Sign Construction Based on Heightened Tactile Perception by Persons with Congenital Deafblindness

Abstract


 
 
 Low readability is a main concern regarding communication with persons with congenital deafblindness (Nafstad & Rødbroe, 2015). This is because most of the expressions come from the bodily-tactile modality and are often based on tactile iconicity. It is difficult for a seeing and hearing partner to understand these expressions from the perspective of cultural language.
 The goal of this qualitative study is to show the emergence of sign constructions based on heightened tactile perception (Borchgrevink, 2002; Nicholas, 2004). Two videos, each showing one of two participants with congenital deafblindness, were subjected to qualitative micro-analysis. A key focus of this research concerns the combination of exploration and cognitive processing indicated by self-addressed expressions, and how this combination contributes to sign constructions. The linguistic quality of these sign constructions is further examined by detailing handshape, movement and location according to the work by Stokoe, 1960 and Bellugi & Klima, 2001. The results provide support for the proposition of a new sign category based on heightened tactile perception. 
 https://doi.org/10.21827/jdbsc.4.31373
 
 

Tactile Hypersensitivity and “Overwhelming Subjectivity” in the Touch Experience of People With Congenital Deafblindness: Implications for a Touch-Based Pedagogy

“…Development of tactual skills through this engagement can positively repurpose the perceptual acuity latent in hypersensitivity. In this way, it can increasingly present as heightened tactile acuity (Forsgren et al, 2018) instead. Working with touch hypersensitivity in facilitating a functional, positive connection with the touched and touching world is thus a central task for support partners and teachers for the person with CDB.…”

“…Touch hypersensitivity can then become a resource. Hyper-tactile perception brought into inter-dynamic balance becomes "heightened" tactile perception (Forsgren et al, 2018), and this acuity can reveal a world of detail that impresses the perceiver, is remembered, and "pointed to" afterward ("Body-Emotional Traces" or BETS, Daelman et al, 2004;Ask Larsen, 2009). A tactile experience may leave a physical sensory trace that makes a subjective impression that is remembered, and this impression is then given expression (Forsgren et al, 2018).…”

Contributing to a Tactile Language: Partners Communicative Accommodation to a Bodily/Tactile modality

“…In language development between a person with cdb and a seeing/hearing partner, the different perspectives of the persons will be based on different sense modalities when experiencing the world. Hart (2010) describes this process of co-creation of a bodily/tactile language when he states that it consists of an equal contribution from both partners, where the person with deafblindness brings tactile and bodily movements and gestures, based on their perception of the world (Forsgren, Daelman & Hart 2018) and the non-deafblind partner brings elements from an existing cultural language, as illustrated in figure 1. This means to overcome the mismatch in perspectives of the world it is incumbent on the communication partner to move into the tactile world since the person with cdb cannot journey to the communication partner's perceptual perspective of the world (by vision and hearing) (Hart & Rodbroe, 2010).…”

Interaction, communication, and stress in adults with congenital deafblindness and an intellectual disability

“…In This is in line with Nafstad and Rødbroe (2015) who mentioned that the low readability of the expressions of persons with CDB is an important concern regarding communication with them. Since most expressions come from the bodily-tactile modality, they are difficult to understand for the 114 seeing and hearing partner (Forsgren, Daelman, & Hart, 2018). The bodilytactile expressions are often highly idiosyncratic.…”

“…This sign constructing activity, arising from the manner in which persons with CDB cognize their bodily-tactile impressions from interactions with the world, can be seen as an expression of strong language-making agency in persons with CDB (Forsgren et al, 2018). The task of the communication partner is to give access to situations where BETs can be formed, to situations where BETs can be revived, and to situations where BETs can be transformed into signs .…”