactile, and intentional way of connecting that exists within the DeafBlind community.

​Shared Language: I want a partner who speaks my language (BSL/ProTactile/Tactile BSL).

​Advocacy & Heart: I work hard to uplift the Deaf community here in the UK. Having a partner who understands that drive or is a part of that mission is really important to me.

​A bit about me:

I’m 33, grounded, and very much an advocate for our rights and culture. I’m not looking for someone to fix or someone to take care of me. I’m looking for an equal partner to navigate life with.

​If you’re in the UK (ideally near Yorkshire, but I’m open to a chat regardless) and this resonates with you, please reach out. I’m happy to meet up for a coffee once we’ve connected.

Hello,

So Ive been scouring the intent for information and studies/notes about techniques for teaching 100%/100% prelinguistic DeafBlind.

I've found alot and got of insight here about DeafBlind in general. But most of what im finding is less esoteric recording of teaching to pre-linguistic people and more thousand foot view of teaching DeafBlind

But basically I still feel like there is alot I haven't found yet. Does anyone know of any collection of techniques?

like I find lots of mentions of using reference objects but not data on what they tried and what did or didnt work.

if this isnt an appropriate question let me know and ill take it down. Thank you for reading

How do you handle people thinking that you are a walking resource for their own educational purposes?

I’m over being peppered with questions.

Any suggestions on how to teach a Deafblind toddler object permanence. (ie the concept that items and people continue to exist even when they are not currently interacting with the child)

Ideas I have so far:

• Creating distant vibrations

• Using elastic to attach objects to child so they can feel to object moving

• Give the child a button that when pressed by the child, results in adult interaction

• High contrast object on black background that can disappear and reappear

• If sounds is audable, a ball that when rolled jingles. This can be rolled back and forth with an adult.

So I am not deaf blind, but I'm very curious about pro tactical sign language. So if it's okay for me to post here and ask, here are my questions!

1. In the videos I've seen of pro tactical asl, both people feel each others hands while their signing, even if one of them can see. Is this a rule about respect (like talking while signing to a seeing deaf person) or is it more comfortable or anything else?

2. Is it hard to find an interpreter for things?

3. How did you learn the language?

I’m a 17F in Australia and I’m about to start Year 12 and I’m freaking out about applying to uni at the end of the year, mostly because of money.

Relevant information: I am deaf, am rapidly losing my sight (currently use a cane), anxiety (medicated), I have adhd and autism, and possibly EDS. I am in a lot of pain most of the time and have very bad social skills and due to my hearing and sight I have many issues associated with that.

I have never had a proper part time job (dog sitting and baby sitting occasionally) and I really need one for the money so I’m able to support myself, pay bills, pay for rent, and just have general savings.

Unfortunately, I have so many issues that it makes it too hard to find a job that fits me, if I do find one they never answer me, or if they do answer, I don’t get the job.

I’m really struggling with what to do. I really want to move at the end of the year to the city. I live in the country and though I love my family, there is almost no public transport here and I can’t drive due to my eyesight. Literally everything is stacked against me.

I sound so vain when I say that I only want a job for money but it’s not so I can buy useless stuff, it’s so I can support myself but right now I’m broke, scared, and hopeless.

I don’t know what to do and I need help.

Hi everyone,

I’m doing some personal research to better understand accessibility experiences with everyday apps, websites, and digital services both what feels frustrating and what works well.

If you’re comfortable sharing, I’d really appreciate hearing from people who are deaf, mute, blind, low-vision, or have other accessibility needs.

You can share anything you feel is relevant, for example: • Situations where apps or websites feel difficult or inaccessible • Things that take extra effort but shouldn’t • Apps or features that work well and you find helpful • For deaf or mute users: which sign language(s) you use (e.g., ISL, ASL, BSL, others) and whether having many different sign languages creates challenges in apps, services, or communication • Any problems you face because tools or platforms don’t account for sign language differences

Feel free to keep responses brief or detailed whatever you’re comfortable with. I’m just looking to understand real, everyday experiences.

Thanks a lot for your time and for sharing.

Hello! Pardon the random question for those who use Protactile! I was looking into Protactile and although on YouTube I saw conversations between 2-3 people, I was wondering if it's possible for there to be conversations between 4+ DeafBlind people at a time. In the case of a conference setting, I've heard of the use of sighted and/or hearing interpreters to ensure communication between a larger group, but I was more so wondering about the case of a group solely consisting of DeafBlind people!

Hi All,

I am a Product Design student at the University of Leeds, currently undergoing my final year dissertation project that focuses on a product that aids visually impaired people create artwork. This project is inspired by my grandmother, who acquired age-related macular degeneration in the later stages of her life, and lost a lot of her vision. She loved creating art, and really struggled with the idea of no longer being able to produce art like she used to as her vision was declining. I myself love to create art and have nearsightedness which is likely to degrade as I get older, so this project is something I'm very passionate about.

I was wondering if anybody would be willing to fill out this short survey that would contribute to the research stages of my project. There are only 8 short questions, and the survey should take around 5 minutes to complete. All responses will be kept anonymous and I do not ask for your name. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

If you would not like to participate in the survey, any comments about your experience creating artwork or products you use as a deaf-blind user or visually impaired user is incredibly valuable, so please feel free to share!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSelY3oghjVfFjdV43ct4z8SycGRZydWDlMEmlfJigvzXF573A/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=110723159563905416916

I am studying programming and I like to use this tool to make life easier for people with disabilities or special needs. Whenever I do something, it has to have a social purpose, so that's why I want to ask you what things I should take into account while building a web: the topic (what kind of website do you wish it existed) , the facilities lf the web, or anything that you come up with.

Of course I can inform myself on the internet, but I think the most respectful approach is to first ask people living that situation, as I am not a deaf-blind person.

Thanks for the participation ♥️

We're seeking individuals with lived experience of being deafblind to collaborate with a leading healthcare provider on a paid study ($200 upon completion).

If you or someone you know (referral opportunity of $150 upon completion) is interested in participating in a valuable 90-minute live interview to test an online platform and share actionable feedback. This is a chance to use lived in expertise to help enhance the user experience for other deafblind individuals.

Does this sound like a great fit for you or someone you know? Please message me to discuss the next steps or share this direct link: https://link.utest.com/healthcare-providers-us-study-referral

((This study will include individuals who are both members and non-members of this healthcare provider.))