Our many years’ experience supporting people living with deafblindness has shown us that sometimes it’s the little things that make a big difference. Our deafblind life hacks are quick and simple tips that might make things a little easier for you.
Lighting
- For rooms with less natural light, daylight bulbs are a good alternative. These can be used to light up a specific working area easy to buy in supermarkets or online.
- Too much lighting can be just as bad as not having enough lighting. So, avoid shiny surfaces (for example high gloss kitchen units) as light will bounce around these and could become disorientating.
Magnification
Magnifiers can be really useful to people with reduced sight by simply making things bigger. There is lots of choice on the market today depending on what you want to do. Why not use your smartphone’s in-built magnification tool or even take a photo of some text and use a screen reader to read it to you. Or, for more regular use, video-based magnifiers can display text on a large screen and can even read it aloud for you too.
Meetings and gatherings
Arrive early to make sure you get the best possible seat to help you. Sit with any windows or bright lights behind you and be close to the main speaker to help listening or lip-reading. If you do this early and unobtrusively then no one else need know that you are lip-reading, if you
Hobbies
- If you enjoy playing card games with your friends and family, but find standard sized cards are too small, have you tried using giant playing cards? These are available online for around £5 per deck of cards.
- Using headphones can be a useful way to enjoy music at a volume that suits you. There are many models on the market which work with hearing aids and can be adjusted to suit you
- Invest in an e-reader, such as an Amazon Kindle, so you can adjust the font size and colour to suit you
In the kitchen
- Buy pre-prepared vegetables to avoid any knife injuries
- Look out for jams and spreads in single portion packages so that you know you’ve got the right amount
- We know our members have found these jugs very helpful as the measurements can be read much more easily than standard jugs
- Use 3D stickers to help you line up the washing machine dial or to identify the right oven temperature. 3D ink can be used to label tins and cans. Alternatively, wrap a rubber band around bottles so you can differentiate between the washing up liquid and the hand wash, for example
General
- Choose items in bright, contrasting colours to use in your everyday life
- Use bright coloured toothbrushes, a different colour for each member of the family can help pick yours out
- A dog lead in a bright colour can also make life easier when it’s time to go for a walk!
- Use raised stickers, elastic bands or liquid plastic to make your home work for you! They can be used however you want; to identify a setting on the oven dial, to indicate the ‘power’ button on the TV remote, or to help you find the right light switch.
“Please be patient”
Our ‘Please be Patient’ cards are handy to show to other people when you’re out and about. They explain that you are deafblind, and how someone can help you. To request your free card, contact our helpline.
Share your hacks!
If you have any tips that might help others living with deafblindness, then send them into [email protected].
