where can I find out more information about the the just born deaf blind triplets?”
Hope for Deaf-Blind Triplets — Light in the Dark For the parents of deaf-blind triplets, a modern-day miracle worker is their best hope. By Kenneth Miller Special Sisters There are three small beds in the triplets’ lavender-painted room, but Zoe often sacks out in a beanbag chair. Emma prefers the toy box, if she sleeps at all. Some nights, she spends hours jumping up and down, scattering blankets and playthings as far as she can toss them. Only Sophie, whose remnant of vision allows her to see shapes at close range, remains tucked under her covers most nights. To her sisters, “bed” is a meaningless concept. The world’s only deaf-blind triplets are seven years old. Tests show they have normal intelligence, but sensory deprivation has severely delayed their development. Though Sophie can navigate familiar spaces on her own, she speaks in three-word sentences and uses sign language at the level of a kindergartner. Emma can sign just four words and say her name, as well as “Mama” and “Da
As you know, deafblindness is a low incidence disability. I know of a set of 7-year-old blind triplets in California and a set of 20-year-old deaf triplets in the Midwest, but I believe we have the only set of deafblind triplets.” At the time this article was written in 2005, their deafblind triplet daughters were close to turning 5 years old. Liz said, “We’re lucky that the girls don’t have any cognitive impairments beyond developmental delay. We work very hard everyday to push them along. It is most overwhelming though, because I know I’m outnumbered to perform the task at hand. I still have big dreams for them though.” Daughters Lose Eyesight About: How old were they when you found out about the Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP)? Do they have any sight at all? Liz and George: Emma, Sophie, and Zoe were born premature, at 25 weeks. Sophie weighed 1 pound 3 oz., Zoe weighed 1 pound 6 oz., and Emma weighed 1 pound 5 oz. All three became blind from complications related to Retinopathy of
