Would you like to support a critical and historic initiative? We are calling on our community and allies to help establish June 27th as the International Day of Deafblindness on the United Nations calendar.
Read below to learn how you can get involved!
Background & Rationale
As many of you know, several disability groups already have formally recognized UN days—such as World Down Syndrome Day and World Autism Awareness Day. Yet, persons with deafblindness—one of the most underrepresented and often overlooked groups—still lack this recognition. This absence of visibility reinforces the systemic exclusion many experience when claiming their rights or accessing essential services.
Deafblindness—a unique disability arising from a combined loss of vision and hearing—affects an estimated 0.2% to 2% of the global population. Individuals with deafblindness face significant barriers in communication, mobility, education, and access to information.
Both congenital and acquired deafblindness must be equally recognized, as each requires highly specialized and tailored support. This includes access to Deafblind interpreters, individualized services, trained teaching assistants, and specialized professionals in education and care settings.
Despite these clear needs, deafblindness is still poorly reflected in most national policies and legal frameworks, resulting in statistical invisibility, limited services, and exclusion from both mainstream and disability-specific initiatives.
Campaign Overview
This initiative is being led by the Republic of Croatia and its Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, in close collaboration with the World Federation of the Deafblind (WFDB). It aims to raise global awareness, promote inclusion, and advocate for the rights of persons living with deafblindness.
We hope the UN General Assembly will adopt the resolution before the 18th Conference of States Parties (CoSP18) to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in June 2025.
As part of this campaign, and in partnership with the Republic of Croatia and the International Disability Alliance (IDA), we will host an official CoSP18 side event:
Title: Recognizing June 27th as the International Day of Deafblindness
Date: Thursday, 12 June 2025
Time: 1:15 PM – 2:30 PM
Venue: Conference Room CR4, United Nations Headquarters, New York
We aim for this event to mark the resolution’s adoption and serve as a platform to raise visibility and amplify the voices of the deafblind community. We strongly encourage all supporters to attend and promote this historic effort.
Campaign Objectives
Establishing June 27th as the International Day of Deafblindness would:
- Increase public and governmental awareness of deafblindness as a distinct disability
- Promote the development of appropriate and specific services, including Deafblind interpreters, assistive technologies, and personalized support
- Honor the legacy of Helen Keller and highlight the unique challenges faced by persons with deafblindness
- Build on the growing momentum of Deafblind Awareness Week, observed annually at the end of June
This initiative is strongly aligned with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly the commitment to leave no one behind.
How You Can Help
In the spirit of collaboration and urgency, we invite you to take the following actions:
- Engage with your national governments and UN Member State delegations to encourage them to co-sponsor and support the resolution
- Inform WFDB once you’ve made contact, so we can track global engagement and coordinate effectively
- Spread the word via your networks and social media channels to broaden the reach of this initiative
- Attend and promote our side event at CoSP18: Recognizing June 27th as the International Day of Deafblindness (Thursday, 12 June 2025)
Stay Updated
WFDB will keep you informed as the campaign progresses. For regular updates and resources, please visit our dedicated campaign page: https://wfdb.eu/international-day-of-deafblindness/
We look forward to making history together—and to celebrating with you on June 27, as we take a vital step toward visibility, recognition, and inclusion for all persons with deafblindness.