Morrison’s Space: A DeafBlind Activist

An Academic Introduction to DeafBlind Culture, Language, and Access

March 23, 2026

Part 2: How the DeafBlind Experience Differs from the Deaf (Sighted) Experience

Individuals who are deaf but sighted typically rely on:

• Visual sign languages
• Lip‑reading
• Visual environmental cues
• Air‑space communication
• Flashing lights for alerts
• Visual access to interpreters, captions, and media

DeafBlind individuals cannot rely on visual communication or visual environmental information. Instead, they use:

• Tactile communication
• Tactile languages
• Protactile language
• Tactile sign language
• Braille
• Tactile markers
• Touch‑based environmental awareness

Examples:

• Deaf people can sign through windows, DeafBlind people cannot.
• Deaf people can sign from a distance, DeafBlind people cannot.
• Deaf people can see when their bus stop is approaching, DeafBlind people cannot.
• Deaf people use flashing lights for attention, DeafBlind people do not.
• Deaf people rely on ASL interpreters, DeafBlind people rely on Tactile or Protactile interpreters.
• Deaf people use captions on videos, DeafBlind people rely on transcripts.
• Deaf people view photos, DeafBlind people rely on image descriptions.

How the DeafBlind Experience Differs from the Blind (Hearing) Experience

Individuals who are blind but hearing typically rely on:

• Spoken language
• Auditory communication
• Sound‑based environmental cues
• Audio announcements
• Echolocation or sound‑based orientation
• Audio‑based technology
• The tapping method with the white cane, which uses rhythmic tapping to detect obstacles, changes in terrain, and environmental features through sound and vibration

DeafBlind individuals cannot rely on auditory communication or auditory environmental information. Instead, they use:

• Tactile communication
• Tactile mobility techniques
• Touch‑based spatial awareness
• Protactile language
• Tactile maps and markers
• Haptic alerts
• The sweeping method with the white cane, which uses continuous sweeping motions to gather tactile information about the environment through the cane tip and the ground

Examples:

• Blind hearing individuals hear traffic flow, DeafBlind individuals rely on tactile cues or human guidance.
• Blind hearing individuals hear their name called, DeafBlind individuals rely on touch‑based attention signals.
• Blind hearing individuals hear audio announcements on transit, DeafBlind individuals require tactile or written access.
• Blind hearing individuals use screen readers, DeafBlind individuals may use braille displays or haptic‑based tools.
• Blind hearing individuals hear a guide dog’s cues, DeafBlind individuals rely on tactile harness signals or human co‑navigation.
• Blind hearing individuals use tapping to detect obstacles, DeafBlind individuals use sweeping to gather tactile information directly through the cane.

Why These Differences Matter

Because DeafBlind individuals cannot rely on either visual or auditory channels, their communication, mobility, and cultural practices are uniquely tactile. This results in:

• Distinct communication systems, such as Protactile language, braille, or tactile‑based technologies
• Distinct cultural norms and values
• Distinct access needs and accommodations
• Distinct approaches to orientation and mobility
• Distinct ways of forming relationships and community

DeafBlind people are not “deaf plus blind,” or “deaf or blind.” They are a distinct cultural and linguistic group with their own ways of communicating, learning, knowing, interacting, navigating, and participating in the world. They have needs that differ from both the deaf community and the blind community. They cannot be forced into either community or expected to use modalities designed for those communities. The DeafBlind community has its own modalities.