May 2015 - 16th Deafblind International World Conference

The central question for the conference will be our future. As the field of deafblindness expands with services to more people in more countries, how do we ensure that children and adults with deafblindness will receive support which is of a high quality as well as being culturally appropriate ?
This conference will take place at a unique time in our history – we are now becoming very clear about the needs created by deafblindness, and know that many of these needs are experienced whenever deafblindness occurs. At the same time, we have developed as a field, to a mature stage in which there are different approaches to meeting these needs, each approach can be excellent in their own way but may be culturally appropriate to a specific part of the world. For the first time, we are beginning to accept that local solutions can successfully meet the needs created by deafblindness. No longer is there just one, best way.
The conference will reflect this exciting time in our development with the opportunity to hear about the range of services and approaches being developed around the world. Please come and join in. You will be learning, exploring, debating ; listening, explaining and exchanging ideas and experiences. This is a unique gathering, offering the only chance to meet with colleagues from such a large number of countries. What is our future ? You decide.

Tony Best
Chair, Scientific Committee

Tony Best

La question centrale pour la conférence 2015 sera notre avenir. Comme le champ de la surdi-cécité concerne des services offerts à de plus en plus de personnes dans de plus en plus de pays, comment nous assurons-nous que les enfants et les adultes sourds-aveugles recevront bien une assistance qui soit à la fois de qualité et culturellement appropriée ?

Cette conférence aura lieu à un moment unique de notre histoire - nous sommes maintenant très au clair quant aux besoins créés par la situation de surdi-cécité et nous savons que beaucoup de ces besoins surgissent dès que la surdi-cécité se manifeste. En même temps, nous avons contribué à développer un domaine de compétence, et nous sommes maintenant à une étape de maturité où nous voyons se dessiner des approches différentes répondant à ces besoins, et chaque approche peut être excellente à sa manière, mais sans doute plus appropriée culturellement à telle ou telle partie spécifique du monde. Pour la première fois, nous commençons à accepter que des solutions locales puissent répondre avec succès aux besoins créées par la surdi-cécité. Nous affirmons que jamais plus, il n’y aura un seul et unique chemin désigné comme le meilleur.

La conférence reflétera ce moment passionnant de notre développement, offrant l’occasion d’entendre comment des gammes de services et d’approches différenciées se développent partout dans le monde. Venez et participez. Vous apprendrez, explorerez, débattrez ; écoute, explications ainsi qu’échange d’idées et d’expériences. Ce sera une assemblée unique, une chance exceptionnelle de rencontrer des collègues d’un très grand nombre de pays. Quel est notre avenir ? C’est vous qui en déciderez.

Tony Best
Président, Comité scientifique

Invitation à la conférence - Mars 2015

We look forward to welcoming you in Romania in May. Our planning is going
well, and we will send you updates on progress over the next few months.

You can now have access to the latest updates following the conference on
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Please feel free to like and share

Dates / times start and finish

We can confirm that the conference starts with a short informal cocktail
at the conference centre hotel on the evening of Monday 25 May. The
programme starts with an opening ceremony at 9:30 on Tuesday 26 May.

The conference programme finishes at the end of the morning session on
Friday 29 May. Participants are then free to make their own arrangements
for lunch. But please note that some interesting local tours are available
for the afternoon - organised exclusively for conference participants – so
a further opportunity to join in discussions with other participants while
enjoying the delights of Bucharest. More info on the tours in our next
update !

Workshops & posters

Both of these types of presentations will be given throughout the
conference. Workshops will be based on spoken presentations and will
include an opportunity to join discussions with other participants. Posters
will include small group sessions when interested participants can discuss
the poster content with the authors.

You will have the opportunity to register for workshops before the
conference, if you wish. The website will have details of all the sessions
when the programme has been finalised – at the end of March.

Gala Dinner

The Gala Dinner will take place in a wonderful historical building, the
former Bucharest Customs House, built in 1894, a masterpiece of the Italian
architect Giulio Magni and the Romanian engineer Anghel Saligny.

Located only 10 minutes away from the Conference venue, this important
piece of Bucharest architecture has been transformed into one of the most
well-known locations for events such as our Gala Dinner.

Organisers are now planning the evening programme, that will most
definitely be exciting and extremely pleasant for our guests !

Accommodation details

Participants that made accommodation arrangements with the conference
agency Trima Events, will receive the balance invoice until March 15. The
accommodation confirmation voucher will follow after full payment.

The reservations that have not paid the first night deposit yet will be
notified and in lack of payment, cancelled.

Registrations

We already have registrations from over 30 countries, so this will truly
be a global conference. We have also asked about accessibility needs, and
received notification of participants who will be using Australian Sign
Language, Kenyan Sign Language, Jordanian Sign Language, Russian deafblind
manual, British Sign Language, hands on British Sign Language, Swedish
deafblind manual, Polish speech-to-text and Polish LORM, Chinese Sign
Language and Hands on Chinese Sign Language, Romanian Sign Language, Aslor
tactile, American Sign Language.

Of course, arrangements will be flexible to ensure accessibility needs can
be met and interpreters will be offered daily briefing sessions to prepare
for each session. Truly global and truly inclusive !

See you in May !

• James Thornberry, Chair, Conference Planning Committee
• Cristiana Salomie, Chair, Local Planning Committee
• Tony Best, Chair, Scientific Committee