Deaf-Blind Services and Programs in Finland

The Finnish Deafblind Association is the advocacy, expert and recreational organization of the deaf-blind and persons with severe visual and hearing impairment. The organization was founded by approximately 15 deaf-blind persons in 1971. The activities and different kinds of services are based on the individual needs of deaf-blind people. Deaf-blind people have the highest decision-making power in the annual meetings.

At the moment there are approximately 900 deaf-blind/ people with visual and hearing impairment in Finland and the organization has approximately 350 members. The organization has two service centres, 10 regional counsellor districts, and the central office as the centre for administration.

In the activities of the regional counsellors home visits and meetings with the clients and regional advocacy work and networking, as well as adaptation training form the most important part of the work:

The clients receive support and guidance in their everyday life, as well as in advocating their rights and, for instance, in writing down their wishes for receiving services for their service and rehabilitation plans. These plans are anticipating advocacy work. Also the realisation of accessibility to services is being monitored. The family and nearby community is supported, for instance, in learning functional communication and interaction. In addition, education and vocational guidance for young people are supported.

Regional advocacy work, influencing and networking form the main part in the work of the regional counsellors. Contacts with local decision makers and informing them about the needs and wishes of the clients in securing services are important. During the year active contacts will also be built with local political decision makers, who also function at national level.

The centres are in Tampere and in Jyväskylä. The Resource Centre for the Deafblind in Tampere has housing services and course activities. The housing service secures possibilities for a deaf-blind person to live a good and independent life in a sign language environment. There are 18 different sized row house apartments for deaf-blind people where the special needs caused by deaf-blindness are taken into consideration. Home service and home nursing, individual needs for access to information, meal services, services of a maintenance man, taking care of issues connected with social welfare, support for vocational activities, work related activities, and recreational activities form the housing services. In course activities, different kinds of courses for groups are offered, for instance, courses in fluency in interaction, to get forward in your everyday life, and the joy of exercising are organized with funding from the National Social Insurance Institution, but four courses for groups are organized with funding from the Slot Machine Association, such as get lighter towards the spring, resources in progressing disabilities, a course for senior citizens, and a course for family members. In addition to the courses for groups also individual adaptation training courses are organized.

The Rehabilitation Centre for the Deafblind in Jyväskylä is a national resource centre in the field of deaf-blindness for deaf-blind people and hearing and visually impaired children and young people and their families, congenitally deaf-blind adults and their close community, and the nearby networks of deaf-blind and clients with hearing and visual impairment. 13 courses are organized for the above-mentioned groups, for instance, the adaptation training course for families include planning and feedback sessions also two visits to the home municipality of the person, who is receiving this training. The intention of these visits is to activate the rehabilitation process. Family meetings as adaptation training are organized in different parts of Finland, whenever possible. In these meetings the families receive peer support and updated information on hearing and visual impairment. Families, who have just recently joined these services, are invited to these meetings. In between the rehabilitation courses, work in the home municipality is also activated. Rehabilitation counselling is continued in the home municipalities according to the agreements made with the central hospitals. In connection with the rehabilitation courses in different kinds of training events and in the home municipalities of the clients training is provided for the rehabilitation workers and nearby networks.

In year 2004 the most important areas of emphasis of the organization are advocacy work, financial administration, information and cultural activities and personnel training. The projects will improve the possibilities of the research and development activities. Good practices and results received in the projects should be benefited from in order for them to stay as part of our basic activities. Information technology and communication technology are being used in the communication and access to information of deaf-blind people.

Advocacy work, following up and monitoring of the rights:

In year 2004 advocacy work will be strengthened in all activity areas. The most challenging issues are the personal aid-guide system where sign language is used, developing communication and interpreting services for deaf-blind people, and acceptance of deaf-blindness as a disability of its own. Special attention is given to the legal, righteous and equal access to basic services. The personal expertise of deaf-blind people will be used in the advocacy work. Results from the projects, which are close to ending, will be benefited from.

To start with, I would like to mention, which kinds of projects are underway in Finland during 2004-2009. In my presentation, I probably will go deeper into the most important projects following the theme of your conference.

Projects connected with the interaction skills of deaf-blind people:

1. Different communication possibilities for the deaf-blind people project in 2001-2005.
2. How to use an interpreter project in 2003-2007.

Projects connected with the activities and developing of recreational possibilities for deaf-blind people:

1. Incentives for the day activities in Helsinki and Kuopio in 2002-2005.
2. Technical equipment for deaf-blind people in their everyday life survey and development project in 2004-2007.

Resource centre and housing services in Tampere:

1. Development project for rehabilitation activities in 2003-2007.
2. Activity day project in 2002-2006.
3. New media and life-long learning project in 2001-2005.
4. Development project for interpreting services in the Pirkanmaa district in 2004-2007.

Rehabilitation centre for deaf-blind children and youth in Jyväskylä:

1. Equal learning opportunities for hearing and visually impaired students Level project in 2001-2004, further funding has been applied till 2007.
2. Quality of life and developing of services for congenitally hearing and visually impaired people project in 2004-2009.

Outside co-operation projects:

The organization is co-operating by sharing know-how and skills in projects by other partners, for instance, with the Service Foundation for the Deaf and Honkalampi Foundation in the Psychosocial support project. We also work in close co-operation with the Finnish Association of the Deaf on its project where volunteers using sign language are trained and also the remote interpreting project via video phones.

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