Meeting A DeafBlind Person

[A white woman in strawberry blonde hair in braids, red-framed eyeglasses and a dark short-sleeved top appears sitting on the left next to a white man in grey cap and dark long-sleeve buttoned top sitting on the right, both laughing in front of grey-brownish background]

[Ryan] Hello. I'm Ryan Ollis, DeafBlind program coordinator at Wavefront Centre for Communication Accessibility. I'd like to introduce you to Rachel right here.
[Rachel] Hello!
[Ryan] Rachel, may I ask what it is that we're doing here today?
[Rachel] We'll be showing two examples on how to approach a DeafBlind person. I mean, hopefully, these are two good examples that you can do to get their attention.
[Ryan] Right, thank you. We'll show you just how to do that.

[Yellow font on black title slide: "Approaching a DeafBlind person"]

[Rachel and Ryan appear in a blue room; Rachel approaches Ryan texting on his mobile device and taps on his shoulder. Ryan responds by moving a step back and facing her]

[Ryan puts his mobile device away] Hello.
[Rachel] Hello, I'm Rachel. How are you?
[Ryan] I'm fine, thanks.

[Ryan appears back in front of grey background] Notice when Rachel tapped on my shoulder, I'd move and face her directly as a cue that I still use my vision to communicate. Not every DeafBlind individual use tactile to communicate, so instead they'd face in front of you and sign from a comfortable distance. Some individuals have close vision and may require to stand close to you. However, a person with Ushers' Syndrome (one with tunnel vision) is likely to stand farther from you to be able to see you. It's important to respect the individual's preferred way of communication. Let them decide how they want to communicate with you.

[Rachel and Ryan appear in a blue room; Rachel approaches Ryan standing and taps on his shoulder. Ryan responds by raising his hand, Rachel slides her hand down his arm and meet her hand with his]

[Rachel] Hello. I'm Rachel. How are you?
[Ryan] I'm good. Nice to tactile you again.
[both smile]

[Ryan appears back in front of grey background] Now, see what Rachel and I did. When Rachel tapped on my shoulder, I'd raise my hand for Rachel to slide her hand down my arm and meet her hand with mine. This is a cue that I rely on tactile communication, which is to communicate hand on hand. This is one of examples for communication approaches that you can have with a DeafBlind person.

[Yellow font on black title slide: "Communicating with a DeafBlind person - Dos & Don'ts"]

[Ryan] DeafBlind people have a variety ways of communication. When meeting a DeafBlind individual, you can try and DO the following ways:
-Type your message on your own mobile device to communicate back and forth.
-Use paper and pen to write back and forth.
-If the Deaf individual is fully blind, you can use their palm to write words with your finger.

These are just few examples of what you can DO to communicate.

Now, when approaching DeafBlind individual, please DON'T do the following ways: Play the "Guess Who?" game. Like, "Do you remember me? Guess who I am!" This will make the DeafBlind person feel awkward because it is already difficult enough for them to see and identify who is in front of them. It is critical that the sighted person identify themselves promptly with their first name and a brief introduction. If you are interested to approach a DeafBlind person, please feel free to go ahead and meet them. Do not be afraid to make mistakes, it's the only way to learn and be more inclusive. We, the DeafBlind people, will be happy to have your part in our community and learn from each other. You are always welcome in our community.

Thank you for watching! Please stay tuned for a video coming up next week on "Accessibility".