Overcoming Dual Disability -- Paths to Compensate for Visual and Auditory Deficits

Author: None
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1996-06-01
Features: According to a report by the World Federation of the Blind in 1988, there are approximately 47 million blind people worldwide, with an estimated 10 million individuals suffering from dual sensory impairment (blindness and deafness). Based on a sample survey of disabled people in China in 1987, it was estimated that as of April 1, 1987, there were about 2.18 million blind and deaf individuals in 29 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in mainland China, of whom approximately 140,000 were under the age of 60. This is a significant group. They face unique difficulties and are often in extreme loneliness and suffering, urgently needing help from others. Among the surveyed individuals with dual sensory impairment, although children constitute a small proportion, the loss of hearing affects language development, so most of them are not only blind but also deaf and mute. Based on the experience in deaf education, many deaf children who had learned to speak before losing their hearing gradually lose their language skills due to the lack of a supportive language environment. After about two years, they may completely lose the ability to speak, becoming mute. The language regression in blind and deaf children is even more severe. Some who lose their senses of sight and hearing in their teens may also completely lose their language abilities, becoming blind, deaf, and mute. It is therefore crucial to create communication opportunities for blind and deaf children to preserve their spoken language and alleviate their disabilities.