DAY ONE - Monday 8th October

1: Speaker: Ms Sanja Tarczay, Croatia

Subject: "Our identity is found through our own organisations" (With emphasis on how to create and set up an Association)

Good quality of life is achieved by supporting potentials, not by focusing on disability. By accepting who we are and what our possibilities are we can achieve the most of ourselves. Creating organisations (support groups, associations, services, etc) provides the necessary support for the development of the potential of every deafblind person. With the conditions we create through the fight within our associations we are enabled to further develop our skills and abilities, get higher education and the path to our dream is open. We can become deafblind professionals.

2: Speaker: Mr Jan Jakes, Czech Republic

Subject : "Changing our philosophy, attitudes and challenges"

•     is necessary to look for positive solutions to our problems.
•     It is necessary to make an effort to get self- realisation and to achieve personal goals by using all accessible tools.
•     It is necessary to make an effort on the level of co-operation with other people to look for common goals.

3: Speaker: Ms Sharon Barrey Grassick, Australia

Subject: "Who are they People with Deafblindness?" (From the professional s point of view)

First and foremost, people who are deafblind are individuals, with individual needs and preferences requiring a full range of services, provided by a range of professionals. As professionals working with individuals who are deafblind we require many skills. Can we each be "super- professionals", or is it more realistic for different professionals, to specialise in various areas? Regarding identity, regardless of how the professional perceive deafblindness, we must respect and accept how individuals perceive themselves. As professionals, we should look at the whole person and should focus on how they function, rather than getting stuck on seeking complete agreement, on a label or definition. However it was discussed that a broader, more inclusive definition of deafblindness would get a bigger slice of the frugal funding loaf. It was also suggested that labels can be useful, eg. when seeking bigger slices, but labels should only be used in a context of human respect and dignity.

4: Speaker: Ms Ximena Serpa, Colombia

Subject: Identifying special needs of prelinguistic deafblind children and those becoming deafblind after acquiring language

The needs of the prelinguistic deafblind children are: to develop communication doing what they need, anticipation, routines and structure environment. starting to take into account things that the child likes and do them with him/her. using objects of reference as a start point for symbolisation. to develop daily living skills, social aspects and orientation and mobility. Identifying special needs of those becoming deafblind after acquiring language People with acquired deafblindness are a very diverse group, it is not the same if the person has a syndrome and the visual/ hearing problems come later. The main needs are:

•     Learning new communication skills
•     training mobility
•     psychosocial help daily living skills
•     There is a need for psychological support, orientation and mobility and Braille.

DAY TWO - Tuesday 9th October

Morning 1: Speaker: Mr. Craig MacLean, Canada

Subject: "Human Rights of Deafblind people"

Good afternoon. I thank you Jan Scahill for asking me to speak on Human Rights. My workshop is focused on Human Rights for Deafblind people. The right to dream. My audience was interested in getting their rights. The workshop started with two people getting their individual rights, then we talked about community rights and finally rights at world level. We were moved to fight for deafblind rights regardless of colour/ race.

2: Speaker: Daniel Alvarez Reyes, Spain

Subject: "Basic Services and Resources for Deafblind People"

We as deafblind people have especial needs different to those from other disability groups. Since two sensory deficits as important as a visual and hearing loss are combined, we have different needs to those who are only deaf or blind. Therefore we need:

•     deafblindness to be acknowledged as a unique disability and as a whole to avoid making very serious mistakes such as considering us mentally retarded. It is crucial to develop a good early diagnosis system of deafblindness.
•     to learn to communicate with others. It is essential to train professionals specialised in each area such as teachers, rehabilitators, guide- interpreters, etc.
•     a national programme with the aim to cover all our special needs, according to our age when we become deafblind, grouping education, rehabilitation, access to technology, training and access to employment, access to anything that forms our social and cultural environment, and above all access to a good guide- interpreter service.
•     support to the association movement. it is very important we participate in the plans carried out for us.

3: Speaker: Ms Bobbie Blackson, Australia

Subject: "Telephone Relay System- Expanding Communications for Deafblind People"

Recomendations: ensure establishment of relay in countries that do not have it yet, consult with deafblind people to find out best practice methods of relay continue to explore other options of optimal communication methods suitable for deafblind people so they may access various communication networks already accessed by the wider community (eg. telephone, VC, internet, etc).

4: Speaker: Dr Ronald J. Goodey, New Zealand

Subject: "Cochlear Implants potential to benefit and right to choose."

Dr Ron Goodey, E.N.T. Specialist, and Reg Warren, Cochlea Implant Recipient Workshop Conclusions - Presented by Reg Warren 1. Cochlea Implants - The Right to Choose. In pursuit of optimum communication and a belief that an attempt to regain hearing could be a possibility, Reg Warren chose an implant after being deafened for 58 years. Because previous hearing and language had been experienced, the C.I. Was a possibility.
2.The benefits of the cochlea implant far exceeded the expectation of the recipient and the surgeon. The C.I. has enabled access to independence, radio and telecommunications.
3. Although it was perceived that hearing retraining, rehabilitation and ongoing support for use of the device may be difficult for the country's first deafblind recipient, help was harnessed at relatively modest financial cost. Hearing has improved beyond all expectations. This experience demonstrates that dream, possibility and a right to choose must be available to post lingual deaf blind.

Afternoon

1: Speaker: Mr Ove Bejsnap, Denmark

Subject: "The Importance of Unity given our Diversity"

We stand united to establish WFDB. We need a profile which is WFDB. Advocate for deafblind Associations in national countries. WFDB is a bank of knowledge for the Deablind world. Political issues:
- Deafblind right to education
- Work for deafblind
- interpreter services
- work for technical aids
- support for people with other disabilities

2: Speaker: Ms Kerstin Bjork, Sweden

Subject: "Our greatest need to create and organise an Interpreter Service."

We have to go on with our discussion. What is an interpreter for deafblind persons? It is important that the WFDB continues with the discussion.

3: Speaker: Ms Beatriz de Fuentes, Colombia

Subject: "Co-operation between countries."

Strengthening the existing little groups through seminars, conferences and training as it happened in Latin America, we grew achieving many goals and projecting ourselves very positively, giving us the opportunity to have better international links. Co-operation is important to reach ideals of a group making it stronger. The way people take joint decisions, the results, should be much better than if it is only one person who does it.

4: Speaker: Ms Linda Eriksson & Emil Beijersten, Sweden

Subject: "International contact between young deafblind individuals."

The main purposes are to seek out and create contact between deafblind children and young people as early as possible to give them an identity as deafblind children and the youth. E.g. "Mentorship", young deafblind children meet older deafblind young people is a possible way to identity. Organisations or groups of young deafblind people ought to co-operate with organisations or groups of parents of deafblind children to get in touch with their children. International contact between young deafblind individuals should be created as a network at the website of WFDB. /td>