Contact persons for Deaf-Blind people.

Personal accompaniment is just as important as interpreting services for deaf-blind people. For deaf-blind people to be a part of the society and to have a relative regular everyday life they too have to be in contact with a range of people which requires that they have someone to help them both in terms of interpretation and to get from one place to another.

Deaf-blind people can to some extent use contact persons that is granted by the commune according to “The Law about Social Service § 98”. 

When a deaf-blind person is allocated a contact person it is the public administration’s responsibility to find and hire such and also to establish the individual’s contact person arrangement and to manage it. This offer goes for all deaf-blind groups which therefore includes both older and younger people, “Danish speaking” people who primarily are blind, and people using sign language who are primarily deaf. 

It is an important, but difficult task finding the right contact person for the individual deaf-blind person because the arrangement puts personal demands on both parts which also includes emotional demands. It is therefore important that the deaf-blind person always is a part of finding and approving their contact person.

The field of work for contact persons:
To visit and communicate with the deaf-blind person.
To inform about the everyday life, for example by reading the daily paper.
To be the liaison between the deaf-blind person and his/her surroundings.
To translate letters, messages, bills and so on.
To accompany in grocery shopping, visits, appointments and so on.
To accompany and be the liaison to the authorities, post office, bank and so on.
To accompany in activities, courses and so on.
Practical assistance in the home is not a function cared to by the contact person.

There is no education for contact persons and there are no formal demands about any specific educational requirements. There is professional support from deaf-blind consultants who are also responsible for supervising contact persons.