VIDBE-Q 2026 Volume 71 Issue 1
I have also seemingly found a bit of a niche working with clients who are
experiencing some degree of dual sensory loss, where both vision and hearing are
compromised to some extent. Dual sensory loss can be particularly challenging as
these two senses are both complementary and compensatory – where a loss
associated with one sense can be compensated for by the other. When both senses
are compromised, things can get dicey at times.
Clients with dual sensory loss have unique needs, and my lived experience
allows me to better serve their needs through understanding and empathy. While
some are aware of their dual losses and have sought treatment for both, others are
either unaware of their hearing loss or are fiscally unable to address both issues.
When appropriate or necessary, we refer them to the local agency that administers
the iCanConnect program which provides federally funded financial assistance to
individuals with dual sensory loss so that they can obtain hearing-related services
and devices like hearing aids.
Virtually all our client training sessions are one-on-one – which allows us to
tailor the content to meet their specific requests/needs and pace the instruction to
match and individual client's learning style and speed of learning. We have many
clients who return to us when aspects of their vision loss change, or when they
acquire a new piece of technology, or simply when they want to learn something
new.
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