It’s important to us as Deafblind people that the Deaf community know about us and how to connect with us. Deafblind Victoria and Expression Australia hosted a Deafblind World workshop at Deaf Club in Collingwood on Saturday 13th July 2024. Five Deaf participants braved the cold and wet weather to learn about the Deafblind World from two DBV presenters, Alison Rawson and Heather Lawson. The participants were a diverse group from different language backgrounds and were really interested in how we communicate too.
The workshop included hands-on activities including learning how to communicate while wearing retinitis pigmentosa (RP) goggles, and using tactile Auslan. Participants also learnt how to guide Deafblind people around and learnt about Deafblind technology. DBV created a new braille activity for participants to learn to read in braille. There were plenty of questions after the activities and everyone learnt a lot.
Here are some of the participants’ feedback after the workshop: – I love to more learn about deaf/blind. I want to more learning in the future because very important. – This workshop is inclusive and gives me an understanding of their world. – I learnt different types of deafblindness, ie. RP, Ushers, MD, genetic, also learnt how to guide, using plain black screens as background, wearing plain clothes. – I gained an appreciation of the wonderful and amazing deafblind people! – It was great to have a Deaf Interpreter for clear communication.
Thank you to the Auslan interpreters who worked with DBV on the day, including a Deaf Interpreter, so that everyone had full access to information at the workshop. Last but not least, a warm thank you to Bianca Oldham from Expression Australia for the continuing partnership between DBV & Expression Australia over the last few years.
Bianca Oldham from Expression Australia: Partnering with DBV to Enhance Understanding
Expression Australia is proud to continue our collaboration with DBV. Together, we offer invaluable workshops aimed at providing a deeper understanding of the Deafblind experience.
Our partnership has enabled us to deliver engaging workshops for staff and the wider community over the past few years. These immersive sessions offer a unique opportunity to learn about the challenges and triumphs faced by individuals who are Deafblind.
We highly recommend these workshops to everyone, regardless of age or background. By gaining a better understanding of the Deafblind community, we can create a more inclusive society for all.
