“Seeing and hearing is critical to our ability to understand and experience the world we live in. While many of us do not think twice about the countless things we see and hear every day, for Albertans diagnosed with deafblindness, this unique disability can often be isolating.
“Deafblindness is a multi-sensory impairment affecting an individual’s ability to see and hear. While there is a spectrum of deafblindness, most individuals have difficulties accessing information, learning, communicating and participating in everyday life. This unique disability can be both congenital and acquired and affects one in every 3,000 Canadians.
“I am pleased to declare June as National Deafblind Awareness Month. This is an important opportunity to raise awareness of deafblindness and the challenges experienced by those living with this condition.
“It is crucial we work together with our disability partners to make sure all people who are deafblind have the opportunity to fully participate in our communities and society. I want to recognize the important work of the disability community for its advocacy to bring awareness to deafblindness and support to individuals with this disability.
“This June, I encourage all Albertans to learn more about deafblindness while taking time to celebrate the achievements of individuals who are deafblind.”