Deafblindness

My name is Vikram Choudhary, I am originally from India but live in Germany. I work as a special needs teacher at Deutsches Taubblindenwerk (German Deafblind Centre), focusing on congenital deafblind education at the boarding school. It is located in Hannover, Germany.

Career

I started my career in this field as a caregiver assistant for a group of young Deafblind students living at the residential school at the German Deafblind Centre. Upon completing the Master in Deafblindness, I got an opportunity to work as a rehabilitation teacher for adults with acquired deafblindness. I also managed various national and international projects to raise awareness for Deafblindness. Besides that, I am a certified supervisor for the Tactile Working Memory Scale (TWMS) through the Nordic Welfare Centre.

Why this master?

I was already working in the deafblindness field but without specific training. My approach was hands-on, learning by doing. This was and is the only master’s programme on deafblindness I know of. Its structure and duration allowed me to balance study with full-time work. Many alumni are renowned deafblind professionals worldwide. Studying in Groningen, a well-regarded international student hub, was also a major draw.

Key learning and impact

The academic and research skills I acquired in the programme helped me better plan my learning strategies and individual intervention plans in an analytical scientific manner. Also, these skills impact my work even in writing reports and academic writings for various national and international publications, such as Dbi Review etc.

For me, participating in the group discussions with professors, lecturers, guest speakers and fellow master students from around the world was the most enriching and intellectually fulfilling aspect of the programme. In that setting, I made a lot of professional connections with my lecturers and professors and became part of the wider alumni community. Some of these professional connections have changed into lifelong friendships. This has helped me grow professionally within the deafblind field and better understand working with deafblind individuals.

The curriculum

The programme strengthened my communication skills and deepened my understanding of my practice. Courses on various communication models and theories, such as intersubjectivity theory and the Diamond model, helped shape my approach to working with congenitally deafblind individuals. These insights still guide me in daily interactions with my congenitally deafblind students. Also, the course about deafblind-specific intervention planning has proved to be extremely beneficial too.
Of course, there is always more I would have loved to learn. I would have liked some courses in assistive technology and other aids. Also, options for planning a curriculum based on bodily tactile modality and how to efficiently communicate with the wider support network of a deafblind individual i.e. parents and family members would have been beneficial.

Would you do it again?

Most definitely yes! The Groningen Deafblind master’s programme is directly responsible for my being in the field today and still enjoying my work. My professional development is directly related to this programme. I am grateful for the opportunity to gain deafblind-specific knowledge in Groningen and become a competent professional within the field of Deafblindness. I would choose it again!

My time studying has been one of the most intellectually, professionally, personally and culturally satisfying parts of my academic life. I have very fond memories of my days as a student of this programme.

Plans

I plan to keep utilising the knowledge I gained through this programme to improve the lives and perspectives of deafblind individuals one student at a time. Also, I am passionate about raising awareness about this unique disability worldwide and hope to help shape public policy to match the deafblind requirements.

Advice to future students

Ask all your questions! Make use of everything that is offered on the programme. It's like having various deafblind-specific tools in your
professional arsenal. Engage in deep analytical discussions with your peers, invited speakers, lecturers and professors. Lastly, enjoy the experience, it was life-changing for me!

Hi, I am Laura Harper. I’m a physiotherapist and I work at an organization providing services to children who are deaf or hard of hearing, blind or have low vision, or have deafblindness in Australia.

I’ve been working in this field for over eight years now, having previously worked in other physiotherapy roles including paediatrics and disability. I understood that to provide best practice in my role, I needed to be informed as a professional about deafblindness in its own right, unique from the skillsets for blindness/low vision, deaf/hard of hearing.

Why this master

The programme gave me access to experts in the field of deafblindness who were able to provide evidence-based assessment and intervention strategies and considerations. This has been invaluable in my work with children with deafblindness, and those who have other sensory needs, as well as additional disabilities. The academic and research skills I gained have been very helpful in critically reviewing literature, learning to write broadly and concisely, and thinking from an analytical perspective.

Modules

The Introduction to Deafblindness module was excellent and the Theories and Models module expanded on this. The Research Methods and Participation and Policy modules provided the background needed to proceed with other course components. Also, the internship was foundational in expanding my local networks in the field. The thesis process was something I highly valued and refer back to regularly.

Internship

Working in the field before starting the master’s was helpful for me, as it gave me a lot of questions to ask! However, prior experience in the field isn’t necessary to start the programme – the internship will help you pick up practical skills while you participate in the course.

Graduation and future

Alumni attended our cohort’s graduation, and organized engaging seminars on the subsequent day, providing further networking and learning opportunities. As a clinician, I’m very grateful to have ongoing contact with experts in the field from whom I can continue to learn.
In the future, I would like to be able to support the development of services for children and adults with deafblindness.

Enjoy this busy and important time

My student days were very full, very thought-provoking and enjoyable. I highly esteem and value my lecturers and classmates and I’m very thankful for the opportunity to participate. It has been great to continue to be in contact with my classmates from all over Europe, and visit some of their workplace settings. I recommend all students to join the alumni group and stay connected to the wider Groningen Deafblindness cohort!

As a student following this master’s programme, you’ll be in a busy and important time. I hope you can also fully enjoy it. Try to make the most of learning from the amazing experts in our field and ask all your questions!

My name is Caroline Lindstrom. I am from Sweden and I work in special education for a Swedish organization that provides services for people with congenital deafblindness. Some of my Nordic colleagues completed the Master's programme in Communication and Deafblindness in Groningen. This is how I heard about the programme. It is the only programme in the world which focuses on deafblindness, and is a truly international programme with lecturers and students from all over the world.

I stayed in the Netherlands for only a month, and subsequently followed the programme from a distance. After a month-long intensive study programme, the students leave Groningen and write their reports and theses from their home countries. You have regular contact with your supervisor and classmates online. Every year in March you meet with supervisors and fellow students again. I believe this set-up works very well and is beneficial to international students, since they are able to return to their daily activities quickly. Many of the students combine work and studies, and that means that you have to be strict in order to stay focused on the programme. I recommend setting a schedule which gives you time both to write the thesis and to focus on your profession.

I was very happy to find that there is a Master’s track wholly focused on communication and deafblindness*. What I value most is the strong link between the practical field on the one hand and the literature and theory on the other. Most of the students have practical experience. This results in an interesting mix of perspectives which enrich the learning environment. The programme improved my understanding of methodological skills and different interventions which aim to improve communication.

The programme is interesting and useful for everyone interested in communication. You learn how to analyse communication in complex situations and how to stimulate progress. The programme is especially interesting for people who are already professionals.

* The current master's focuses on deafblindness, but is also applicable to individuals with complex communication needs.

Besides working as a teacher in the “Diamanten Skole” in Oslo which is a school for children who are deafblind, I am also the coordinator for the Deafblind International Outdoor Network. Previously I worked for Sense Scotland supporting adults and children who are deafblind as a nightshift worker, team leader and Outdoor Activities Coordinator.

My PhD focused on using outdoor activities to develop declarative communication. I have a passion for the outdoors and outdoor activities and like to share that with the deafblind people, support staff and students that I work with.

I am one of the expert lecturers in this programme teaching in both the Introduction to Deafblindness and Theories and Models courses with a focus on physical and outdoor activities, why and how we should plan and do them. Physical and outdoor activities have many benefits. Not just the development of motoric skills and physical health but also as a way of developing an identity, becoming part of the community and as an arena and subject for learning.

I believe focusing on outdoor activities as a theme within this programme reinforces both the theoretical knowledge and an understanding of their benefits. A student can expect lots of case studies and examples from the real world. They will be working directly with people who are deafblind and different types of research projects to illustrate the theoretical points as well as some practical activities.

One practical example of an evidence-based tool introduced during the Master in Deafblindness is a Map Stick . It is designed to provide information before, during, and at the end of a walk. It enables an individual to anticipate and know where they are in their journey, and to share their experience afterwards.

I am the Director of Rehabilitation Services at ARCIL, Portugal. At this same organization, I also work as a Speech and Language Therapist, mostly with children with developmental disorders and/or disability at the Early Intervention level. As a Speech and Language Therapist, I mostly work with individuals with complex communication support needs, in many cases due to disability.

Having experience with children and young people with multiple disability, autism spectrum disorder and severe intellectual disability amongst others, I started searching for training that would enhance my skills in this field. I intended to specialize in communication and in providing the appropriate support for individuals with more complex communication support needs.

When I studied at the RUG I continued to work as a Speech and Language therapist and the expertise gained in the Master Deafblindness turned out to be very helpful. As a director, the knowledge, attitudes and skills related to Education and Social Sciences are also useful, enhancing my ability to analyse and reflect my options.

The research component of the Master was very interesting and useful, especially because it motivates us to use Qualitative Methods and study a specific subject in depth. This way, I became more critical and demanding with quality in research and capable of developing good research projects, academically and in my work place. I am also more aware of diverse methodologies for research and how to use them in my daily work.

The Master's track in Deafblindness focuses on the specific problems that people with deafblindness encounter. We look at the consequences of deafblindness on the development and functioning of people in order for them to participate in society.

My name is Saskia Damen. I am the curriculum coordinator of the Master’s track in Deafblindness, organized by the department of Pedagogical and Educational Sciences. I am also a professor at the Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences. So I give lectures, I supervise students and I also conduct research. My research mainly focuses on deafblindness.

What is deafblindness exactly? Deafblindness is a rare condition. We use the term to mean the combination of vision impairment and hearing impairment. This means that a person does not need to be totally deaf and totally blind to be called deafblind. They could also have partial hearing or be partially sighted. This group is very diverse; there are people who are born with deafblindness but also people who become deafblind later in life and even when they are elderly. In the Master’s track, we mainly focus on people born with deafblindness.

What is the Master’s track in Deafblindness about? The Master’s track in Deafblindness focuses on the specific problems that people with deafblindness encounter. We look at the consequences of deafblindness on the development and functioning of people in order for them to participate in society. For example, what support do they need and what kind of specific educational programmes would they benefit from?

Can you give an example of a research project in deafblindness that you are working on? I am currently involved in a study on people with Usher syndrome. People with Usher syndrome are born with auditory disabilities: they are deaf or have partial hearing. They gradually become blind later in life because of the disease. This syndrome was only first discovered as people started to develop visual problems. Nowadays, we have the possibility of genetic testing. So, in the Netherlands, babies who are only a few weeks old undergo hearing tests. If they have hearing disabilities, their parents are offered the opportunity to have a genetic test to see what the cause of the hearing impairment is. What we then see is that parents realize that their child will become deafblind when they are still very young, even while still babies. This creates a huge need for support for those parents and for people with Usher syndrome themselves. As part of this study, we developed a guide for professionals on how to support children with Usher syndrome, as well as their parents.

How did you end up in this specific field? I think I started to become interested in children with disabilities when I was quite young and I worked as a volunteer at a summer camp. At this camp, there were children with disabilities. I was so fascinated by them and thought this could be a topic for me to explore. That was a reason for me to follow a degree programme in Special Education. During my degree, I did an internship in the field of intellectual disabilities. This is the field that I am most interested in because I like investigating complex problems. I also came into contact with people with multiple disabilities, such as vision and hearing impairments. I was fascinated by that! After I graduated, I began working at an organization in the field to gain some work experience. They managed accommodation for people with congenital deafblindness. I saw this combination and was fascinated by it, so chose to focus on this group. As soon as I began working there as a professional, I immediately started to research the topic because I was so interested in it. At a certain point, the master’s track in Deafblindness was established in Groningen and I was lucky that my workplace allowed me to enrol for it. I became acquainted with Professor Marleen Janssen and, later on, I was able to do a PhD with her as my supervisor. After that, I started working as an assistant professor.

What can students expect from this track? The Master’s track in Deafblindness is unique. We possess an international group of lecturers who are very engaged and experienced. We also have an international student population, so as a student, you will meet people from all over the world. We really support interaction and collaboration between the students so they can learn from one another and learn about different cultural perspectives. Because it is such a small group, the students get to know each other and the lecturers very well.
Students are also provided with a lot of supervision. The majority of the track takes place through distance learning. The first month begins with lots of lectures in Groningen. These weeks are very intense. Alongside the lectures, there are many assignments and students collaborate in groups. After this month, they each go back to their home country and begin their internships and thesis projects. Distance supervision is provided through the University and we make individual appointments with each student. The students can also pick their thesis topics, which is quite unique. This is a very interesting opportunity, of course, for those who already work in the professional field, as they are able to do something relevant both to them and the organization they are working for.

Where do alumni usually end up? In a wide variety of places. Some alumni have actually become directors of schools and organizations. Others have gone onto jobs relating to educational psychology, where they are responsible for coordinating interventions and assessments for students or clients. Many alumni also end up in jobs supervising others, such as staff who directly work with people with deafblindness. Or they become consultants and advise parents and professionals. Positions in communication coaching, for example as speech or language therapists, are also very popular.

What is your advice for students considering following this track? Let yourself know! Because it is such a unique and small-scale track, it is important to examine whether it would suit you well. If you are enthusiastic about the prospect, please don’t hesitate to contact me and we can discuss the details of the track and whether it suits you.