Thank you very much for the honour of addressing you today on the very important topic of our identity as Deafblind people.

Most of us like to identify with a definite group of people. This is why the population of the world consists of different nations. Simply put, a nation is a group of people who often speak the same language and who share enough common values to give them a feeling of belonging together.

People who experience similar problems with accessing their environment also form groups around the world. An example of such a group would be the Deafblind community in every country and also internationally.

The question may now be asked why we as Deafblind community would need our own identity as a group. In the past the argument has been put forward that we are such a small minority within the disability community that it would be better for us to be part of the bigger Deaf or blind community.

However, I feel that this argument does not hold true. If we as a Deafblind community do not find our own identity, we will not receive the specialized services that we as people with a dual sensory disability need. Some of us have experience in trying to access appropriate services through the Deaf or the blind communities and we have found that this is not adequate at all.

There are some obstacles in establishing Deafblind unity both nationally within a country and internationally. Some of these obstacles are:

Communication barriers within the Deafblind community: The main problem here is that some Deafblind people come from an oral background and that other Deafblind people come from a Sign Language or Deaf Culture background. These two groups very often find it very difficult to communicate with each other and this problem can, if not handled correctly within an organization for and of Deafblind people, lead to severe friction. Also, even within the group of Deafblind people who come from an oral background, language difficulties can arise. My own country can be taken as a good example: We have eleven official languages and it sometimes happens that a Deafblind person can speak only one language. In such a situation, interpreting would not only be needed between an oral language and Sign Language, but also between more than one oral language. This can make communication quite cumbersome and, if not handled correctly, can cause the already small Deafblind community to split up into even smaller groups.

Access to the environment: Many Deafblind people live very isolated lives. This may cause them to feel that they are perhaps the only people who have this specific problem. Therefore, any organisation for and of Deafblind people needs to embark on an identification campaign to identify Deafblind people and to bring them into contact with other Deafblind people. Also, it must be remembered that especially in developing countries, many Deafblind people did not have access to good education or often to no education at all. This means that they can very often not be reached through the written media. A special effort must be made to reach these people and to put them in touch with other Deafblind people.

The choice of the individual: We must always remember that it is the choice of any individual to consider him- or herself to be Deafblind or not. There are perhaps many people within the Deaf, blind or sighted/hearing communities who have the symptoms of deafblindness but who do not consider themselves to be Deafblind. It is very important not to infringe on the rights of these people to decide where they belong. At the same time however, it is important for organizations of and for Deafblind people to contact such people and introduce them to the broader Deafblind community. This will then give them the opportunity to make an informed decision on where they feel they belong.

Considering the barriers to the formation of a unified Deafblind community stated above, the question could now be asked whether it is at all possible to form a unified Deafblind community both nationally and internationally. I believe that it can be done, provided that we also recognize the differences within this community. Unity can never be forced on people it must be a voluntary decision. Only if people feel that within the bigger community their different ways of expressing themselves will be respected, will they be willing to join the larger Deafblind community.

Let us therefore strive towards more unity within the Deafblind community, while respecting and recognizing the fact that there are differences among us.

Thank you very much.