DeafBlind Access - Where??? (Part One)

The other day I did an internet search for DeafBlind Accessibility products I was suprised to find it amazingly limited!

On one Accessibility Products "Vendor" site, there's about 200 products for "Deaf or Hard of Hearing" such as: ttys, videophones, visual alerts, pagers, volume controls, amplifiers, closed captioned televisions, captioned phones, hearing aids, CIs, etc.
On the same site there's about 300 products for "Blind or Low Vision" like Braillers, screenreaders (reads computer screen to speech), talking clocks, magnifiers, Large Print materials, talking handheld GPS system, audiobooks, money identifier, and a variety of equipment that "speaks".
But there's only 7 products for "DeafBlind" like Braille ttys, tactile alert (pager vibrates when phone rings, door knocks, etc), TellaTouch (a manual typewriter with a Braille output: person types their message on keyboard and the DeafBlind feels the Braille), and a few vibrating/tactile products.
Only 7 things?? What the Hell???

Then after my blog on "DeafBlind Communication", it hit me! There's no way to categorize "DeafBlind" products because we are so widely varied in our needs. The individual that has some usable hearing can choose to use an amplified system (FM system) and volume controls. Others with usable vision, like myself, can choose Large Print products and magnifiers. So we really end up "picking and choosing" from products on both lists. But for the "truly" DeafBlind with no usable vision or hearing, the products are very limited.

(To be Continued....)