VIDBE-Q Volume 66 Issue 3
strategies which honor personal choice and preference that can be used right away by
the people in their lives and increase the confidence and comfort levels of general
educators and community members who may have never experienced first-hand
interaction with a person who is deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or visually impaired.
"People may not realize it, but eye contact, body language, and other
environmental cues all contain information," explains Christine Croyle, Program Director
for the Outreach Center for Deafness and Blindness at OCALI. "When a person's vision
or hearing is affected, part of the information is missing."
As educators and family members of children who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind,
or visually impaired, we understand the importance of providing access to the
environments where we learn and grow. We know that building awareness about who and
what are around us helps us build connections with others. We also know that the number
of people who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or visually impaired is a such small
percentage of society, that a person's only experience may be through what they have
seen on TV, in the movies, or on social media—showing one person, in one place, at one
time, which limits perspective.
