The Deafblind Programme
Initiated in 2021, the Deafblind Programme aims to provide support regarding the Deafblind Community. This programme provides services, such as Counselling, Case Management, Workshops and Training Support for individuals with Deafblindness.
“Deafblindness is the condition of combined vision and hearing loss that affects an individual’s capacity to access the world around them. Deafblindness is a spectrum that includes total blindness and total deafness, total blindness and residual hearing, total deafness and residual vision or residual hearing and vision, whether it is from birth or with age.”
Services in the Deafblind Programme
SADeaf provides a number of services in the Deafblind Programme and aims to empower Deafblind individuals to possess the skills of Independent Living, Independent Travelling, while advocating avenues of Education & Employment, and also Communication.
Independent Living and Travelling: Through a partnership with Guide Dogs Singapore (GDS), Deafblind individuals can develop skills to achieve greater independence with daily tasks and responsibilities at home, plus navigating necessary spaces such as for work.
Education & Employment: The Deafblind Programme advocates opportunities for the local Deafblind community to be equipped with the necessary skills to find employment and supporting clients to find employment that equips them with skills.SADeaf provides a Deafblind Awareness Programme as well as a Deaf Awareness Programme for companies keen to hire deafblind individuals.
Communication: The Deafblind Programme aims to share and expose individuals and their family members to a variety of communication methods and expand their communication toolkit. Such methods include tactile signing, braille, haptics and speech.
As a whole, these pillars focus on building a client’s resourcefulness and encouraging their confidence to achieve beyond challenges.
Intervenor Services
Launched in 2023, the Deafblind Programme also looks into growing the support network of the community by training public allies known as intervenors.
Performing the role of a communicator-guide, an intervenor is a person who works consistently one-to-one with an individual who is Deafblind to help them gather information, develop and use communication skills, and establish relationships. Intervenors enable independence over dependence when working with a Deafblind person.
Intervenors are engaged to support the Deafblind Community during social engagements, workshops and personal settings as well. Through yearly training, intervenors are equipped with the skills of Human Guiding Techniques, ProTactile Sign Language with more courses to come.
If you are interested in becoming an intervenor, seeking partnerships or have queries about the Deafblind Programme, please contact us with deafblind@sadeaf.org.sg
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