Deaf-Blind People In The New Inclusive Nation

Normally people ask, what does inclusive nation mean? What is its physical location? How will it look like? Still others ask, will it be possible for this nation (Tanzania) to adopt the inclusive principles?

First of all, I would like to express my sincere thanks to all those who, in one way or another have bothered themselves and read these articles. You are blessed, and you will forever remain blessed.

Let us now come to our discussion. The concept of building or founding anything starts from the mind frameworks. Anything you see physically started as a concept, an abstract idea. This is true and is well understood when you consider material and non-material theories, divine and human doctrines.

If you want to build a house, you must first of all have an idea to build it. Second, you must set your guiding steps to build your house, and the like. And also the religious people believe that every natural feature (not man-made) resulted from the thoughts of God. They believe man himself is the product of God’s imagination. By this concept, then, everything which is physically seen is the product of human or God’s imagination.

Furthermore, those who want to be in power as presidents, prime ministers and so forth, come in front of the mass and sell their thoughts. They show what they have planned and how they are going to implement those thoughts. Our choice to people who will be in power determines the nature of the nation/state we want it to be.

An Inclusive Nation, as a thought, is the one which will be of all people within it. It will benefit all people in it, it will have a networked system of communication in which no one will miss any information. And the general culture of the citizens will be supervised and shaped by the strong system of education- with the addition of the subject “HUMAN DIVERSITIES” in its existing curriculum.

Bear in mind that, the nation ‘Tanzania’ we have today is not the same since its independence. During independence it was named Tanganyika, shortly after independence it sought to look like the country of African people led by Africans themselves. It deemed not to suit the needs of its citizens, in which later it changed to be Tanzania by joining to states, Tanganyika and Zanzibar. The way it was ruled by Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere is not the same as when it was under Ally Hassan Mwinyi, Benjamin Mkapa and now Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete. So, the nation keeps changing politically, economically and socially, and I hope, the next change will be towards an “INCLUSIVE NATION” in which all people will be regarded the same, where all marginalized people will be brought to the system they deserve.

Today, our major focus will be on one group of people who need to enjoy the fruit of their nation, Tanzania. Just one aspect of communication. This group is of Deaf-Blind people.

 Deaf-Blindness

This is the co-existence of hearing and visual impairments, the combination of which causes such severe communication and other developmental and educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for children with deafness or children with blindness. Educationally, individuals are considered to be deaf-blind when the combination of their hearing and sight loss causes such severe communication and other developmental and educational needs that they require significant and unique adaptations in their educational programs.

Methods of communication for Deaf-Blind people

Deaf-blind people communicate in many different ways determined by the nature of their condition, the age of onset, and what resources are available to them. For example, someone who grew up deaf and experienced vision loss later in life is likely to use a sign language (in a visually modified or tactual form). Others who grew up blind and later became deaf are more likely to use a tactile mode of their spoken/written language.

Let us learn how Americans communicate with their deaf-blind community:

1.      Sign Language and Modifications

Signed Languages:

A deaf-blind person chats with 

his friend, using tactile signs

Some deaf or hard of hearing people with low vision use American Sign Language or an English-based sign language. In some cases, people may need to sign or fingerspell more slowly than usual so the person with limited vision can see signs more clearly. Sometimes the person with low vision can see the signs better if the signer wears a shirt that contrasts with his or her skin color (e.g., a person with light skin needs to wear a dark-colored shirt).

Adapted Signs:

A deaf-blind person watches her interpreter 

about five feet from each others, during a workshop

Some deaf-blind people with restricted peripheral vision may prefer the signer to sign in a very small space, usually at chest level. Some signs located at waist level may need to be adapted (e.g. signing “belt” at chest level rather than at waist level).

                                   Tactile Sign Language:

Two people use tactile sign language 

to communicate with each other.

The deaf-blind person puts his or her hands over the signer’s hands to feel the shape, movement and location of the signs. Some signs and facial expressions may need to be modified (for example, signing “not understand” instead of signing “understand” and shaking one’s head; spelling “dog” rather than signing “dog”). People can use one-handed or two-handed tactile sign language.

People who grew up using ASL in the deaf community may prefer tactile ASL, while others who came from an oral background or learned signs later may prefer a more English-based tactile system.

                Tracking:

This is a close view of the deaf-blind 

invidual's hands using the tracking method.

Some deaf-blind people with restricted but still usable vision (e.g., tunnel vision) may follow signs by holding the signer’s forearm or wrist and using their eyes to follow the signs visually. This helps them follow signs more easily.

                

Tactile Fingerspelling:

A deaf-blind person uses tactile 

fingerspelling for communication.

Usually blind or visually impaired people who lose their hearing later, or deaf or hard of hearing people who have depended on their speech reading and do not know how to sign, prefer tactile fingerspelling because sometimes sign language can be difficult to learn. The deaf-blind person may prefer to put his or her hand over the fingerspelling hand, or on the signer’s palm, or cup his or her hand around the signer’s hand.

2.      Speechreading

                Tadoma:

A deaf-blind student chats 

with her teacher, using Tadoma.

This is a way for deaf-blind people with little or no usable vision to speechread another person by touch. They put their thumb on the other person’s chin, and their fingers on the other person’s cheek to feel the vibrations of the person’s voice and the movement of their lips. This method is rarely used nowadays.

Other deaf or hard of hearing people with usable vision use speechreadng as well as their residual vision and hearing. They may use hearing aids, cochlear implants and/or assistive listening devices to help them hear and understand other people better.

3.      Face-to-Face Communication Systems

      Screen Braille Communicator:

Some deaf-blind people use a Screen Braille Communicator (SBC). This is a small, portable device that enables them to communicate with sighted people. The device has a QWERTY keyboard wotj an LCD display on one side, and an eight-cell braille display on the other side. The sighted person types short text on the QWERTY keyboard. The deaf-blind person reads the printed text by placing his or her fingers on the braille display. He or she then uses the braille display to type back text. The sighted person can read the text on the LCD display.

                  TTY with Braille Display:

A deaf-blind man makes a telephone 

call using a TTY with a Braille display.

The TTY is connected with and stacked on top of a braille display, although both can be separate. It allows a deaf-blind person who reads braille to use the telephone. The deaf-blind person can also use this system as a face-to-face communication device to communicate with someone else who does not know the person’s preferred communication method.

Also, some people who don’t see well can use TTYs with large visual displays or computers with larger font to communicate with others.

                Captel:

A man follows a telephone

converstation using 

Cap Tel with large print 

on his computer screen.

Some people with hearing and vision loss use CapTel to make telephone calls. Using a special phone, the CapTel USB, people can dial into a captioning service that types the other caller’s conversation onto a computer screen. Then, deaf-blind callers can read a conversation script on their screens in addition to listening to another caller on their telephones. The captions can be adjusted for color, size or font style on the screen.

                

Braille Notetakers

BrailleNote M Power

Deaf-blind people can also use braille notetakers to communicate with others who don’t know braille or their communication system. Many braille notetakers can be connected with personal digital assistants (PDAs) that are commonly used by others.

4.      ALTERNATE COMMUNICATION

                    Print on Palm (POP):

A Security Officer is printing block letters 

on the deaf-blind individual's hand.

The person communicating with the deaf-blind person prints large block letters on the other person’s palm. Each letter is written in the same location on the person’s palm. This is frequently a way for deaf-blind people to communicate with the public.

Conclusion

We have seen how Deaf-Blind people can communicate through various methods and techniques. The suggested subject to be added to the curriculum of education in Tanzania is now gaining its importance. I have explained about it, how it should be considered from elementary levels to university levels (read it on the previous topics about "Tanzania Towards a New Generation of an Inclusive Society").

It is believed that, the more a person communicates, the more s/he comes to picks of success. Communication, is, therefore the major key of human success. The most successful people in the world know the secretes inherent with communication. The famous politicians depend on communication skills. Business men and women also enjoy their success just because they are experts in communication grounds. Communication is the power to guide, motivate and upgrade human life standards. It is therefore that, a better and inclusive nation is the one which enables the citizens and paves the way for people to communicate.

Reference:
http://www.aadb.org/factsheets/db_communications.html

"Think Inclusively ~~~ Act Inclusively ~~~ Create an Inclusive Nation"