This year marks the 40th anniversary of Deaf Blind Awareness Week, the national advocacy campaign that has been held each year since 1984 when President Ronald Reagan issued a proclamation in recognition of this week. Its purpose is to raise public awareness about individuals who have combined hearing and vision loss.
The DeafBlind Retreat of Arizona has become a force in this journey towards equality. Established in 2020 by a coalition of passionate advocates DBRAZ was born. Their inaugural retreat was held at the Franciscan Renewal Center in Scottsdale and marked a pivotal moment in the nonprofit organization’s journey. The DBRAZ retreat has been held each year at the Franciscan Renewal Center in mid-July.
Their mission is to serve, empower, promote and unify the deaf blind population. The retreat offers a sanctuary where individuals can immerse themselves in a supportive environment tailored to their unique needs, fostering connections and opportunities often obscured by the challenges of dual sensory impairment.
When the president of DBRAZ contacted Drum Arizona in 2021 with an invitation to host a drum circle and to have the 10 participants at the retreat make their own Native American drum, Sun City resident Dr. Lydia A. Woods was “shocked to be asked to take on this responsibility because I had no experience or understanding of deaf blind individuals and no experience other than working with sighted and hearing populations.”
The president explained that deaf blind individuals are capable of doing almost everything that sighted and hearing persons can do, with imagination, guidance and patience.
“This was a new experience for me, but I agreed to this new challenge,” Woods said. “I learned quite a bit about the capabilities of deaf blind persons. She was right, they can do anything a sighted and hearing person can do. I needed to be creative, to think differently and exercise patience. I was given a translator who interpreted what I needed them to do, verbally and with sign language. Each participant had a personal translator to work with them and they translated through signing and touch. Each participant’s drum was beautiful made. I was amazed and honored to have the opportunity to work with the deaf blind community.”
Woods added that after the drum making experience participants made comments on their evaluation sheets about having fun, learning something new, working with tools and finally the joy of creating their own drum and drum beater. They also commented on the patience of the instructor.
Central to DBRAZ’s philosophy is the belief in equal access to employment, education, technology and socialization, pillars aimed at reducing isolation and enhancing quality of life. Through a range of specialized programs and initiatives, participants are equipped with the tools and support necessary to navigate daily life independently and to create a world where deaf blind individuals not only survive but thrive.
The 2024 Deafblind retreat was again held at the Franciscan Renewal Center making it the fourth consecutive year that Drum Arizona had been invited to participate. Drum Arizona donates the equipment and materials and leads the retreaters in a hands-on project each year as well as a drum circle on the last evening of the retreat. This year each participant received their own Native American drum, drum beater and drum bag donated by Drum Arizona.
Woods encourages any Sun City resident with dual sensory impairment to apply for the 2025 DeafBlind retreat.
Visit dbarizona.org for more information.
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