Rasmus Hougaard Pedersen - The Specialist Consultancy for the Deafblind
The Nordic countries have a long tradition of collaborating due to deafblindness. Since the 1980s, we have had a common Nordic definition of deafblindness. The Nordic definition of deafblindness has been revised twice since 1980. The last current definition was adopted by the Nordic Leadership Forum in 2016. All the Nordic countries identify deafblindness due to the Nordic definition. Because of different identification systems among the countries, there was a concern that the adaptation of deafblindness was carried out differently, and that it would impact the population between the countries. Thus, an assessment material adapted to the new revised definition was needed. The aim of this project was to develop a common Nordic assessment material for identifying deafblindness. The project is supported by the Nordic Leadership Forum and with NWC as a coordinator. The Nordic definition defines deafblindness based on functional variables, not just one-sided medical conditions. The use of the bodily-tactile modality as a compensatory sense in every day function is an important aspect in the Nordic definition of deafblindness, and in this assessment material. The Nordic assessment material will be introduced, and the practical use of the material will be addressed. We want our participants to reflect and discuss their experiences of the identification process together with us and draw the discussion towards how they think this assessment material can be useful in their own countries.