Connecting Youth and Adults with Acquired Deafblindness: An Action Research Study to Gain Insights into the Benefits of Age Diversity in Peer-Matching

Author: Vikram Choudhary| Job Title: Special Needs Educator|Email: v.choudhary@taubblindenwerk.de

Introduction: 

Deafblindness restricts mobility, hinders access to information and limits communication. Therefore, it obstructs social contact and reduces participation in activities.
Problems with communication lead to challenges in developing and maintaining interpersonal relationships.

Problem definition: 

Furthermore, intergenerational peer relationships are almost non-existent in the deafblind population. 
Young adults with deafblindness need support in order to understand the world, to have access to information and to maintain a general sense of well-being.
Therefore, adults with acquired deafblindness can play an essential role in the lives of youth with acquired deafblindness.
This study aims at bridging the gap between these two sub-groups and investigate the feasibility of setting up such an intergenerational programme at a deafblind institute.

Main research question:

What are the barriers and facilitators to frequent interaction between youth and adults with acquired Deafblindness?

Methodology:

The study design is participatory action research, based on grounded theory and an indoor/ outdoor activity-based approach.
Two pairs of youth and adults with acquired deafblindness, employing different forms of tactile communication systems and using various assistive digital communication technologies participated in the research study.
These activities were used as a vehicle to facilitate intergenerational social interaction between participants.                                                                                                                                

Results and Conclusion:

Communication complexities, caregiver dependency, mobility issues, willingness to participate and other commitments were found to be among the major barriers,
whereas institutional support, caregiver involvement, financial support, personal motivations, the authenticity of the interaction, 
along the intrinsic human desire to socialise was considered as major facilitators in implementing an intergenerational program between youth and adults with acquired deafblindness.
The interactions between the two sub-groups may lead to improved social well-being on both sides by providing peer support.

Summary:

However, my research was not immune to the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The participants had to adapt their interaction and move all communication to an online-based platform such as WhatsApp and Email.
This forced communication adaptation resulted in gaining novel insights due to this unplanned event.  
The pandemic provided a unique opportunity for the deafblind participants to communicate among themselves away from the influences of their caregivers, support staff or any mediators.
Hence, the pandemic provided the deafblind participants with the space and privacy to create their own opinions, and group identity and foster a whole deafblind cultural identity away from the outsiders’ influences.
In conclusion, reducing intergenerational social isolation within the deafblind community may improve the quality of life for deafblind individuals
by supporting self-determination, self-advocacy, self-empowerment, self-help and providing peer support between older and younger deafblind individuals.
Hence, two interconnected generations may benefit from each other.
The resulting social bonds can lead to lifelong friendships, memories and opportunities to reminisce.
This may lead to the development of a ‘deafblind culture’.