Deafblind Conference 2024 - Agenda

09.30 Welcome | Robert Nolan, Chair, Deafblind UK

Chair of Deafblind UK, Robert Nolan, opens the Deafblind Conference 2024 and uses his own experiences and humour to reflect on the theme of 'standing out and fitting in'.

10.10 (option 1) In conversation with Lord David Blunkett

Nikki Morris, CEO of Deafblind UK, joins Lord David Blunkett for a relaxed yet insightful conversation about his life as a blind politician.

10.10 (option 2) Standing out in Connecting: The Worldwide Network of Deafblind International and Our Global Education Campaign | Mirko Baur, President, Deafblind International

The talk presents the worldwide network of Deafblind International DbI, taking a stand for the need of collaboration across organisations, countries, cultures and continents, embracing diversity and promoting equity and inclusion. As an example, the talk introduces DbI's Global Education Campaign.

11.05 (option 1) Services that stand out, mean I can fit in | Natalie Bowers, Deafblind UK and Stella Kamangirira, Enabled Living

This two-part session explores the development and delivery of services and support which enable people living with deafblindness to live the life they choose. Natalie explores how her role as a support worker is affected by the perceptions of others, the balance of power and, most importantly, the wishes of the individual she supports. Stella will explore how making Deafblindness stand out as a unique disability has enabled innovative service development in her borough and how they continue to fight for wider awareness and acceptance of Deafblindness.

11.05 (option 2) Volunteer Voices in the Deafblind Community | Sian Elvin, Journalist and Deafblind UK Volunteer and Roger Wilson-Hinds, Deafblind UK Trustee

Sian is a sighted and hearing volunteer for Deafblind UK, Roger is a Volunteer who lives with Deafblindness. In this session they share their experiences as volunteers, explore the value of volunteering, both to individuals and to Deafblind UK, and discuss how being a volunteer contributes to them personally.

12.00 (option 1) HSBC: Let's Talk Accessibility | Dr Chris Bailey, Senior Digital Accessibility Manager, HSBC

Join Chris Bailey from the HSBC Group Digital Experience and Accessibility Team as he talks about HSBC’s ambition to become the worlds most digitally accessible bank.

12.00 (option 2) My life, my way | Annette Bodsworth and Emma Boswell

Annette and Emma both have Usher syndrome. They share their strikingly similar experiences and explore how the difference the support services available have impacted on them individually.

13.30 (option 1) Arts and health working together | Kate Morgan-Clare and Deborah Dalton, Oriel Davies Gallery, Susan Davies, Powys County Council, Ava Jolliffe, digital deafblind artist

Oriel Davies, a small gallery in mid Wales which, in partnership with the local authority, has pioneered a unique approach to access to art for people living with deafblindness in the area. This work has seen conversations started, Art appreciation developed and friendships kindled. In the second part of the session, Ava, a young, successful award-winning artist who has held a number of exhibitions and seen her art used in print many times, will explore how being an artist is a fundamental part of her identity and how deafblindness impacts this.

13.30 (option 2) Understanding Online Banking Practices Amongst Deafblind People: Challenges and Opportunities | Arthur Theil, Lecturer in Human-Computer Interaction, Birmingham City University

Financial technologies, including online and mobile banking, can present significant challenges for deafblind individuals, making it difficult and sometimes impossible to use these technologies if they’re not accessible or if there’s a mismatch between the system’s expectations and the user’s abilities. Whilst different academic and industry-led initiatives have started to explore potential ways of addressing these accessibility challenges, we currently lack a clear understanding of areas requiring further attention to support the development of inclusive banking experiences for deafblind people. In this talk, Arthur will present recent research findings revealing current banking practices amongst deafblind people in the UK and abroad, highlighting key areas where further work is required to make banking technologies more accessible.

14.25 (option 1) Faith Unlocked: Personal journeys and paths to accessing belief | Asif Hussain, Deafblind UK Trustee

Asif will discuss the role that faith plays in developing our personal identities, and will explore the paths and barriers to accessing faith as someone who is deafblind.

14.25 (option 2) Life as a Deafblind Graphic Designer | Asia Alexander-Smith, Graphic Designer

Asia shares the journey that led to her diagnosis of Usher syndrome, detailing the symptoms she experienced that ultimately led to investigation, and the diagnostic process. This diagnosis significantly impacted Asia’s life, initially causing her to step away from her career in graphic design. Asia will discuss the shift in her mindset that empowered her to return to the profession she is passionate about. She will provide insights into the lived experience of working within such a visual industry while deafblind, and to speak as living proof that life doesn’t have to end after an Usher syndrome diagnosis.

15.20 (option 1) The Magic of Play! | Rebecca Atkinson, Executive Producer and Creator of Mixmups. Founder of Arts and Play organisation Toy Like Me

Rebecca will share her story her early years as a sighted child with hearing aids, to the diagnosis of Usher Type 2 at 17. She will journey through her years as a young adult, dropping out of school and embarking on a career at the BBC working in TV and online, followed by freelance writing for magazines and newspapers including the Guardian, Vogue and Marie Claire. All this time, Rebecca was interested in the way the cultural sphere represented disabled people and how these impacts self-esteem and attitudinal barriers.

In 2015, after noticing the profound lack of disability representation in toys, Rebecca founded the global Toy Like Me campaign, making over images of popular toys to give them disabilities and taking high res images. The results went viral and were seen by millions. The industry were slow to respond so Rebecca set about creating the Channel 5 show, Mixmups, featuring disabled characters and standing proudly as the only disabled-led brand for pre-school children in the world.

15.20 (option 2) The UK National Eye Health and Hearing Study - protecting our nation's hearing and vision | Prof. Rupert Bourne, Professor of Ophthalmology and Consultant Eye Surgeon

The UK lacks prevalence data on vision and hearing impairment and its causes within the population. The UK National Eye Health and Hearing Study (UKNEHS) has been designed to provide population-based data on met and unmet need and barriers to uptake of care among those aged 50 years and older, the sector of the population most affected by sensory impairment. The UKNEHS involves a pilot study involving two phases, a survey of sensory impairment among residents of care homes within an Integrated Care Board (ICB), and a randomly enumerated sample of people aged 50+ years from the community. Data collection for the care home study has recently completed and the population-based study is about to begin. The purpose is to measure the prevalence of vision and hearing impairment, caused by a range of conditions. Associations between dementia, social isolation and sensory impairment are well-recognised. If eye conditions are detected early enough and correctly managed, visual impairment and the risk of sight loss is reduced in most cases. Similarly, hearing loss has been shown as a marker of risk for dementia. Sensory impairments can contribute to cognitive, behavioral and psychological problems, increase the risk of falls, and decrease quality of life.

16.15 Closing remarks | Nikki Morris, CEO, Deafblind UK