1. Croatian Association of Deafblind Persons DODIR

2. What’s new in deafblind interpreting in Europe
Sanja Tarczay, M.A.
President of the Croatian Association of Deafblind Persons DODIR

3. DEAFBLIND ISSUES Terminology Identity Communication www.dodir.hr

4. TERMINOLOGY

5. TERMINOLOGY FOR DEAFBLIND PERSONS
Deaf with visual impairment
Blind with hearing impairment
Deaf Usher
Deaf Vision Impairment
Deaf – VI (Deaf Visualy Impaired)
Deaf and blind
Deaf-Blind
DeafBlind
Deafblind

6. TERMINOLOGY FOR DEAFBLIND PERSONS
“Deafblindness”
1991. Deafblind International

7. Nordic definition of Deafblindness, approved in 2007
OFFICIAL DEFINITION OF DEAFBLINDNESS
“Deafblindness limits a person’s activities and restricts her/his full participation in society to such a degree that society is required to facilitate specific service, environmental alterations and/or technology”
Nordic definition of Deafblindness, approved in 2007

8. IDENTITY

9. IDENTITY ACCORDING TO PRIMARY DISABILITY
hearing and seeing
deaf
Deaf
deafened
hard-of-hearing
blind or partially sighted
Deafblind
deaf with visual impairment
blind with hearing impairment
Deaf Usher
Usher

10. COMMUNICATION

11. SOME COMMUNICATION METHOD USED BY THE DEAFBLIND IN THE EU
Large Print Format
Braille
National Sign Language
Clear Speech
Communication technology (induction loops, infra red systems)
Computer technology
Cued Articulation
Cued Speech
Tactile Sign Language
Haptic
Lipreading
Lipspeaking
Manual alphabets (visual and tactile form)
Finger spelling (Malossi, Lorm)
Print on palm
Signed Supported Spoken Language

12. DEAFBLIND EDUCATION
Deafblind persons do learn new communication skills (Hungary, Norway, Switzerland)
Deafblind persons do not learn new communication skills (Bulgaria, Croatia)

13. DEAFBLIND EDUCATION
individual courses (Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Norway, Switzerland)
group courses (Hungary, Switzerland)

14. WHAT WE NEED
Superinterpreter!

15. WHAT DO WE HAVE NOW?

16. TERMINOLOGY FOR DEAFBLIND INTERPRETERS
Sign Language interpreters
Interpreters for Deafblind
Communicator-guides
Support service providers
Intervenors
Interpreter-guide
Personal Assistant

17. TERMINOLOGY FOR DEAFBLIND INTERPRETERS
2008 Board of the Association of the Swedish Deafblind (FSDB)

18. OFFICIAL DEFINITION OF DEAFBLIND INTRPRETING
” Deafblind interpreting is a requirement in order for people with deafblindness to achieve full participation, equality, independence and self-determination in every area of society.
Deafblind interpreting is the provision via an intermediary of both visual and hearing impressions to people with deafblindness.
This comes about through three fully integrated elements. These elements are: the interpreting of speech; environmental description; and guiding.
Deafblind interpreting is provided using the interpreting methods, on the occasions and to the extent requested by people with deafblindness.”
Board of the Association of the Swedish Deafblind (FSDB), approved in 2008

19. ROLES OF DEAFBLIND INTERPRETER
interpreting of speech
guiding
describing environment

20. DIFFERENT INTERPRETING METHODS
Tactile Interpreting
Close Vision Interpreting
Visual Frame Interpreting
Clear Speech Interpreting
Interpreting by Finger Spelling or Manual Alphabet
Speech-to-Text Interpreting

21. AVAILABLE COURSES IN EUROPE
formal (Finland, Hungary, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, UK)
informal (Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary)

22. EDUCATIONAL LEVELS OF FORMAL COURSES
high school (Norway, Sweden, Switzerland)
university (Sweden, Switzerland)
part of the vocational training of interpreters (Hungary)

23. LENGTH OF COURSES one week (Bulgaria) six months (Switzerland)
one year (Switzerland)
approx 20 2-hours lessons (Switzerland)
three years (Norway)
three to five years (Sweden)

24. NUMBER OF LEVELS OF COURSES
one (Bulgaria, Croatia, Norway, Switzerland)
two (beginner, advanced) (Switzerland)
depends on the person and the capacity of professionals (Hungary)

25. INTERPRETER EDUCATION
educating interpreters for the Deaf to become interpreters for the Deafblind
educating people with no experience PROBLEM

26. INTERVENOR EDUCATION
a step in becoming a deafblind interpreter – INTERVENOR for the deafblind
different work scope – informal situations, bacis communication skills and methods, aiding the elderly in everyday chores (reading mail, doing shopping, following TV news)
Croatia offers official curriculum for INTERVENORS (1 semester, with requirement of finished course of sign language and skills assessment)

27. INTERPRETER EDUCATION
Jelica Nuccio & Theresa B. Smith (2010). Providing and Receiving Support Services: Comprehensive Training for Deaf-Blind Persons and Their Support Service Providers. Seattle : Seattle Deaf-Blind Service Center, 2010.
The National Curriculum: An Introduction to Working and Socializing with People Who Are Deaf-Blind (2001). San Diego : DawnSign Press, 2001.

28. NEW ACHIEVEMENTS IN DEAFBLIND INTERPRETING

29. EFSLI established a summer school in Zagreb, Croatia, 2009
“Interpreting for Deafblind Persons (Theory and Practice, Deafblind Interpreting, Ethics/Ethical Standards)”
beginning of cooperation and development of deafblind interpreting at EFSLI

30. EDBU & EFSLI September 2012, Vienna, Austria
signed a Memorandum of Understanding
strenghtening the cooperation between EDBU and EFSLI
a step towards making of standards for deafblind interpreting in Europe

31. WFDB established a Deafblind Interpreting Working Group www.wfdb.org

32. WASLI established a Deafblind Interpreting Committee
result is the document “DeafBlind Interpreter Education Guidelines”, available at WASLI web page
November 2012, Philippines – Signing of Joint Statement between WASLI and WFDB

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