In this paper, the quality of life for DeafBlind individuals who have Support Service Providers (SSP) available will be compared to DeafBlind individuals who do not. SSPs are trained individuals who assist the DeafBlind population with tasks such as a communication support, environmental information, and mobility support; in addition, they typically possess at least some fluency in American Sign Language. The availability of SSP services varies between DeafBlind individuals depending on a variety of factors. This study explores possible differences in quality of life reported by DeafBlind individuals who currently have SSP services available and those who do not. In consideration to the responses provided by the DeafBlind community, a new discussion emerges attempting to identify ways to achieve an accessible world for these community members.
The 56 participants in this study are comprised of female and male individuals, 18 years or older, from a variety of ethnic and social groups across the United States who have a combination of hearing and visual loss. The methodology for this research is a quantitative survey. This study used KIDSCREEN Group’s (2004) pre-existing survey. The survey respondents are divided into two groups: those with SSPs and those without SSPs. Each group had 28 respondents who filled out a similar survey. The group that had the higher percentage of positive responses was identified as possessing a higher quality of life. It was concluded that DeafBlind individuals with SSPs consistently had higher positive responses than the other group, DeafBlind individuals without SSPs
