UNIT 3 LEARNERS WITH DEAF-BLINDNESS
Key Unit Competence: Explain the characteristics of leaners whith deafblind
disability and use appropriate approaches
to teach them.
INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITY
The case of Kawera
Kawera is 8 years old girl who is studying in primary 2. Since she was born, she
had hearing difficulties and total blindness. It is suspected that her problem
is from her grandfather who had the same difficulties like Kawera but also
her mother is a well-known alcohol abuser. She faces many difficulties in her
life. She cannot communicate, move around easily and these affect the way
she interact with the community.Kawera has recently been able to join the
school. However, due to her condition the school recruited the new teacher
who will assist Kawera in her school activities. The school has also engaged
health practitioners who come once in a while to check on Kawera’s life. They
work to prevent the severity of her impairment and provide the intervention
needed. Kawera is now progressing well in her education.
Tasks:
1. What was the cause of deaf-blind in Kawera’s case?
2. What are challenges Kawera face in school?
3. What did school do to remove some barriers for Kawera?
3.1. Definition and causes of deaf blind disability
ACTIVITY 3.1.
1. How would you define the term” deaf-blindness “?2. What do you think could cause deaf blindness ?
Deaf-blindness is a combination of sight and Hearing Impairment that affects
how you communicate, access information and get around.The deafblind doesnot necessarily mean to be totally deaf or totally blind.
Learner with deaf blind disability being thought using tactile method
Most of children who are deaf-blind also have additional
physical, medical and/or cognitive problems. People are
considered to be deaf-blind when the combination of their
hearing and vision loss causes such severe communication,
other developmental and educational needs that they
require significant and unique adaptations in their educational
programs.
Causes of deaf blind disability
There are four primary causes of vision and hearing loss:
Genetic factors: (Hereditary/Chromosomal Disorders): are inherited
from parents, for example, Usher syndrome (is a condition characterized
by partial or total hearing loss and vision that worsen overt time) is
caused by eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa, this syndrome is
present from birth with effects appearing gradually over the years.
Prenatal factors: Those are some complications before birth. It
also includes chronic maternal illnesses, viral/bacterial diseases, or
harmful chemicals (Teratogens).
Complications at birth: There are many congenital complications that
may be one of causes of disability.
Postnatal injuries and/or illnesses: Those are some factors of
after birth that may contribute to become a deafblind including age
related illnesses for hearing and vision, diabetic retinopathy which
is complications of diabetes where the cells lining the back of eye aredamaged, brain damage due to the wide range of conditions.
SELF-ASSESSMENT 3.1
1. Briefly, discuss the meaning of deafblind?
2. What are the four factors of deafblind disability?
3. Explain the following factors:
• Postnatal factors;
• Genetic factor
3.2. Characteristics and Types of deafblind disability
ACTIVITY 3.2.
1. If deafblindness affect persons of different age, how can you
describe a deafblindness?
2. If you have seen a person with deafblindness in your environment,
what are challenges do you think they face in daily life activity?
Deaf blindness can affect people of all ages (children, adults and elders). For
adults, it develops gradually and the person themselves may not realise their
vision and/or hearing is getting worse.
Characteristics of deafblind disability may include:
• Needing to turn up the volume on the television or radio
• Difficulty following a conversation
• Not hearing noises such as a knock at the door
• Asking others to speak loudly, slowly and more clearly
• Needing to hold books or newspapers very close, or sitting close to the
television• Difficulty moving around unfamiliar places.
Types of deafblind disability
People with deaf-blindness may fall into three groups:
• People with residual sight but who are completely deaf
• People with residual hearing who are completely blind
• People without residual sight or hearing.
Residual sight or hearing is often not sufficient for a person to be totally
dependent on it. Deaf-blind learners without any residual sight or hearing need
more support than those with residual sight or hearing.
It is not easy for a sighted and hearing person to understand what it is like to
be deaf-blind.
Key difficulties experienced by deaf-blind people include:
Finding out information: Deafblind have challenges of finding
out information that help them participate in the daily life of their
community, such as the meaning behind facial expressions or the shape
of objects that cannot be reached, or the sound of an approaching
vehicle.
Communicating with others: Deaf-blind people are unlikely to meet
many people who can communicate with them straight away. They use
one or more ways of communications including sign language etc.
Movement: Deafblind people can neither see nor hear. Therefore
most of the time they do not want to move around avoiding obstacles,
planning routes or climbing stairs.
SELF-ASSESSMENT 3.2
1. What are three types of deafblind people.
2. How does deafblind disability develop in adult people?3. What characterize a deafblind person?
3.3. Teaching approaches for learners with deafblind disability
ACTIVITY 3.3.
1. How do you think we should help persons with deaf blindness?
Most deafblind people still have some hearing and/or vision at different level
of disabilities. The level of care and support they need will depend on severity
of their hearing and vision problems. Learners, who are deafblind since their
birth, will need the early childhood interventions. Early intervention should
be to stimulate the awareness of their immediate environment and to create
interest in the external world. They need to be deliberately encouraged and
introduced into the world through one-on-one communicative interaction. Sign
language is the most obvious choice of communicative skills that can aid the
communication and can be very effective in developmentally capable individuals
with dual sensory impairment. However, learners who are deafblind can only
be included in regular classrooms if their cases are either mild or moderate,
the severe deafblind are placed in special places and supported with the help ofmulti-disciplinary team.
Teaching approaches for deafblind learners
Here are some strategies that maybe used when teaching deafblind learners
1. Making contact: Cued communication can be used to provide meaningful
information through a combination of approaches, tangible object cues,
touch cues and tactile signs/gestures.
2. Build relationship/ provide feedback: The partner should be
consistent in the way they approach the learner while making a physical
contact.
3. Interrupted routines: It is one strategy where communication partner
interrupts the learners’ established routines to see/observe how she /he
responds. The partner may use this interruption to initiate a conversation
or to teach a sign related to the interrupted activity.
4. Choice making: This is to help the learner to use cognitive skills,
communication, motor skills and social skills. This help him/her to avoid
imposed decisions to them for others people.
5. Establishing routines: Use a simple and communication techniques
especially in teaching daily living activities to establish a predictable
routine from which further communication is developed.
6. Acknowledging communications efforts: The learner’s effort to
initiate a conversation must be encouraged.
7. Using tactile cues: Refers to three dimensions’ tangibles objects that
can be manipulated easily and possess tangible qualities such as shape,
textile, consistency. These are real objects, miniatures objects, or partialobject that are fixed on the cards.
The individual abilities and needs of deaf blind children must be assessed
in order to make an individual plan.
The individual plan also should focus on to: preserve and maximise
any remaining sensory functions the person has, teach alternative
communication methods such as tangible object cues, touch cues and
tactile signs/gestures, help the person retain as much independence as possible,
for example training to use a long cane or guide dog or through the provision of
a communicator guide, for young children, ensure their educational needs are
met.
There are different ways of communication for deafblind such as:
Clear speech: Speaking clearly is one of the most effective and common
ways of communicating with deafblind people who have some remaining
vision and hearing
Deafblind manual alphabet: A tactile form of communication where words
are spelt into the deafblind person’s hand using set positions and movements.
Block alphabet: A simple tactile form of communication where a word is
spelt out in capital letters that are drawn into the deafblind person’s palm
Hands-on signing: An adapted version of British Sign Language
(BSL) where the deafblind person feels what’s being signed by placing their
hands-on top of the signer’s hand
Visual frame signing: An adapted version of BSL where the signs are
adapted to be signed in a smaller space to match the position and size of a
deafblind person’s remaining sight
Braille: A system that uses a series of raised dots to represent letters or
groups of letters.
Moon: Similar to Braille, but uses raised, adapted capital letters that are
simpler to feel.SELF-ASSESSMENT 3.3
1. Explain how you can communicate with a learner with deaf
blindness using the following methods?
a. Braille b. Block alphabet2. What is the difficult of deafblind in every day ?
SKILLS LAB
1. Visit a special school and identify a child suspected to have
deafblind disability. Spend around three hours with the child.
Write down all the characteristics of the child with deafblind
disability and suggest strategies you could use to help that child
improve his/her studies.
END OF UNIT ASSESSMENT
1. Explain the deafbliness ?
2. Explain the different types of deafblindness
3. Discuss the difficulties of deafblind people in everyday life.4. Identify ways of communication with deafblind learners