Keynote Speakers

Saskia Damen is a Professor in Inclusive and Special Needs Education at the University of Groningen and a Senior Researcher at the Kentalis Academy in the Netherlands. Her research program focuses on developing evidence-based assessment and intervention methods to foster the development and learning of people with congenital and early-acquired deafblindness and people with complex communication needs.

Juliet Wabukawo is a deafblind self-advocate and teacher from Uganda, dedicated to advancing the rights and inclusion of people with deafblindness. Living with hearing impairment and low vision herself, she brings lived experience and strong commitment to her advocacy work.

Pere Cantenys Gómez is from Barcelona, Spain, Deafblind, and a Human Resources Master's graduate, International Trade professional, advocate, and youth leader. He has worked in the aviation and logistics industries and studied at Gallaudet University in the United States.

Dr Peter Simcock is Associate Professor of Social Work and Centre Lead for the Deafblind UK Centre for Education and Research at Birmingham City University. He has a long-standing research and practice interest in deafblindness, with a particular focus on social work and deafblindness, the experiences of those ageing with deafblindness, the relationship between law and social work practice in the field, and qualitative research involving deafblind people.

Sanja Tarczay was born in Zagreb as a deaf child in a deaf family and later became Deafblind. In 1994, she established the Croatian Association of Deafblind Persons "Dodir“ where she is acting as president. She is the creator of a Croatian Sign Language course, courses for Service Support Providers (SSPs), courses for Deafblind interpreters, and the founder of the Croatian Sign Language Interpreting Centre.

Chris Woodfill has served as Executive Director of the New York State Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing Office since January 2024, following his appointment by Governor Kathy Hochul. With over 25 years of professional experience, he previously held leadership roles at Helen Keller National Center and worked for 13 years as a teacher at the Wisconsin School for the Deaf.

Akiko Fukuda is the first nationally-certified social worker in Japan who is deafblind. She is an executive member of the Japan Deafblind Association, a member of the disability policy committee of the Cabinet of Japan, as well as the Japan Disability Forum. She is also the coordinator of the Asia Deafblind Network. She works as a university lecturer, focusing on Disability and Development. She lives independently in Tokyo with her cat and uses tactile sign language.