WFDB Global Report on Older People with Deafblindness

WFDB 1st Global Report on the Situation of Older Persons with Deafblindness

December 2023

About the report

This global report sheds light on the situation of older persons with deafblindness and its most recurrent themes, including barriers, good practices and recommendations.

This report has been developed within the context of the SHAPES Project, where WFDB’s participation has provided an excellent platform to collect data, feedback, findings on the situation of older persons with deafblindness, as well as identify key challenges, gaps and barriers. WFDB has decided to assemble the information produced during the project, combined with existing research and literature, with the intention of producing a living document that will outlive the project and can be used for multiple purposes by different stakeholders.

The aim of this report is not only to document and gather information but for it to serve as a advocacy tool for WFDB members and their allies to stimulate collaboration and partnerships to advance the rights of older persons with deafblindness and to inform stakeholders on how to foster the inclusion of older persons with deafblindness.

Available versions

English

Full report versions

• Report (PDF)
• Report (Word)
• Report in Large Print (PDF)
• Report in Large Print (Word)
• Report in Plain Text (Word)
• Report in Plain Text (TXT)

Summary versions

• Summary (PDF)
• Summary (Word)
• Summary in Large Print (PDF)
• Summary in Large Print (Word)
• Easy to Read (PDF)
• Easy to Read (Word)
• International Sign Video (YouTube) and Transcript of Video

Spanish

Full report versions

• Report (PDF)
• Report (Word)
• Report in Large Print (PDF)
• Report in Large Print (Word)
• Report in Plain Text (Word)
• Report in Plain Text (TXT)

Summary versions

• Summary (PDF)
• Summary (Word)
• Summary in Large Print (PDF)
• Summary in Large Print (Word)

Acknowledgements and Disclaimers

This report was coordinated by WFDB. The qualitative and quantitative research and report compilation was led by senior independent consultant, Igor Kusin. Technical support was provided by Lucía D’Arino (WFDB Programme Advisor) and Sanja Tarczay (WFDB President).

We would like to thank everyone that contributed to the report, in particular, those involved in the SHAPES Project in one way or another, WFDB members, and allies for sharing literature sources and participating in WFDB’s survey on older people with deafblindness. We also appreciate the contributions made by WFDB board members and participants during the WFDB technical meeting in June 2023 in Brussels, Belgium, as well as other workshops organised within the framework of the SHAPES Project.

The report was made possible thanks to the technical support of the International Disability Alliance (IDA) as well as the SHAPES Project which received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, under grant agreement No 857159.

The information and views set out in this document are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the International Disability Alliance (IDA), the SHAPES Project Partners nor other funding and collaborating parties.