Legally Deafblind is a photo based multimedia body of work about individuals who are deafblind, the importance of language and communication as a window to independence and an intimate journey of discovery about our own dependencies on the senses.

Legally Deafblind started in 1997 as a photographic social documentary work aiming to capture the existent realities of deafblind individuals internationally.  As the international documentary body of work began to exhibit, I was often asked “Are they completely deaf and completely blind?”  No, in fact they are not, only a minority within the deafblind community is completely deaf and completely blind.  The lack of information and misunderstanding in the general public inspired the expansion of Legally Deafblind into a photo based multimedia work.

I began to seek new ways of using photography to create awareness and promote social change.  I wanted the work to become a personal journey for the audience, where the social reality documented became their own personal experience, thus facilitating a better understanding of the reality of Legal deafblindness and a personal reflection/discussion on how we use our senses to make meanings of ourselves and the world around us.

Legally Deafblind consists of three bodies of work:

1) International photo documentary images of individuals who are deafblind at different stages of their lives with different degrees of deafblindness from Canada, Nepal, France, Israel, Netherlands and Mexico. (40 - 20x24” BW images, 1997-present).

2) Five 40”x40” giclée prints on stretched-canvas panels that explore the different degrees of blindness experienced by Canadian deafblind individuals (Legally Blind, 2006).

3) Immersive environment of three multimedia installations that explore the inner landscapes and sensorial experience of a place when being deafblind. Brief description: prior to entering the darkened rooms the audience will be provided with up to 5 different Legally Blind simulation glasses.

Braille/animation/sound vibration room: an exploration of the internal landscape and different tactile methods of communication used by deafblind individuals. The sound elements of this installation are manipulated to provide insight into different degrees of Legal Deafness.

Installation of Light: light is often used in therapy with people who are deafblind to over stimulate the senses of sight and touch. This installation aims to provide the audience with a body sensation/experience of light.

Room of sensations: a dark room to explore the senses of touch, sound and smell. Body sensation and experience of a forest. This room explores our dependency/relationship with the senses and the use of our body to interpret, interact and understand the outside world.

The goals of Legally Deafblind are:

The purpose of producing Legally Deafblind is to raise awareness about the reality of having a dual sensory disability.  It is meant to provide people without these disabilities an opportunity to explore the inner world and needs of individuals who are deafblind, as well as understand the dependence we have on our senses in relationship to the world around us. The work is a journey of discovery into the individual lives of persons who are deafblind, as well as a chronicle of their different sensory experiences, struggles and everyday reality.