Observing the behaviour and interactions of adults with congenital deafblindness living in community residences.

Background: Adults with congenital deafblindness (CDB) have received little attention from researchers. In this study we examined the nature of interactions between adults with CDB and the staff who mediate their support, and investigated the reliability of an observation coding system, originally designed for observing adults with severe intellectual disability.

Method: The behaviours of 9 adults with CDB, including their interactions with support staff from 2 community residences, were recorded and subsequently coded by 2 observers.