"Touching Lives - across the generations" is an exciting new project which will take place over the next three years and will have a great impact on the lives of deafblind people across Scotland, particularly for those who are over 50 years of age.

The aim of the "Touching Lives - across the generations" project is to increase confidence and engender a sense of well-being in older deafblind people, who live uniquely isolated lives, by enabling them to acquire the necessary skills to become a valuable resource to their communities.  Older deafblind people will have the opportunity to:

• Become more involved in their communities
• Become a valuable training resource to their communities
• Interact with the younger generation using tactile communication
• Have increased confidence and a greater sense of well-being
• Increase awareness amoung the general public of how they can help

The "Touching Lives" Project would enable older deafblind people all over Scotland to have the opportunities to develop the necessary skills to become:

• Trainers in dual sensory impairment
• Speakers on deafblindness
• Disability awareness-raising facilitators
• Respresentatives on committees

Over three years, "Touching Lives" will enable older deafblind people to become deafblind awareness trainers.  They would teach deafblind awareness including tactile communication skills, to young people in schools and clubs, to businesses, GP surgeries etc, indeed to any group which was interested in learning a new skill.  Social care staff, doctors, nurses and other professionals might also benefit from meeting and learning from deafblind people.  The project would create:

• Deafblind awareness in a large population of people
• A population much more able to meaningfully include deafblind people
• A generation of youngsters who are able to competently use deafblind manual communication
• A substantial number of adults who have learnt deafblind manual and would be able to use it should their own sight and hearing fail in later life
• A group of professionals who can recognise the difficulties of deafblindness

If you are interested in getting a member to come into your school and deliver a presentation please contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or phone on 0141 777 6111 and ask for Lynneke Mulholland or John Whitfield.

Click here to read our "Touching Lives" leaflet.