Why Are the Complexities of Deafblind Identity Relevant to Mental Health?

Deafblindness, or combined difficulties with both vision and hearing, exists irrespective of severity, age, or order of onset, or whether the condition occurred pre- or post-language development. It causes challenges with communication, access to information, mobility, and social interaction, thereby fundamentally shaping the lives of individuals living with the condition. In this Chapter, the authors explore definitional complexity in regard to different deafblind identities and argue that in responding to mental health needs, practitioners must understand diversity in the deafblind experience and recognize the different ways of “being deafblind”. The deafblind population needs diverse approaches to communication, assessment, and intervention; when working with deafblind people, mental health professionals must not assume anything and must be ready to adapt.