Exploring Education and Employment Facilitators in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Remote Research with Deafblind Adults: Remote Research with Deafblind Adults

This pilot study reports the experiences of three adults with congenital or early-onset deafblindness living in Low- and Middle-Income Countries in relation to education, employment, and other systems. The aim is to provide a tangible contribution towards the achievement of the international community’s agreed Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG3 (global goal for Health and Wellbeing), SDG4 (Education), and SDG10 (Reduced Inequalities). Semi-structured interviews were conducted virtually with participants from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Colombia, and India, and their communication supports. Participants’ views about barriers to and facilitators of their participation were elicited. During the pilot, we explored if our research approach was suitable for successfully including deafblind people from Low- and Middle-Income Countries in research. Here we present our methodology, provide an overview of key initial findings, and we reflect on lessons learned about the experience of being deafblind and growing up in resource-poor contexts.