Connected by Touch:
Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges
DeafBlind Awareness Week 2026 | June 25 – July 1, 2026
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Narjis Karimipour was born blind, and when she was 10 years old she lost her hearing. Three years later, she sat down for a StoryCorps conversation with her parents, Sarah Kassim and Mohammad Karimipour, to tell her story in the hopes of helping others struggling with disabilities. - From NPR StoryCorps
About DeafBlind Awareness Week
In recognition of the achievements, contributions, and potential of people who are DeafBlind, the Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youths and Adults (HKNC) celebrates the last week of June as “DeafBlind Awareness Week.” This year, DeafBlind Awareness Week runs June 25-July 1, 2026.
An estimated 2.4 million Americans experience combined hearing and vision loss — a population that includes individuals who identify as DeafBlind. DeafBlind individuals are educators, advocates, professionals, artists, and leaders who enrich our communities through their unique perspectives, lived experience, and remarkable achievements.
DBAW Poster Visual Description
The 2026 DeafBlind Awareness Week poster, “Connected By Touch: Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges,” is a horizontal layout with a white background flowing into layered light blue and navy wave shapes across the lower half. The title runs across the top in bold navy and red type, with the subtitle directly beneath it.
Five photographs are arranged collage-style across the upper portion, each capturing touch as a form of connection. From left to right: a person crouches to place a hand on a black Labrador guide dog; two people engaged in tactile sign language; a seated participant works with a braille display while an instructor’s hand rests on his shoulder; a medical professional gently touches a patient’s arm while an interpreter beside them signs in tactile communication; and a self-defense student uses a white cane in a move with an instructor.
The supporting text reads: “Touch is the foundation of connection for the DeafBlind community. Through Protactile language, tactile sign language, haptics, braille, and assistive technology, DeafBlind individuals communicate, navigate, learn, work, and thrive. Touch can also build bridges with the broader world. When we connect through accessible communication, barriers break down and doors open to meaningful participation and genuine belonging.”
A braille passage of the title and subtitle appears below. The HKNC logo sits at the bottom center, with a QR code linking to helenkeller.org/dbaw2026 in the lower right.
About the Louisiana DeafBlind Project
The Louisiana DeafBlind Project (LADBP) supports children and youth ages 0-22 who have varying degrees of vision and hearing loss, known as DeafBlindness.
Children who are DeafBlind benefit from specialized support to build communication skills, access learning, navigate their environment, and thrive.