My mom grew up HARD OF HEARING, and her hearing has worsened over the years. 3 years ago, she was diagnosed with MACULAR DEGENERATION.

She is in her 70s and she is becoming increasingly depressed. I love my mom and hate to see her like this. She is not a tech savvy person but I want to know if there are any resources for her to help her.

This post is meant a a truly genuine question. I intend no disrespect at all! I just want to have a better understanding of people around me. Please don’t take any of this post with offense. I have never interacted with someone who is deaf, blind, or both. However I found myself thinking about people who are non-hearing and non-thinking. I do not intend to portray that deafblind people are incompetent. Quite the opposite actually. Helen Keller contributed more to society than I ever hope to achieve, and I assume that the same is true of many many people in the deaf blind community.

That said, I hope that I can find some answers to questions here.

1. How do people who are born deafblind learn? I understand that people who are blind but hearing can interact through sounds and spoken language. The inverse goes for the deaf, who can see sign language, written language, and other forms of visual information transmittance. However, how do people who are born deafblind learn? I’ve read about tactile sign language, but that is a difficult concept for me to grasp. How do deafblind people know what the signs that they are feeling mean? Without my vision or hearing, I doubt I could tell the difference between a large dog, wolf, and a bear. (There are obvious tactile differences, but I am having trouble coming up with an example.) Essentially, how can deafblind people connect tactile sign language to abstract concepts like love? You can sign I love you and they can feel those signs, but how do they know what it is? The question applies for all types of learning.

2. How would I go about communicating with someone in the deaf, blind, and deafblind communities if I were to meet them? I don’t know sign language, nor do I know the appropriate social conventions for those types of interactions.

3. What is the correct terminology to describe a multi sensory loss? I know the term disability is widely used, and if that is the accepted descriptor that’s fine by me. But I would prefer to know how to talk about this subject and these people in a way that is the most respectful and appropriate way with the right words.

Thanks!

I chanced upon this therapy and do not know if it did yield the results.

https://news.mit.edu/2022/frequency-therapeutics-hearing-regeneration-0329

Hello everyone, I am not deafblind, but I am making this post to try to help my friend. She is deafblind (Usher syndrome; completely deaf, with progressive loss of vision), and she is dealing with the onset of a gastrointestinal chronic illness this year. She is waiting to be matched with a therapist that can use ASL, and has so much back and forth about her gastrointestinal problems. She feels very hopeless about life right now. I try to hang out, text every day, and play games together, but I think the moral support I can offer her is limited because I do not understand her experience. I suggest she come onto Reddit so she can talk with people who share her experience, but she is nervous that her English is not good enough to post. What would you suggest? Should I encourage her to join still? Are there other ways you’d suggest I offer support? Thank you!

Hello! We are a group of UC Berkeley students working on making party card games more accessible and inclusive for those who are visually impaired. We are interested in learning more from people who are visually impaired and people who have experience interacting with others who have visual impairments. If you are open to doing a quick 5 minute survey around this topic, please click this link. We greatly value your time and insights, thank you!

I recently decided to change careers into education. I applied for a para educator position and ended up a 1:1 with a student who also needs and intervener. After hearing more about this position and finding out the training would be supplied, I asked to be transferred into that position. I’m learning all about how unique the deaf blind community is and I wanted to reach out to hear from anyone who might have received these services before and if they have any advice for me. My student overall does not have much communication right now and I feel like the best way for me to learn is to listen to those with first hand experience. Obviously every situation is different but I hope even after my student graduates to continue this work so I’m open to hearing from anyone who wants to share.

Such as alternatives of Deafnotes app

Hi there,

I know this readit isn't that active, but just trying.

I'm Sean from atlanta, ga. I'm I have mild hearing loss and am pertty much totally blind with lights, shapes , shadows and some colors.

I have glaucoma, ROP, and cataractsin the left eye and a Prosthetic in the right.

I'm into japanese

anime, most action and adventure, mystery and science. I'm also a furry.

[VOICE TO TEXT]: Hello, first I would like to introduce myself. In the fall of 2018, I had an accident where I picked up an unknown object while hiking, which turned out to be a landmine from the 1990s, and in that accident, I lost both arms above the elbows, sight and 90% of hearing. Through physical rehabilitation I adapted to my disability and learned to do most things with my feet, the only things I can't do are button my pants and tie my hair. The reason why I don't use prostheses is that without sight and hearing, I don't have a good feeling for prostheses because I rely entirely on touch, and they don't give me that. I also learned to read braille with my toes on a refreshable braille display, which was my main way of communication for a long time, through messages. But I noticed that without sight and hearing and with communication through braille display, I felt increasingly isolated and lonely over time even though I was surrounded by people, which greatly affected my mental health. Which was from the accident already shaken by the loss of arms, sight and hearing all at once. So I tried to find another way to communicate with my family and friends and that's how I found out about the Lorm alphabet, although I tried some other tactile ways of communication, none were as adaptable to my disabilities and at the same time fast for communication. With the help of my friends, I managed to adapt the Lorm alphabet to my disabilities, and finally in conversations I feel like a part of the conversation, and not just someone who reads it from the side. That's why I asked a friend if she could draw an adapted version that I could share with you because even though I've never met anyone with all the disabilities that I have, maybe any of you know someone who might find this helpful. Because this community helped me a lot during my journey through adaptation to a new life. Of course, feel free to ask me anything that interests you, I will try to answer as many questions as possible. Or give me your opinions and feedback, maybe how I can improve and make it easier for communication. [STOP]

​

[VOICE TO TEXT]: Two more things that were pointed out to me that cannot be seen from the drawing and which are important for good communication. 1. A sliding touch from the edge of the heel to the tips of the toes indicates the end of each sentence if it is not a question or an exclamation. 2. Full palm-to-sole touch to indicate the end of the conversation or change of a speaker. And of course, I'm not a professional and no professional taught me to use the Lorm alphabet, so forgive me if something is wrong in my interpretation of the alphabet. [STOP]

A drawing of the sole of my foot on which there is an adapted Lorm alphabet that can be used for communication with people who are deaf-blind and without both arms.

I'm blind/deaf on one side, hello !!

The National Center for Health Statistics is looking for people in the United States aged 18 or over who currently provide help or assistance to a family member (spouse, child, sibling, grandchild, extended relative) or friend who has a health problem or disability to answer a variety of health-related questions.

We are only interested in how people understand and answer questions to help improve the questions on this survey. This interview will be done on Zoom for 1 hour. Participants will receive $50 for their time.

You can reach us at: recruitmentteam@cdc.gov or text (301)-318-6437

Our Website: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/CCQDER/respondents/Home.htm

****We have enough participants who take care of their parents.

https://preview.redd.it/zgw7rjdx6lcb1.png?width=818&format=png&auto=webp&s=fb6c5aa80a6361b41d5f0c417580a5127d67decd

Sorry if this is the wrong sub for it. I just really want to be able to communicate more with a patient I have.

Hi! I'm doing a study for my AP Research course about the web accessibility of a group of popular fast fashion websites and would really appreciate it if you guys filled out my survey!! The study is only targeted for those who identify themselves with being differently abled (or having a disability). The survey should only take 5-15 minutes and the presentation of my results will be kept anonymous. Also, it is preferable if you could sign your full name for the consent form as I require some type of identification that the participant consents to be in the study. However, no one besides you, me, and my advisor will be seeing the direct responses from the survey. Please let me know if you have any questions. Also, if you could send this to anyone you know with a disability, that would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you so much! 

Link to Survey: https://forms.gle/6raefFzcYjJ19i9F8

Are most people that are deafblind completely deaf and completely blind or is that rare?

Can you guys help me by filling this survey. Thanks in advance.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfQ8d6m8fFiaSopRXAN8gu1Lsf8paHbxtTBcu7df92uvYGrPg/viewform?usp=sf_link

Hi everyone

I am looking for deaf blind people with a guide dog or who speak ProTactile to be interviewed. As I know that you often times need a third party as an assistance to translate, I could pay you both each 30$ Amazon vouchers.

- Duration is around 45 min

- Can be anonymised

- I would voice/video record it and submit it to the university board only (won't be publicly available)

In case of interest please DM or write a comment so I can DM you directly.

Hello!

I have a school project related to creating a device to help the community. It is named Amblyops, after a fish that is blind and hard of hearing. Please respond to my survey. It should take only a few minutes. Nothing is identifiable. I appreciate your help with my project!

https://forms.gle/qfdLrAjgFWkg9vML9

Hey everyone! My name is Jake Castillo. I work for a company called Echo Market Research (echo-mr.com) .

We are currently conducting online focus groups with disabled people about their experiences at the polls this past election cycle! The focus group will be conducted via Zoom and will take place the second week of December. You will receive $100 for participating.

To sign up for a focus group, you just gotta fill out this pre-qualifying survey: https://echoqual.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9AW4qJnWd0f9r7M?Source=Outreach&Version=1

I am a product designer looking to create physical products for the deafblind community. Specifically, I am thinking something that helps with social interactions and understanding the emotions of people around you. How do you experience social interactions and trying to understand emotions of others? As one solution, I know about braille emojis. Do you have any feedback or ideas for products?

Hi everyone,

My name is Charlotte, I am an industrial design (product design) student in Toronto Canada, and I am inviting your participation in a research study on various problems that children with impaired vision face when participating in physical activity. These problems include being left out in physical education in schools, lack of adaptability in current games, and limited integration in active games with both sighted and non-sighted children in schools and other social environments. The results will be contributed to my Senior Level Thesis project. This survey is being conducted as an aid in designing a product capable of improving active play activities for children ages 6-8. This survey is primarily based on understanding ergonomics, human interaction design activities, and user experience aspects of the research area.

Thank you so much for your time and participation!  

Here is the survey link: https://forms.gle/SVTRoh92ds5e94jT8

Hi everyone!

Welcome to uTest (www.utest.com), by Applause (www.applause.com). We are a company that helps businesses test the accuracy and usability of their websites, applications, and hardware through freelance software testing and feedback. You can get paid to help us shape the digital landscape!

Would you or anyone you know be interested in an Accessibility Study? We are looking to grow our Inclusive Design offering and need testers in North and South Carolina, USA-  who would be interested in providing real-time feedback to create a shopping experience for everyone regardless of their limitations, disabilities, or age.

For this upcoming study, we are looking for testers willing to visit two specific concept retail stores in Charlotte, and Monroe, North Carolina. Participants will be asked to be accompanied by a friend, family member or caretaker who will record the shopping experience while doing a few tasks in-store, and then complete a short survey.

If you know someone who might qualify and would be interested, please share the link below and help them to sign up.

​

https://preview.redd.it/uhaume1pzap91.png?width=1545&format=png&auto=webp&s=327bccb918f2e16cce302c47722c6519edeccca9

Project Details:  

• Start Date: October 2022    
• Location: North Carolina, USA  
• Devices: Android, iOS

Please apply here if you are interested

You can leave a comment, send me a direct message or go to our official uTest subreddit at r/UTEST and contact the moderators if you have any questions regarding the project. You can also watch this video to learn how uTest works.