At a time when physical and social distancing influences every aspect of our lives, it is our responsibility to ensure that people with deafblindness can handle these challenges so that the risk of marginalization, neglect and double isolation is minimized.

Why double insulation? Deafblindness is a combination of visual and hearing impairments, leading to great difficulties in communication, access to information, guidance and mobility. If these difficulties overlap with those caused by the pandemic, the risk of isolation becomes major.

PROTECTIVE MATERIALS

At the beginning of the pandemic, we contacted partner schools to identify their needs and requirements. Based on the answers received, we purchased and sent to schools products and protective equipment against Covid-19: disinfectants, cleaning products and transparent masks for easier communication. Thus, 16 special schools across the country benefited from such products.

RESURSE PENTRU ACASĂ

To make the information on the COVID-19 pandemic accessible, we made a series of videos that address major issues of the current context of life, which are accessible to people with sensory impairments (sign language, contrast, subtitles and text).

In addition, to support the families of children with deafblindness, we have developed and translated materials containing ideas for activities that can be done at home with children to continue the sensory stimulation that took place in schools. Thus, it is available for download  Deafblindness-Basic-principles-A-parents-manual, created by the Signo Foundation in Norway and translated into Romanian, but also the series of activities #thursdayplay.

IT EQUIPMENT

Through the various projects we are implementing during this period, we have sent across the country 72 tablets to facilitate children's access to online education, 10 laptops to be used by teachers in testing the e-Sense platform and 5 laptops will reach young people with deafblindness in Education with Sense International group.