About Deafblindness

Stories

This section of Deafblind Information Australia is dedicated to the stories of people living with vision and hearing impairments – whether from the perspective of the individual, their family or one of their carers right through to the teachers, therapists and the wider community involved in someone’s life.

It may be their experience and their personal achievements.  It may also be about their frustration or their difficulties in accessing what they need to fulfil their life choices. More often than not, the personal journey that is documented is more powerful than a library of text books.

You may choose to write a short article, you may want to add a captioned photograph or upload video footage.

Note to readers: Sometimes words or images can cause sadness, distress, or trigger traumatic memories. For some people, these responses can be overwhelming. Support is available. For immediate options in Australia contact Lifeline or Beyond Blue. For less immediate, but longer term peer and therapeutic supports, there are also Deafblind specific support groups and services. See Deafblind Information Australia Support Groups webpage and Deafblind Information Australia Find Services webpage

 

Chris is standing with three others. He is wearing blue shorts, a white cap and a yellow and black striped t-shirt. He has a white beard. His arms are around two women.

Chris

Chris from Coburg, Victoria wanted to say…

 Picture of Linda's face. She is smiling looking away from the camera. She is wearing a black top, brown hair in a short hairstyle.

Linda F

Last year in November, when I attended the deafblind camp in Perth I loved it so much I decided then and there that I wanted to go to the Melbourne one. So I booked. i got cold feet and nearly didn’t go but then about a week or so beforehand I found my enthusiasm for it again.

 Joseph is sitting in a Flight Simulator with another gentleman. Joseph is wearing glasses and a big khaki green jacket. He has short brown hair. The other gentleman is wearing a black leather jacket and has short grey hair. They are shaking hands.

Joseph

Nathan my guide dog is part of me and looks after me all the time, he is with me everywhere I go.

 Picture of Kirsty sitting against a white background. She is wearing a black collared t-shirt with blue and white on the shoulders and a logo. She has hark hair tied back and is smiling.

Kirsty

My parents found out I had CRS (congential rubella syndrome) or RS (rubella syndrome) when I was born in 1985.

 Kelly is sitting against a backdrop which is dark grey and covered in gold leaves. Kelly is wearing a black t-shirt and glasses. Kelly has short black hair and is smiling.

Kelly

A cochlear implant is a surgically implanted electronic device that provides a sense of sound, to a person who has a severe to profound hearing loss or a moderate to profound sensorineural hearing loss.

 Close up photo of Edan's face against a black background. He is looking at the camera gesturing with two fingers. He has brown hair and short facial hair.

Edan

Edan Chapman was born with the rare genetic disorder known as Usher syndrome. He is – and always has been – profoundly Deaf. Now he is going slowly blind from retinitis pigmentosa. This is part one of a two-part story on Edan Chapman’s battle with Ushers.

 Deb is standing at her front door. She is reaching for the handle of the fly-wire screen. She is wearing a light pink hoodie, glasses and cap and is smiling.

Deb

In March 1999 I first moved out of home to my own place in Maylands. I liked living in my own place, I have support from DSC once a week to go shopping and some cooking.

 Emily

Emily and Louis

My name is Emily Shepard and I have a ten year old son with Usher syndrome who is an NDIS participant.

 Jessica

Jessica

My supports in the NDIS made a huge difference to my life.