What it’s like to be Deafblind | ABC NEWS

Living with vision impairment has many challenges. Being Deaf on top of that throws up even more.
But thanks to emerging technology and creative adaptions, those who are Deafblind are proving losing two of your senses doesn’t have to impact your ability to live a fulfilling life.
Jael has a small amount of light perception and hearing aids help her perceive some sounds.

Presented by Nas Campanella and produced by Evan Young, ABC Specialist Reporting Team.
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Read more here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-07/a-deafblind-day-in-the-life/105789718

TRANSCRIPT:
Nas Campanella: Jael Espinal’s morning routine is much like anyone else’s.

Jael Espinal: When I wake up in the morning, I usually make breakfast before getting ready for work.

Nas Campanella: But how she does it is far less ordinary. Jael is Deafblind and lives independently.

Jael Espinal: I know the toaster is ready because I hover my hand just above where the bread would be and then I check the bread and see if I want it for longer. I use a pod machine for my coffee and to know that it’s filling the mug, I hover my finger near the inside edge of the mug.

Nas Campanella: Jael has added markers she can feel to everyday items. She’s memorised every room in her Melbourne apartment and their different scents.

Jael Espinal: I know I’m in the bathroom because I can smell the dampness in the air.

Nas Campanella: Jael was born with a severe eye disease and started losing her hearing not long after.

Jael Espinal: It was challenging. It was, you know, kids aren’t always nice. I was bullied quite a bit in school.

Nas Campanella: Today, with the help of hearing aids, Jael is able to identify some sounds. Canes and her guide dog Brassy help her navigate physical spaces.

Jael Espinal: Brassy, come! Brassy!

Nas Campanella: These aids and adaptations help Jael through a life that throws up no shortage of hurdles for people like her, especially on her journey to work. Information on public transport is mostly presented visually or through sound. Neither are useful to Jael, so she relies on an app that connects straight into her hearing aids.
Jael Espinal: It indicates to me when I will arrive at my destination and it tells me the stops along the way that we’re passing.

Nas Campanella: Snaking through the busy streets and laneways, she waits to sense a particular landmark.

Jael Espinal: I will start telling my dog to find right when I feel the heat coming out of a specific restaurant that has a very specific smell.

Nas Campanella: Finally, she arrives at Deafblind Victoria, where she works as a project manager. Her colleague is Michelle Stevens, a Deafblind advocate whose hearing and vision loss is more profound.

Michelle Stevens: There really is a huge variety of Deafblindness. You could be born Deafblind. You could lose either your vision or your hearing later on in life. You could lose your vision hearing due to an accident.

Nas Campanella: Their common language is tactile Auslan – signs formed and felt by hand. Michelle says being Deafblind can be isolating and low expectations can make that harder.

Michelle Stevens: Because I’m Deafblind doesn’t mean I can’t do anything. It just means that I have to do things differently.

Nas Campanella: As a blind person I’ve developed my own techniques to navigate the world, many of which rely on my hearing. People who are Deaf and blind don’t always have that luxury. Buy if you thought that might stop them from getting out and active in the community, you’re wrong.

Nas Campanella: Like hordes of other Melburnians, Jael regularly comes here, the city’s famous Tan running track.

Jael Espinal: When I’m running, I am holding onto a tether that is on my running guide’s arm and they move their arm to indicate different signals to communicate to me. They will move their forearm to the right if we need to go right or slide right.

Nas Campanella: After Jael finishes here, she’ll navigate her way back home. She’s done a lot today, and tomorrow, she’ll do it again. To her, it’s nothing special.

Jael Espinal: I’m just trying to live my life day-to-day and appreciate my life and enjoy it just like anybody else would.

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