Mirko Baur - Deafblind International / Tanne, Swiss Foundation for Persons With Deafblindness
In this presentation, the president of the World Federation of the Deafblind (WFDB) and the president of Deafblind International (DbI) will present the highlights of the WFDB’s second global report on deafblindness and will discuss the need for close collaboration between their organisations in response to this global report. The first global report of WFD showed that persons with deafblindness represent between 0.2% and 2% of the global population (WFDB, 2018) and are more likely to live in poverty and be unemployed, with lower educational outcomes than other persons with disabilities. They face multiple barriers, such as a lack of access to support services and accessible information, which ultimately makes it extremely difficult to voice their issues. In many countries, persons with deafblindness are not recognised as a distinct disability group. This has contributed to persistent statistical invisibility even when efforts are made by governments to collect disability-related data. Every child has the right to education! However, children with limited use of their sight and hearing (including dual sensory loss and additional disabilities) experience difficulties in participating in educational settings and are often left behind. They have limited access to communication, information, their environment and social interaction. These children need specialized supports to access education. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities proclaim the right to education and full and equitable inclusion of children with disabilities in society. However, the 2018 and 2023 Global Report on Deafblindness makes it clear: Children with deafblindness are up to 23 times less likely to be in school than children without disabilities, and less likely to be in school than children with other disabilities. Therefore, DbI recently launched the Education Campaign “let me in”, a call for action to ensure quality education for all children with Deafblindness!