Deafblindness in developing countries

Can you imagine how terrifying it would be to lose both your vision and hearing?

You would be unable to communicate with those around you, unable to sense danger or find safety, or to find a loved one in a room full of strangers.

The challenges are even greater for people living in poverty. There is little awareness of deafblindness in developing countries, no support for families and no specialised health care. The pressure of having a deafblind child is often too much to bear for families already struggling to survive.

Disabled people in developing countries make up the world's poorest population; and even in countries where poverty is declining, disabled people are still the most economically deprived. With the multiple challenges brought about by sight and hearing loss, deafblind people are the most marginalised of all.

Four out of five children who are both deaf and blind in developing countries die before their fifth birthday.

Sometimes deafblind children never learn to walk or feed themselves because their parents just don’t know how to communicate with them.

The deafblind children we come across are commonly restrained, tied to trees or chairs to stop them from hurting themselves, or locked away because their parents are afraid of the stigma of having a disabled child.

Sense International is the only UK charity focused on building services for deafblind people in developing countries. Our services transform the lives of deafblind people from one of isolation and neglect to one of communication, interaction and self-esteem.