Scottish Government launches definition of Deafblindness
- Area of Work: Policy and Research, Scottish Sensory Hub
- Type: News Item
- Published: 27th June 2025
The Scottish Government has recognised a formal definition of Deafblindness.
Today, Friday 27 June 2025, the Scottish Government have officially recognised and launched a definition of Deafblindness for Scotland.
Until now, and unlike the rest of the UK, Scotland has lacked a legal definition for Deafblindness. We are delighted that Tom Arthur MSP, Minister for Social Care and Mental Wellbeing, announced that the Scottish Government:
“Recognises the distinct challenges faced by the Deafblind community and […] want to ensure that those living with Deafblindness in Scotland are able to access the best possible care and support. We intend to take forward work to adopt the Nordic definition of Deafblindness as a functional model in Scotland to help ensure individuals receive the recognition and support they need.
We appreciate the hard work undertaken by Deafblind Scotland, the CPG on Deafness and the CPG on Visual Impairment to raise awareness of the definition and progress towards its adoption in Scotland. We will work closely with them on the next steps to implement this definition.”
This is a crucial step towards recognising and diagnosing Deafblindness at the earliest point, and addressing the unique experiences and needs of the community.
As a long-standing supported of this campaign, the ALLIANCE warmly welcome this announcement.
Often, in terms of accessibility, deafblind people have ‘fallen between the cracks’ in terms of reasonable adjustments for Deafness or Visual Impairment. We hope that today’s announcement will change this.
This is a fitting end to Deafblind Awareness Week, and we look forward to supporting Deafblind Scotland, the Cross-party Groups on Deafness and Visual Impairment, and the Scottish Government in sharing the new definition.
Click here for more information on the campaign and definition.
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