Strengthening Communication Between Families and Children with Deafblindness

Communication Should Not Stop at the School Gate

For children with deafblindness, communication is much more than learning words or signs. It is how they express their needs, build relationships, participate in family life, and make sense of the world around them.

Many children with deafblindness are already communicating. At school, they may use sign language, gestures, tactile communication, objects, pictures, or other accessible methods alongside teachers who understand how they communicate. At home, however, families often have had little opportunity to learn these same communication methods. As a result, children move between two very different communication environments every day. Skills introduced at school are often difficult to continue at home, not because families lack commitment, but because they have never been given the opportunity to learn alongside their children.

Communication should not stop when children leave school.

Building Communication Together

MIPI’s Building Meaningful Communication at Home initiative brings families and schools together to create shared communication environments where children can continue learning throughout everyday life.

Rather than focusing only on teaching sign language, the initiative helps families use communication naturally during meals, play, household routines, community activities, and other meaningful daily experiences. Teachers and families learn together, practise together, and support one another so that communication becomes part of everyday family life rather than something that happens only in the classroom.

When children experience consistent communication across home and school, they have greater opportunities to learn, participate, develop relationships, and become active members of their families and communities.

A Strong Foundation Already Exists

This initiative builds on commitment that already exists.

Families participating in the program are eager to strengthen communication with their children. Partner schools are committed to working alongside families and providing opportunities for communication beyond the classroom. MIPI contributes technical leadership, curriculum development, mentoring, program coordination, and practical learning resources based on years of experience supporting children with deafblindness, families, and educators.

External support is sought only for the remaining implementation components that make this first cohort possible, including practical learning resources, interactive family training, guided home practice, reflection sessions, monitoring, and program coordination.

Join Us in Building Meaningful Communication

Every meaningful relationship begins with communication.

By supporting this initiative, you are helping families learn the communication methods their children already use, creating opportunities for learning, participation, and connection that continue far beyond the classroom.

We would be delighted to share the full project proposal and explore how your organisation could become part of this partnership.

Interested in Supporting This Initiative?

We would be pleased to share the full project proposal and discuss how your organisation could partner with MIPI.

To express your interest, please return to the project page and select Support This Initiative.