General
Guidelines When Meeting A Deafblind Person.
Treat a deafblind person as you would treat anyone else.
Always be natural - never patronising in your questions and answers.
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Whenever possible speak to a deafblind person directly, not
through someone else.
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Always introduce yourself, inform the deafblind person of
his/her whereabouts and of others present,
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drawing him/her into the conversation whenever possible,
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indicating when appropriate to speak.
Encourage the use of speech by the deafblind person to lessen
the likelihood of their speech becoming unintelligible.
Encourage a deafblind person to use their own initiative
and ability, however limited, to express their own ideas and to take interest
in new experiences.
When out walking, let the deafblind person take your arm
and walk together, do not push them ahead of you, though guides should
lead through narrow door-ways or passages and when boarding public transport.
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Arrange simple signals to indicate pavement, stairs, obstacles,
etc.
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Indicate seating by placing the deafblind person's hand on
the back of the chair.
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When entering a car, just place the deafblind person's hand
on the roof above the open door for guidance, and the other hand locating
the open door.
Never abandon the deafblind person in unfamiliar surroundings
and indicate when you are leaving, even only for short periods.
Try to avoid getting flustered or upset if misunderstandings
arise. Patience is necessary by both parties to allow confidence to grow
and to enable any useful relationship/ friendship to develop.
A deafblind person needs your help to become aware of
much that is happening in their neighbourhood. They may have a thirst for
information and knowledge which you can impart.
A-Z to Deafblindness http://www.deafblind.com