Connected by Touch: Honoring DeafBlind Awareness Week, June 25 to July 1, 2026

This week, the nation observes DeafBlind Awareness Week, June 25 through July 1, 2026, in honor of Helen Keller's birthday on June 27. Led by the Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youths and Adults (HKNC), this campaign has been recognized every year since 1984, when President Ronald Reagan issued a proclamation establishing this national week of recognition.

The 2026 campaign theme is "Connected by Touch: Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges" — developed by a planning committee that included DeafBlind individuals themselves. It is a theme that speaks to something both practical and profound: touch is not merely a sense. For millions of DeafBlind Americans, touch is language. It is the bridge between isolation and connection, between exclusion and full participation in community life.

At Shared Horizons, we are proud to serve individuals across the full spectrum of disability, including those who are DeafBlind. This week, we honor that community by sharing what matters, and recommitting to the planning work that makes independence and dignity real.

Who Is DeafBlind?

Being DeafBlind refers to a combined hearing and vision loss that, together, creates unique barriers that are distinct from either deaf or blind alone. Each person's experience is individual. Some retain residual hearing or vision; others have neither. Communication methods vary widely and are person-centered.

An estimated 2.4 million Americans experience combined hearing and vision loss. This population spans every age and community:

• Infants and children born with conditions such as CHARGE syndrome, Usher syndrome, or congenital rubella

• Youth and young adults who acquired dual sensory loss through illness, injury, or progressive conditions

• Adults and seniors, the largest group, who experience combined hearing and vision loss as a result of aging, diabetes, stroke, or other conditions

Communication methods used by DeafBlind individuals include tactile American Sign Language, the DeafBlind Manual Alphabet, braille, protactile language, and speech-generating augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices. These are not adaptations. They are languages, and they deserve full access and professional support.

The Federal Law Behind the Support: Title VII, Part C

Federal law specifically recognizes and funds services for the DeafBlind community. Title VII, Part C of the Rehabilitation Act, known as the Helen Keller National Center Act, established HKNC as the only national program providing comprehensive vocational rehabilitation services exclusively to DeafBlind youth and adults. Congress reauthorized HKNC in 2022 with bipartisan support, extending its mandate through 2027.

HKNC's Comprehensive Vocational Rehabilitation Program at its Sands Point, New York campus provides individualized, person-centered training in adaptive technology, communication, orientation and mobility, independent living, and vocational services. HKNC also maintains a national network of regional representatives who serve every U.S. state and territory, providing consultation, assessment, professional training, and referrals.

For state disability agencies and providers: If you serve individuals with combined hearing and vision loss, HKNC's regional representatives are the first call you should make. They can assess needs, connect individuals to specialized training, and support your staff in delivering appropriate services.

For educators and IEP teams: Children who are DeafBlind have unique rights under IDEA, including access to a Free Appropriate Public Education with specialized supports tailored to combined sensory loss. Every state has a DeafBlind Project, funded through IDEA Part D, that provides technical assistance to schools and families at no cost. Contact your state's DeafBlind Project for guidance and support.

For local government agencies and elected officials: HKNC provides proclamation templates for governors, mayors, county executives, and other officials to formally declare June 25 through July 1 as DeafBlind Awareness Week. These proclamations are free, simple to issue, and meaningful acts of recognition for a community that is often invisible in public policy. Templates are available at helenkeller.org/dbaw2026.

DeafBlind Individuals, Benefits, and Financial Planning

DeafBlind individuals face compounding barriers to economic security. Communication barriers make navigating benefits systems challenging. Employment access is limited by both sensory barriers and a shortage of employers with accessible workplaces. And the cost of specialized assistive technology and communication supports, often tens of thousands of dollars over a lifetime, is only partially covered by Medicaid and insurance.

For families and guardians: Refreshable braille displays, tactile communication devices, braille notetakers, screen-reading software, and specialized mobility equipment are all examples of supplemental needs that a Pooled Special Needs Trust can fund without affecting SSI or Medicaid eligibility. These are not luxuries. They are the infrastructure of independence.

For trial lawyers and settlement planners: When structuring a settlement for a DeafBlind individual, the lifetime cost of communication supports, assistive technology, and support service providers must be included in the damages analysis and trust funding projection. A settlement that does not account for these needs will leave the individual underserved within years.

For Social Security and Medicaid staff: Combined hearing and vision loss qualifies as a disability under SSI and SSDI. DeafBlind individuals may also qualify for Medicaid HCBS waiver services, including support service providers, known as SSPs, who provide sighted guide assistance, environmental access, and communication support. Not all states cover SSPs under their Medicaid waivers. Expanding SSP coverage is an active advocacy priority for the DeafBlind community.

For AARP and elder law practitioners: Because senior adults age 55 and older represent the largest and fastest-growing segment of the DeafBlind population, elder law professionals are increasingly encountering DeafBlind clients. Communication accommodations during legal proceedings, including notarial acts and document signing, are required under the ADA. Understanding the communication needs of your DeafBlind client is not optional. It is essential to competent, equitable representation.

Connected by Touch: Our Commitment

The 2026 DeafBlind Awareness Week theme is not just a campaign. It is an invitation to every organization, agency, professional, and community member to ask: are we building bridges, or barriers?

At Shared Horizons, we are committed to trust administration that is accessible, individualized, and responsive to the full range of our beneficiaries' needs. We do not serve diagnoses. We serve people, each of whom deserves a future as expansive as their potential.

This week, we invite our entire community to:

• Visit helenkeller.org/dbaw2026 to learn more about DeafBlindness and the 2026 campaign

• Ask your local officials to issue a DeafBlind Awareness Week proclamation

• Contact your state's DeafBlind Project if you serve or support a child who is DeafBlind

• Reach out to Shared Horizons if a DeafBlind individual in your life needs trust planning: (202) 448-1460 or info@shared-horizons.org

  
  

Connected by touch. Breaking barriers. Building bridges. Together.

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Citations & Resources

1. Helen Keller National Center — DeafBlind Awareness Week 2026: helenkeller.org/dbaw2026

2. HKNC — 2026 Campaign Theme, March 2026: helenkeller.org/dbaw-2026-campaign-announcement

3. Helen Keller National Center Reauthorization Act (2022): pocan.house.gov

4. Title VII, Part C of the Rehabilitation Act — HKNC Authorization

5. IDEA Part D — State DeafBlind Projects: nationaldb.org

6. ADA — Communication Accommodations in Legal Proceedings: ada.gov

7. SSA — SSI Eligibility and Combined Hearing/Vision Loss: ssa.gov