Deaf-blind people can use several methods of communication. The method each person uses depends on how long he has been deaf or blind, and to what degree he is deaf or blind. Typically, a person with limited sight will use adapted sign language. Those with no usable sight need to communicate using tactile methods or electronic devices that incorporate braille.
Sign Language Adaptations
Many deaf-blind people that have tunneled or limited vision can still use sign language. Sign language can be modified to accommodate people with vision problems. For instance, people with poor vision might ask signers to wear a shirt that contrasts sharply with her skin color and keep all signs directly in front of the shirt. That way, the deaf-blind person can perceive the signs more effectively. People with a narrow range of focus might need signers to confine their hands to a very small space and keep them a specified distance away from their limited eyes. Lastly, people with severely restricted vision might like to hold the wrists of the signer; this gives the deaf-blind person additional sensory input that helps them decode the sign language.
Tactile Sign Languages
People who have gone blind after having had an opportunity to learn either spoken language or sign language can use tactile methods of communicating. When a deaf person who knows sign language goes blind, they can usually adapt by feeling the hands of a signer as she signs. The tactile input allows the deaf-blind person to visualize the signs and thus interpret the communication. Some signs, especially ones that include facial expressions, may need to be modified for tactile communication.
People who have learned spoken language before becoming deaf and blind may prefer written language-based tactile communication to sign language. Tactile fingerspelling and print-on-palm are two such methods of communication. In tactile fingerspelling, the deaf-blind person feels the hands of the signer as she forms standard letters to spell words. In print-on-palm, the deaf-blind person allows people to trace letters on the palm of his hand to spell words.
Communication Devices
Inventors have created several communication devices to assist deaf-blind people in their communication. One such device is called a screen braille communicator (SBC), which a deaf-blind person can use to communicate with a sighted person. An SBC has a standard QWERTY keyboard and screen on one side and braille display on the other. The sighted person types using the keyboard. The message he types gets translated into braille and printed on the braille display. The deaf-blind person then uses the braille display to communicate to the sighted person.
Teletypwriters (TTYs) and telephone devices for the deaf (TTDs) allow deaf-blind people to communicate over long distances and operate using the same principals. Imagine two deaf-blind people communicating using a TTD. One will use a braille display to type a message, which is converted into analogue tones and transferred over telephone lines to the other person's device. Once there, the device translates the analogue tones into a message that it displays in braille.
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