Bridging the Congenital–Acquired Divide: The Experiences of Those Aging with Deafblindness: The Experiences of Those Aging with Deafblindness

A long-standing distinction drawn in deafblind research, policy, and practice is that between congenital impairment and acquired impairment. Congenitally deafblind people are those deafblind from birth, soon after birth, or within the first year of life. Those with acquired deafblindness include those born with one impairment and subsequently acquiring the second, those acquiring both impairments after language development, and those acquiring both hearing and sight impairment in later life as a result of age-related conditions. Notable differences between these two groups are confirmed in the literature. Although the distinction can be helpful, those aging with deafblindness include people across this divide, highlighting its inadequacy. However, their voices are absent in gerontological and deafblindness literature. This chapter explores the experiences of the aging-with-deafblindness population. It calls for increased collaboration between researchers and stakeholders in both the congenital impairment and acquired impairment fields, to develop our understanding of the condition.