Recently, the 2nd Global Report of the World Federation of The Deafblind (WFDB) was published. Among other things, it contains data from 36 countries on children with deafblindness between the ages of 2 and 17. This allows an overall picture for the countries involved.
Unfortunately, children with deafblindness are significantly less in educational institutions from preschool to secondary school than other children with and without disabilities. Or, in other words, they are excluded from educational opportunities by an enormous 86% across all countries and age groups.
Accordingly, they are also far more likely to be affected by delayed development. Their disadvantage starts already at birth: They are registered much less officially than other children with and without disabilities.
The situation in Switzerland is better, but not good. Two studies from last year give clear indications of this. There is clearly too high an undetected number of children with deafblindness in our country. Even among the recorded children, the specific needs in deafblindness seem to be partly not understood. And their educational careers are linked to repeated decisions that may turn out wrong.
Central, also for the WFDB, is the recognition of deafblindness as a distinct and unique disability. 1+1 equals at least 3. The simultaneous damage of both remote senses allows, if at all, only a very limited partial compensation of one sense by the other. Accordingly, the persons concerned urgently need specialized support.
Tanne therefore provides advice throughout Switzerland. We have been specialized in pre-lingual deafblindness for over 50 years.
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