1. General Information on Deafblindness

Contents: Definition, types of impairment, causes.

The term ‘deafblindness’ is used to describe a condition where impairments of both hearing and sight are present simultaneously and reinforce one another. This does not necessarily involve the complete loss of both senses, but often involves impairments of varying degrees of severity. Depending on the combination and severity, a distinction is made between deafblindness and hearing and visual impairment.

People with deafblindness experience limitations in various areas of functioning – such as communication, information processing, spatial orientation and social participation. Which activities are affected depends heavily on the degree and timing of the hearing and visual impairments.

Among the most common causes are genetic syndromes such as CHARGE syndrome or Usher syndrome. CHARGE syndrome affects several sensory and physical functions – including hearing, sight, balance, smell, and temperature perception. It is now regarded as the main cause of congenital hearing and visual impairment. Usher syndrome leads to a combination of hearing loss and a progressive retinal disease (retinitis pigmentosa), which progressively restricts vision.

The timing of onset plays a crucial role in the development of language and communication. If deafblindness occurs before language acquisition, access to spoken language is usually limited; however, if it occurs later, existing language skills may be retained. It is also significant whether hearing or sight was impaired first – this influences forms of communication, learning strategies and orientation in everyday life.

People with deafblindness are often categorised into four groups:

1. People who are born deaf and blind;
2. people who are born blind and later lose their hearing;
3. people born deaf who later become blind;
4. people who lose both their hearing and sight later in life.

As a rule, deafblindness is not classified as a multiple impairment, but as a distinct form of impairment, as the limitations of the two senses reinforce one another and cannot be compensated for by the other. Deafblindness can also occur in combination with other physical or mental impairments, which makes individual support needs and strategies even more varied.