Georgina Binns

Deaf-blind activist who transformed disability rights in Australia through tactile communication

Born in 1945 with Usher syndrome, Georgina Binns lost her sight and hearing by adulthood but defied institutionalization to become Australia's foremost advocate for deaf-blind communication rights. She co-developed the ‘telebraille’ system enabling real-time tactile conversations, predating digital assistive technologies.

In the 1970s, when sign language was banned in schools, Binns organized clandestine tactile signing workshops, adapting signs for varying sensory capacities. Her 1982 memoir Fingertips Across the Silence exposed widespread neglect of multi-sensory impaired individuals, prompting Australia's first deaf-blind interpreter accreditation program.

Binns' most radical innovation was the ‘body signing’ method, using pressure and movement on limbs to convey abstract concepts. This technique, now taught globally, allows profound intellectual exchange beyond basic needs communication. Her legacy lives through Melbourne's Georgina Binns Tactile Arts Centre, where disabled artists create vibration-based installations.