Watch: An interview with Oana Ene

Oana Ene -a young white woman with long blonde hair wearing a beige sweatshirt

For us to build a world without barriers for people with deafblindness, it is essential that we come together and amplify lived experiences. True inclusion happens when we listen, learn, and are lead by the needs of the people we work with.

Our Global Deafblindness Resource Hub was built in collaboration with the deafblind community. At every stage, the views and recommendations of people with deafblindness were built into the Hub. It couldn’t have happened without the collaborative spirit of people like Oana Ene.

Oana Ene, President of the Association Beyond Senses Romania. Captions available in English and Romanian.

Oana Ene grew up with visual impairments, but wasn’t aware she also had hearing loss until she was 20 years old. When she received this diagnosis, her world opened up; she was able to explain her communication needs to her colleagues, and by working together she was better able to participate in discussions and projects. For Oana, that was the beginning of real inclusion.

Oana acted as a consultant for the Hub, bringing her experience to help us understand what resources were most needed. She has recently co-founded the Association Beyond Senses, an association of people with deafblindness in Romania dedicated to breaking down barriers and changing beliefs around deafblindness.

For #DeafblindAwarenessWeek we interviewed Oana about her experiences of inclusion and her excitement about the possibilities of assistive technology to create a more inclusive world. Watch our interview here, with subtitles available in English and Romanian.