Learning, Education, and Support of Deafblind Children and Adults

Learning, Education, and Support of Deafblind Children and Adults presents the latest research on topics relevant for learners with deafblindness based on the most important studies of the last two decades. The diversity of deafblind people is explored with the authors bringing together relevant information from the fields of congenital, acquired, and age-related deafblindness, and those who are deafblind from different syndromes and etiologies. Opening with a case study of a deafblind adult who shares his perspectives on barriers and facilitators in deafblind education, the volume then presents chapters by leading researchers from around the world on deafblindness. Bridging the gap between research and practice by the researchers themselves, along with deafblind individuals, the authors describe their essential research findings and interpret them in terms of valuable implications for educational and rehabilitation practice. Divided into seven sections, the themes covered include the identification of deafblind persons; specific learning areas and interdisciplinary support; learning, self-determination, and education; participation, work, and recreation; family perspective; professionalization and interdisciplinary approaches; and research, technology, and innovations. With over fifty contributors, this volume brings together the current international scholarship on deafblindness and aims to stimulate new research on this rare but significant disability.