In June we celebrated deafblind awareness week which is observed on the week of the most famous deafblind person Helen Keller‘s birthday.
Helen Keller was an American author, educator and one the 20th centuries leading humanitarians.
Deafblindness means a person has either partial or complete loss of both their vision and hearing. Launceston resident and VisAbility client Carol Brown, who is deafblind, has worked at Coles for 35 years.
Carol uses a long cane, coupled with her phone and the blind square app to help her navigate around in public independently.
“My white cane is good, as it will just hit walls and I then know where I am going. It protects me from falling and protects me from uneven ground”, Carol explains. “When I don’t have my cane, I don’t feel confident but when I do, I feel a lot better”.
I enjoy my job and have lovely work colleagues and I can get around on public transport. My husband and I like to socialise and meet up with family. I’m a member of a church and in my spare time I like to swim and read so I’m quite independent.
Carol Brown, VisAbility client
VisAbility can assist you with all your assistive technology and orientation and mobility needs. To find out more call us on 1800 484 333 or contact us.