• Go Back To info Page.

The Deafblind Manual is the best way to communicate with someone who is Deafblind. You can learn it quickly, and here's how you do it. Stick out your index finger (that's the long one next to your thumb) on your right hand. fold your other fingers out of the way. Think of this finger as your pen. You are going to use it to write - not on paper, but on your deafblind friends left hand which they will hold out for you. First learn the vowels. They're easy. Just remember the order A,E,I,O,U.
 

• For A, Touch the tip of your friend's thumb.
• For E, Touch the tip of the index finger.
• For I, Is the middle finger.
• For O, Is the ring finger.
• For U, Is the little finger.

• For A, Touch the tip of your friend's thumb.
• For B, Bunch the tips of your fingers and place them on your friends palm.
• For C, Use your index finger to make a circular movement that starts on the inside of your friend's thumb and ends at the top of their index finger.
• For D, Form a D shape using your thumb and index finger and placing it on your friend's index finger.
• For E, Touch the tip of the index finger.
• For F, Form an F shape using your first two fingers together, place across your friend's index finger.
• For G, Clench your fist and place it on your friend's palm, little finger downside.
• For H, Lay your open hand across your friend's palm and move it over thefingers and off the hand.
• For I, Is the middle finger.
• For J, Touch the tip of your friend's middle finger and draw your finger down to the palm and up the thumb. (Think of this as the letter I with a tail).
• For K, Bend your index finger and lay the top half of it against your friend's index finger.
• For L, Just lay your index finger across your friend's palm.
• For M, Lay your first three fingers across your friend's palm.
• For N, Lay your first two fingers across your friend's palm.
• For O, Is the ring finger.
• For P, Hold the tip of your friend's index finger between your finger and thumb.
• For Q, Completely circle the base of your friend's thumb with your thumb and index finger.
• For R, Bend your index finger and lay it across your friend's palm.
• For S, Grasp your friend's little finger with your index finger.
• For T, Touch the edge of your friend's palm, at the side away from the thumb.
• For U, Is the little finger.
• For V, Make a V shape with your first two fingers and lay it on your friend's palm.
• For W, Grasp the upper edge of your friend's fingers, bending your fingers around them.
• For X, Make a cross by laying your index finger over the top of your friend's index finger.
• For Y, Place your index finger in the joint between your friend's thumb and index finger.
• For Z, Either: place your finger tips against your friend's palm. Or place the outer edge of your hand across your friend's palm.

• For YES, Just tap twice on your friend's palm.
• For NO, (or cancelling what you just said) do a rubbing out movement on your friend's palm.

This is a simple system used by some deafblind people. With your forefinger draw the clear shape of capital letters on the palm of the deafblind person's hand. Use the whole palm for each letter - keeping them large and clear. Place one letter over the top of the last - do not attempt to write across the palm as you would on a sheet of paper and keep your pen in your pocket! Pause slightly at the end of each word making sure the person is able to follow what you are saying. Letters should generally be drawn from left to right and from top to bottom. Letters M N and W should be drawn keeping the finger on the palm and not in separate strokes. Numbers can alternatively be drawn as figures. Do not use the Continental (7) as this is easily confused as (2).

Good braillists may like to use braille contractions for speed and some will indicate that words/sentences need not be complete because they have a good grasp of language.

Braillists may prefer to use dots 4, 5 and 6 for word signs if the deafblind person wishes and the sender knows braille.
 

• Dot 4 - on the wrist at the base of the thumb.
• Dot 5 - on the centre of the wrist in line with the middle finger.
• Dot 6 - on the wrist in line with the edge of the little finger.
• Dot 4,5,6 - stroke the wrist from under the thumb to under the little finger.
• Dot 4,5 - stroke the wrist from its centre to under the thumb.
• Dot 5,6 - stroke the wrist from its centre to under the little finger.
• Dot 4,6 - touch both edges of the wrist simultaneously.

Hands-on Signing - this is used by British Sign Language users whose vision no longer allows them to see sign language and they therefore 'feel' sign language by resting their hands on the communicator's.
 

Sign Language, Some deafblind people were deaf from birth and became blind as teen-agers or adults. They prefer the sign language used by deaf people  Instead of watching the hands and arms of friends, they touch the hands of the person making the signs to learn what is being said. It is usually necessary to restrict the movements involved in making signs so that a deafblind person can follow along conveniently. This system can lead to confusion. It requires the speaker to have extensive training in sign language. However, it is possible to interpret as quickly as English is spoken using this method.

Tadoma is tactile lipreading (or tactile speechreading). The Tadoma user, feels the vibrations of the throat and face and jaw positions of the speaker as he/she speaks. Unfortunately, this requires years of training and practice, and can be slow. Although highly-skilled Tadoma users can comprehend speech at near listening rates, most Tadoma users are much slower and the added restriction of the user having to be in contact with the speaker adds to the problems associated with the Tadoma method. It is not very popular because it is hard to do and not very accurate.

Tadoma is named after the first 2 children to whom it was taught, Winthrop "Tad" Chapman and Oma Simpson.
 

Visual Frame Signing - a way of modifying and using sign language in a restricted space to suit the visual needs of the individual receiving it.

• Go Back To info Page.
• Or Go Back To Top of Page.