Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de la Montérégie-Centre
Français

May 2025 News!

A podcast for deafblind people: the theme of the June exchange!

Members of the Deafblind Community of Practice, please join us for a virtual event on June 11, from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. (Montreal time) entitled: A Podcast for People Who Are Deafblind!

Podcasts are becoming increasingly popular around the world. However, content specifically for deafblind people remains marginal. While the medium has become accessible and inexpensive, giving a voice to people who are deafblind and visually impaired comes with its own set of technical challenges.

Louis St-Pierre, a visual impairment rehabilitation specialist with the Surdicécité program of the INLB-IRD joint team, is the initiator and creator of a podcast for people with dual sensory impairments, their families and the general public. Mr. St-Pierre will present the project and discuss the challenges and opportunities it has faced.

Join the free online meeting to learn more about this unique clinical innovation!

Register: https://santemonteregie.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_eUL3Cj3iQbaQKR29wc4H9A

Subscribe to the Deafblind Community of Practice: cdpsurdicecite.org

Email: cdp.surdicecite.inlb@ssss.gouv.qc.ca

 

Training Tools for Practitioners

The “Supporting Communication Development” guide from the National Center on Deaf-Blindness in New York presents essential professional practices for supporting the communication development of children with deafblindness, particularly those in the early stages of symbolic communication. It emphasizes the importance of adapting educational approaches to meet the unique sensory and cognitive needs of each child.

It is the seventh in a series of practical guides designed primarily as training and support tools for clinicians working in the field of deafblindness. The guide covers needs assessment, communication planning, useful tools, interaction models, and teaching approaches and strategies.

 

Studies on AAC devices

Best practices for training people with deafblindness who use a Braille note taker connected to an iPhone in the use of AAC devices are not yet known.

A group of researchers from Quebec, including Walter Wittich, site researcher at CRIR-INLB, and a researcher from the Netherlands, set out to find information and achieve the following goals

  1. To assess communication difficulties in everyday life before, during and after training in the use of a Braille AAC device.
  2. To investigate the feasibility of communication training offered in person and remotely;
  3. Simulate and analyze face-to-face dialogues between a person with deafblindness and an unfamiliar hearing person;
  4. Monitor the ease of use and long-term acceptance of communication devices.

Don’t wait to learn the results of this study!

 

DeafBlind Ontario Services (DBOS)

offers interesting online events. These events are open to everyone, but there is a fee to attend.

Here are links to upcoming events: