On May 24, 2022, the Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind & Hard of Hearing (MNCDHH) hosted a panel discussion with DeafBlind individuals from all walks of life. Deafblindness is a spectrum; no two individuals have the same life experiences. Whether you attended the original panel or if you are watching the recording for the first time, you will learn more about communication strategies, technologies, and the panelists' ideas on improving overall quality of life. Authentic diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) includes DeafBlind individuals.

The Commission thanks the panelists and moderators for their participation in this recording. We also thank the interpreters and CART provider for their work.

The panelists were

• Jon L., a DeafBlind young adult with Usher syndrome.
• Erin Bradford, a DeafBlind librarian who grew up hard of hearing before becoming legally blind as an adult.
• Lolly Lijewski, a human services professional who was born with a congenital eye disease, and has recently acquired moderate hearing loss.
• Kaitlyn Mielke, a DeafBlind writer, performing arts and theater accessibility consultant, and Commission communications specialist. (moderator and panelist)
• Patrick Vellia, a DeafBlind catering cook, web developer, nonprofit cofounder, and Commission outreach & civic engagement specialist. (moderator and panelist)

Access the recording!

Access the descriptive transcript.

The two-hour recording yielded a 52-page descriptive transcript. Check it out!

Access the answers to questions sent by audience members during recording.

The audience had a lot of great questions. Unfortunately, we did not have time to answer them all. Here are the answers to questions submitted by the audience.