International Day of Deafblindness
Next: June 27, 2027
Every word can travel by touch.
The story
Where it comes from
On 16 June 2025 the UN General Assembly adopted resolution 79/294 without a vote, proclaiming 27 June the International Day of Deafblindness, and the day was first observed eleven days later. The date is the birthday of Helen Keller, born in Tuscumbia, Alabama, on 27 June 1880, who lost her sight and hearing to an illness at 19 months and became a celebrated author and campaigner. The day recognises deafblindness as a distinct disability, not simply deafness plus blindness, with its own needs, such as trained interpreter-guides.
How it's celebrated
The World Federation of the Deafblind invites governments, organisations and communities to hold events, share stories and run campaigns that celebrate the voices and contributions of deafblind people. The day falls in the last week of June, which is also recognised as Deafblind International Awareness Week. A good way to join in is to learn how interpreter-guides, braille and touch help deafblind people stay connected.
Did you know
- On 5 April 1887 her teacher Anne Sullivan spelled W-A-T-E-R into Keller's hand as water flowed over it, and Keller understood that everything has a name.
- In 1904 Keller graduated cum laude from Radcliffe College, the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.
- On a visit to Japan in 1937 she was given an Akita named Kamikaze-go, the first of the breed to live in America.
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