Deafblind field
Deafblindness is a combined vision and hearing impairment of such severity that it is hard for the impaired senses to compensate for each other. Thus, deafblindness is a distinct disability.
nordic-definition-of-deafblindness
The deafblind field at Nordic Welfare Centre, supports equal opportunities and participation in society for people with combined vision and hearing impairment and deafblindness. Nordic cooperation and shared knowledge development are necessary since this is a relatively small area in each individual country.
- The assignment includes education, development work, initiation, and coordination of cross-border work between Nordic deafblind organizations. Our aim is also to strengthen European and international cooperation.
- The activities arranged by Nordic Welfare Centre, such as courses and seminars, complements the national education arrangements within the deafblind field in each Nordic country.
- An important task is to coordinate the development and dissemination of knowledge in the Nordic region through projects, working groups, expert groups, seminars, and networks.
- Nordic deafblind activities are part of the Nordic Programme for Co-operation on Disability Issues and are based on being able to implement the UNCRPD for people with combined visual and hearing impairments, who are a vulnerable and marginalised group in society.
Publications (in various languages)
Revealing hidden potentials – Assessing cognition in individuals with congenital deafblindness
People with congenital deafblindness often have hidden cognitive potential that those around them fail to detect. This can lead to missing out on communication, or not even having the opportunity to develop a tactile language. A professional assessment of the cognition may reveal latent abilities and with suitable strategies the person with congenital deafblindness can develop their full potential.
If you can see it, you can support it – A book on tactile language
When we add a linguistic value to bodily tactile expressions and recognise tactile languages as natural languages, we are able to communicate linguistically with people with congenital deafblindness.
Publication available in Scandinavian and English.
Tactile Working Memory Scale – a Professional Manual
This manual gives professionals tools to identify and assess tactile working memory in persons with deafblindness. For persons with congenital deafblindness we need a bodily-tactile perspective on working memory. This manual gives a theoretical overview and presents a scale that can be used by professionals to identify and assess tactile working memory in persons with deafblindness, and design tools and strategies to ensure that these persons can develop and make use of all their potentials, both cognitively and linguistically.
Publication only available in English.
Life Adjustment and Combined Visual and Hearing Disability/Deafblindness
The purpose of this study is to gain increased knowledge of the life adjustment process related to acquired deafblindness.
We hope to be able to use this knowledge in contributing to a better match between the person’s needs and the environment’s support – the right support at the right time.
Publication available in Swedish, Danish and English.
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