New relationship a positive for people living with dual sensory loss

Established earlier this year, the relationship will help educate staff from the two organisations on how to identity and effectively communicate with somebody who is experiencing vision and hearing loss and will provide a simple referral process between the two.

Vision Australia and Australian Hearing will also encourage people to make eye and hearing wellness a priority by offering free functional vision and hearing examinations.

Steven Ripley, a Vision Australia employee and Australian Hearing client, believes the partnership is a positive move. Steven has low vision due to retinal dystrophy and also lives with sensorineural hearing loss and said the earlier people identify and take action to address vision and hearing loss the better.

“Having a relationship and understanding between Vision Australia and Australian Hearing is definitely a step in the right direction,” Steven said. 

“The earlier people identify they have an issue can really make a difference. It means we get that extra time to start putting strategies in place to help them,” he said.

After working as a TAFE teacher for more than 30 years, Steven has spent the past nine years with Vision Australia as a Communications Trainer, working with deafblind people to develop communication techniques. He believes there are two main areas where the relationship between Vision Australia and Australian Hearing will help people with vision and hearing loss.
 
“One of the biggest things that had been overlooked is the large amount of elderly people who are losing their hearing and vision as part of the ageing process. Because it’s been overlooked, people think it’s just normal and there’s not a lot out there for them in terms of assistance.
 
“Also when you have a person with a vision impairment the last thing they want to hear is that they’ve got a hearing impairment and vice-versa because it’s just another challenge, another barrier they have to face.
 
“There’s stigma about having dual sensory loss that we need to move past. People are afraid to actually admit that they’re having trouble following a conversation or keeping up with what’s happening around them.”

While Steven believes the relationship between Vision Australia and Australian Hearing is a positive in that it may encourage more people to seek diagnosis and treatment, he also welcomes the fact that there will be a greater understanding of the position people with dual sensory loss are in.

“We rely on both senses together. When you have a vision impairment and hearing impairment, you don’t have the same set of tools to get the information that you need.
 
“Sadly for a lot of deafblind people they are supported through programs during school and things like that, but after that they find themselves in group homes or respite care.
 
“There is some thought that deafblind equals an intellectual disability, but in the vast majority of people that’s not the case. What we need to be doing is moving past that and thinking how can we get a person out of their home to where they can communicate outside with other people? A lot of time it’s not easy an easy process, but with the right support we can do that.”