Our Society was registered as an Incorporated Society in 1989, and our first AGM was held in March that year.

•     Our inaugural President, Mrs Jan Scahill, was awarded the Queen's Service Order (QSO) in the June 2003 Birthday honours, for Services to the Community. This was in recognition of her work in founding our Society.
  
  
•     A big effort is being made to find deafblind people, old and young, including those not already known to service providers.
  
  
•     An International DeafBlind Conference was hosted by us in Auckland May 1993
  
  
•     We proudly hosted the Seventh Helen Keller World Conference with the First General Assembly of the World Federation of the Deafblind in Auckland October 2001
  
  
•     The Joyce Skilton Memorial Trust was founded in 1994 to help young deafblind people, and eventually to provide a Living Centre for DeafBlind New Zealanders
  
  
•     We are constantly adding to our library of information about Deafblindness, and we welcome enquiries from parents, students and any interested people
  
  
•     Our magazine, SEE HEAR, is widely distributed both in NZ and overseas
  
  
•     We have links with local service providers to both blind and deaf people, and these links are carefully maintained
  
  
•     We have links with International DeafBlind organisations, and with the World Blind Union
  
  
•     We strive to bring the needs of our members to decision-makers in this country
  
  
•     We have adopted the Helen Keller Document on the rights of Deafblind people as our philosophy statement.