International Conference On ‘Deafblindness: Communication beyond Sight and Sound’

Amity Institute of Rehabilitation Sciences in Collaboration with Sense International India organized an International Conference On ‘Deafblindness: Communication beyond Sight and Sound’. The objective of this conference is to build effective capacity for teaching, training and management of the deaf blind person among teachers, trainees, students, rehabilitation professionals and special educators. 350 participants took part in this conference in which 210 were special teachers.

Inaugurating the conference, Mr. Akhil Paul, Executive Director and Founder, Sense International India said this conference will provide the latest information in the field of training and management of deaf-blind persons. He highlighted the contributions of Laura Davey Bridgman, Helen Keller, Anne Sullivan, saying that their effort led to strategies for communicating and training deaf people to understand the world around them.

Dr. Balvinder Shukla, Vice Chancellor, Amity University acknowledged the importance of three skills required: sensitivity, empathy and understanding train the person with deafblindness. She also highlighted the importance of inclusiveness to help such persons to make them employable and provide equal opportunities to learn and develop their skills.

During the session, Ms. Rosa Wahlang, Sr. Trainer, Capacity Building, Sense International India said we should understand about deafness then only we can support children suffering with deafness. She provided information regarding the causes, characteristics and related conditions of deafness.

Dr. Paul Hart, Head -Research and Practice, Sense Scotland delivered a session on Early Identification and Functional Assessment of Vision of Children with Deafblindness & Multiple Disability’. He acknowledged the talent of the persons with Deaf blindness and outlined the struggle a person goes through to process the information. He highlighted the aspects of vision - visual acuity and visual field and various problems in vision due to any deviation, and emphasized the importance of Functional Vision Assessment for understanding the child’s ability accordingly train the person.  

During the second day of the conference, Mrs. Sheela Sinha, Director (Education) ,Helen Keller Institute of Deaf and Deafblind said people want to connect the deaf blind children with the main stream, but before that you have to be perfect with many skills. To prepare the child for social inclusion, early diagnosis or training is essential. Therefore, it is important to recognize the potential of children and develop their skills in which family also play important part to develop their confidence.  

Mr. Sachin Rizal, Head ,Capacity Building, Sense International India said to understand inclusive education for the deaf, blind and multi-disabled persons. There is a need to develop and adapt a curriculum that suits their requirements.  
Explaining the connectivity between mind and body Mr. David Brown, Deafblind Educationalist Specialist, USA said central nervous system and proprioceptive sense are important for interconnection between Brain and Body.

During the valedictory session, Dr. W Selwamurthy- President, Amity Science Technology and Innovation Foundation; Dr. Jayanti Pujari, Director, Amity Institute of Rehabilitation Sciences thanked the academicians and trainers who shared valuable thoughts and suggested ideas which will help the person affected by deafblindness and how they can be included in the mainstream.