The aim of the webinar is to introduce the Nordic approach to congenital deafblindness, present the methods of functional assessment of persons with deafblindness, with the focus on development of support and education services to children and their parents.

The webinar is targeted to practitioners from special schools and kindergartens, psychological-pedagogical services, health experts (oftalmologists, otolaringologists, pediatricians, child psychiatrists,etc.), NGOs in the area of disability, students of social work, parents from the Baltic countries.

Webinar recording

Programme

14:00-14:15 Opening Words

Helén Nilsson, Director of Nordic Council of Ministers Office in Lithuania.
Grazina Seibokiene, Head of Division of Education Support, Ministry of Education, Science and Sport.

14:15-15:15 Keynotes. Identification of Congenital Deafblindness, based on the Nordic functional definition

Maria Creutz, Senior adviser, Deafblind Issues, Nordic Welfare Centre
Annika Maria Johannessen, Senior advisor at Statped, Centre for Special Education in Bergen, Department of Deafblindness and Dual Visual and Hearing Impairment.

15:15-15:25 Coffee break

15:25-16:00 Panel discussion and Q&A. Identification of Congenital Deafblindness in the Nordic and Baltic countries

Dalia Tauriene, typhlopedagogue, Lithuanian Training Centre for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
Maria Creutz, Senior adviser, Deafblind Issues, Nordic Welfare Centre.
Annika Maria Johanssen, senior advisor at Statped, Centre for Special Education in Bergen, Department of Deafblindness and Dual Visual and Hearing Impairment.
Malle Kariste, Estonian Support Union of the Deafblind.
Ligita Ģeida, Director of Riga Strazdumuiza center for visually impaired and blind children.

The knowledge sharing activities about deafblind issues among the professionals of the Nordic and Baltic countries date back to 1992. There were quite a number of initiatives and events of the competence building of the Baltic stakeholders in cooperation with the Nordic competence centres.