Deafblindness is a combination of vision and hearing loss. It is rare that an individual with deafblindness would be completely blind and completely deaf. Individuals who have a combined vision and hearing loss have specific communication, learning, and mobility challenges due to their dual sensory loss. 

Deafblindness is a unique and diverse condition due to the wide range of sensory capabilities, possible presence of additional disabilities, and the age of onset for the vision and hearing loss. A child with deafblindness may, for example, have a diagnosis of Retinopathy of Prematurity (a retinal condition that is associated with premature birth) and a hearing loss from meningitis at age two. Another person with deafblindness may have been born with a profound hearing loss and have later developed a vision loss such as retinitis pigmentosa.

The Deaf Society supports people who are Deafblind
The Deaf community is made up of many different groups of people including people who use Auslan and have a vision loss. The community of people who are Deafblind is recognised as a distinct group with very particular needs that differ from those who are Deaf or people with low vision. Communication needs are different with the possibility that home help, education, transport and support services will need to be particularly adapted.

While the Deaf Society's primary work is with the Deaf community, the organisation recognises the lack of services currently available to Deafblind people and, for this reason, has extended its services to include people who are Deafblind.

Each Deaf Society Community Worker has a Community Development profile, which involves working with a specific target group within the Deaf community. One profile relates to Deafblindness and aims to work with Deafblind people, service providers and government to create better services, resources and information.