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Original Article

Exploring the perceived world of the deaf-blind: On the development of an instrument: Explorando la percepción del mundo de la persona sordo-ciega: Sobre el desarrollo de un instrumento

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Pages 136-142 | Received 01 Dec 2000, Accepted 21 May 2001, Published online: 07 Jul 2009
 

Abstract

In the present interview study on a sample of 13 deaf-blind participants (eight Usher patients and five with other diagnoses), all but one with some remaining visual function and all but two with a pure-tone average (PTA) exceeding 100 dB HL, an instrument was developed to assess discovery and localization abilities (DILO), compensatory use of sensory information, emotional and cognitive aspects of communication, and the preferred use of technical aids. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected, and it was found that (1) the importance of early discovery of events and persons is rated high, (2) vision ranks higher than other sensory information, and airflow, smell and residual hearing come next in the perceptual world of this sample, (3) cognitive aspects of communication correlate with the importance of discovery and localization, and (4) technical aids dominated by vision and vibratory senses are preferred. It is concluded that even a small remaining visual function could be of significant importance in rehabilitation. Finally, in the deafblind group of subjects with some remaining visual function, utilization of remaining vision was felt to be more important than utilization of other sensory modalities.

Sumario

En el presente estudio por medio de entrevista, realizado en una muestra de 13 participantes sordo-ciegos (ocho pacientes con S. de Usher y cinco con otros diagnósticos), todos menos uno con alguna función visual remanente y todos menos dos con un promedio tonal puro (PTA) por encima de 100 dB HL, se desarrolló un instrumento para medir las habilidades de descubrimiento y localizatión (DILO), uso compensatorio de la información sensorial, aspectos cognitivos y emocionales de la comunicación, y el uso preferido de ayudas técnicas. Se recolectó información tanto cualitativa como cuantitativa, y se encontró que: (1) se le da alta importancia al descubrimiento temprano de eventos, (2) que la visión se distingue por encima de otras formas de información sensorial, y que los flujos de aire, el olfato y la audición residual aparecen en un segundo piano dentro del mundo perceptual de esta muestra, (3) que los aspectos cognitivos de la comunicación correlacionan con la importancia del descubrimiento y la localizatión, y (4) que se prefieren las ayudas tecnológicas que estimulan los sentidos vibratorio y de la visión. Se concluye que hasta una pequeña función visual remanente puede ser de importancia significativa en la rehabilitación. Finalmente, en el grupo de sujetos sordo-ciegos con alguna función visual residual, el uso de la visión remanente se consideró más importante que el uso de otras modalidades sensoriales.

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