Help raise awareness this Deafblind Awareness Week

The ongoing uncertainty with the coronavirus pandemic means that the events that are usually scheduled for Deaf-Blind Awareness, including Sense Walks have had to be cancelled, but that doesn’t mean we can’t work together to help raise awareness of the obstacles faced by those who are Deaf-Blind.

With many organisations calling for more awareness for those who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, visually impaired and deafblind during the ongoing pandemic. Many of the news outlets and televised messages from the government in England have neglected to include an interpreter. This combined with the increasing use of face masks has made communication much harder, which makes this year’s Deaf-blind Awareness Week even more poignant.

For those that aren’t aware, Deafblindness is the loss of sight and hearing to the point where your communication, mobility and ability to access information are impacted. This can be a progressive loss of sight and hearing or a life long condition. It is often also referred to as dual sensory loss or as a dual sensory impairment.

While many of the same issues are faced by those who have sight loss or hearing loss, deafblindness is a completely different condition. It also differs from being a sight loss condition with added hearing loss. Deafblindness is a huge spectrum and it is estimated that there are nearly 400,000 deafblind people in the UK, a number which is expected to rise to over 600,000 by 2030.

Usually every June during Deafblind Awareness Weeks, Sense host Sense Walks in communities up and down the country, where people come together to show how much can be achieved when communities work together. You can keep up to date with the latest news from Sense and any postponed walks here

Deafblindness Awareness Week runs from 24^th June until 30^th June. You can find out more about the condition and ways that you can help raise awareness in your community here.