We often hear about how “Blind people are a minority within the population,” but within that broad spectrum of blindness there is an even smaller minority of folks who are born with, or develop later in life, both hearing loss and vision loss; otherwise known as deafblindness. We have not talked about living with deafblindness on our show before; until now!
Joining us this month is Barbara Davis, a devoted advocate, mother, and Grandmother. Barbara was born with Usher Syndrome, a condition in which a person has both partial or profound hearing loss in addition to progressive vision loss, due to the eye condition known as Retinitis Pigmentosa.
Barbara got her start in advocacy work in 2000, as Deafblind intervenor Services were losing funding and faced being dropped as a service offered under CNIB. She founded the Emergency Intervenor services program in 2013, and is currently working with the National Association of Deafblind America on a week-long deafblind conference to take place in 2030 in Atlanta Georgia, in honour of Helen Keller's 150th birthday.
Every spring, she can be found crocheting squares for the Yarnbombing for Deafblind Awareness month.
When she is not devoting her time to volunteer work, she is busy spoiling her grandchildren in her home in Burlington Ontario, and exploring the outdoors with her husband.
Links:
Email Barbara Davisto keep up with all of her projects.
Rosita Foley Intervener profile Page.
Yarn Bombing to Promote JUNE as Deafblind Awareness Month.
2022 Louisiana Helen Keller Deafblind Awareness Banquet.
Emergency Intervenor Services.
Deafblind Community Services (DBCS).
Deafblind International (DBI).
Helen Keller Services for the Blind.
For information about the Deafblind Escape Cruises: contact organizer Kelly Monahan, or Travel Advisor Stacy Yarbrough.
An even greater list of Deafblind organizations across Canada can be found Here.
The American Association of the Deaf-Blind (AADB.
The show notes and transcription for this podcast can be found here.