Deafblindness, the right to choose: from legal safeguards to practical access

Communicating, expressing one’s wishes and actively participating in social life are fundamental rights which, for people who are deafblind, are not always fully realised. The barriers that still hinder access to information, communication and participation today risk limiting their independence and freedom of choice. To mark European Day of Deafblind People (22 October), we wish to draw attention to the need to ensure that those who cannot see or hear are provided with the conditions to fully exercise these rights and shape their own lives.

Deafblindness, recognised as a unique and specific disability under Law 107/2010, combines a visual impairment with a hearing impairment, whether total or partial. When motor, intellectual or cognitive disabilities, or serious health problems, are also present, the condition is referred to as psychosensory multiple disability. According to an Istat study commissioned by the Lega del Filo d’Oro, it is estimated that there are over 1.4 million people in Europe with sensory and multiple disabilities affecting sight and hearing, as well as motor impairments, of whom around 360,000 are in Italia. This is an often-overlooked population, and the estimate needs to be revised upwards, taking into account children under the age of 15 – who were not included in the survey – and people who, in addition to a sensory disability, also have an intellectual disability.

Impaired vision and hearing can make accessing information and managing day-to-day interactions challenging. Yet, with appropriate educational and rehabilitative support and accessible tools, everyone can develop their full potential and achieve the highest possible level of independence. This is the principle underpinning the work of the Lega del Filo d’Oro, which has been supporting people who are deafblind or have multiple psychosensory disabilities, as well as their families, for over sixty years. This commitment begins with listening to each person’s needs, so as to identify personalised pathways, using communication methods, tools and strategies best suited to individual requirements.

A significant step forward on the regulatory front came with the ‘Simplifications-bis’ Bill, which became Law No. 182 of 2 December 2025, No. 182, which extended the recognition of deafblindness to all people with combined, total or partial impairments of sight and hearing, whether congenital or acquired, regardless of the age at which the condition first manifested. This is a fundamental change aimed at providing more adequate protection of the right to health and care and at promoting full self-determination.

But the real challenge today lies not so much in the creation of new laws as in their effective implementation. All too often, there remains a gap between what the law provides for and what people are actually able to achieve in their daily lives. Rights such as access to education, social and health services, mobility and social participation risk remaining mere statements of principle without adequate services, widespread expertise and concrete action.