Many deafblind people will use more than one mode of communication, see below.

Remember that Sense can point you to experts who can contribute hugely towards professionals' decisions when working with people with a combined sight and hearing loss.

Non-verbal - includes body movements; breathing patterns; eye pointing 

Alphabet based communication - deafblind manual; large print; Braille; block 

Symbol systems - objects of reference; Bliss 

Sign systems - British Sign Language (BSL); Makaton  

Speech-based - includes clear speech; lipreading; Tadoma 

Communication aids - including technological switches; Braille 

Intensive interaction - imitation; observation; using rhythm 

Total communication - combining methods 

Further information on communication is available to Sense members from the Sense library.