📅 Mark your calendars! Members of the Deafblind Community of Practice, join us for a virtual exchange activity on December 2, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. (Montreal time). Title: Building connections: exposing the correlations between auditory processing disorders and cortical/cerebral visual impairment. Presenters: Christine Sauvé-Guindon and Pascal Lafrance (a discussion period will follow the presentation). Ms. Sauvé-Guindon has been working as a consultant in deafblindness for 25 years. She has expertise in the assessment and learning of students with multisensory loss, specializes in cortical visual impairment (CVI), holds Perkins-Roman CVI Range certification, and is also accredited in child-guided assessment (The Van Dijk Approach). An internationally recognized speaker and published author, she has contributed to several articles. Since 2003, she has been teaching deafblindness qualification at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Education. Mr. Lafrance has over 15 years of varied experience in the field of education, including nine years devoted to teaching and supporting students with deafblindness at both the elementary and secondary levels, in specialized classrooms and in consultation. He currently puts his expertise to good use at the Consortium Centre Jules-Léger, where he acts as a consultant to support school teams, promote the development of inclusive teaching practices, and contribute to spreading knowledge and understanding of deafblindness. Attend the webinar for free! 📌 Register at: https://lnkd.in/eKKCdddf |
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A GEM in deafblindness: fighting isolationOn September 24, the National Resource Center for Rare Disabilities – Deafblindness (CRESAM) in France unveiled an innovative project during a webinar. They presented the process of developing the first Mutual Support Group (GEM) dedicated to people living with dual sensory impairments. The GEM is based on key principles such as peer support, empowerment (self-determination), co-construction, and active participation. The GEM aims to promote social participation and inclusion in an accessible and supportive environment. For more information: 📌 CRESAM audio-video recording (2025): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhOu5B_h0pQ 📌 Padlet (collaborative platform): https://padlet.com/cresamdoc/information-gem-surdic-cit-oqhch4wx8ob39loo |
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The community speaks out: results of the 2025 vitality survey (part 2)The results of the Vitality survey distributed last summer reveal a high level of stability among respondents and members of the deafblindness community of practice. In fact, 42% of them have been subscribers for more than three years, demonstrating their level of loyalty. In addition, 19% of them joined the Community in the last six months, demonstrating that there is a new generation coming up. In terms of participation habits, respondents expressed a strong interest in news related to deafblindness, with 89% of people enjoying receiving and reading the monthly newsletter. Two practices also stood out: consulting documents posted on the web platform (69%) and participating in virtual exchange activities (45%). Of the 26 respondents, 21 said they had participated in a virtual exchange activity during the target period. More than half (57%) played an active role by asking questions, sharing ideas, or suggesting avenues for reflection. Notably, 71% of respondents shared the knowledge they acquired during the meetings with their coworkers, thereby contributing to the dissemination of knowledge beyond the CoP. Finally, members were asked to self-assess their level of active involvement in all community activities. Between September 2024 and September 2025, 39% of respondents were actively involved in sharing documents with other members, reflecting a moderate level of engagement. As highlighted in last month’s News, respondents cited lack of time as the main obstacle to more sustained participation or involvement. Thank you for participating! A follow-up will be published in the December News. |
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DOTS, the AI assistance dog at Deafblind InternationalDOTS is an artificial intelligence (AI) agent currently being developed at Deafblind International (DBI), represented by the image of a dog, designed to answer questions about technologies accessible to people with dual sensory impairments. Unlike traditional chatbots, DOTS interacts in real time with databases and tools to provide personalized, contextual responses. It continuously learns from interactions with users and contributions from the global community. Every question asked helps to enrich its knowledge. DOTS supports multiple languages. DBI members can submit resources or comments using the online form. Information is validated by administrators before being integrated. Contributors can be credited if they wish. Disclaimer: DOTS strives for reliability, however, errors may occur. Complex questions are forwarded to the DBI team for validation. Answers are informative and do not replace professional advice. Want to try DOTS? https://agent.jotform.com/01981a8689dc7cd4bd4a788e8ae570fbc108 Free subscription to DBI: https://www.deafblindinternational.org/become-a-member/ Subscription to DBI Technology Network: https://www.deafblindinternational.org/technology-network/
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