Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to describe experiences of disabilities and factors affecting daily life from the perspective of adult persons with severe-to-profound hearing impairment in combination with severe vision impairment. Furthermore, the study also investigated which kind of support individuals with dual sensory loss received, and their experiences as citizens in the society.

Methods: Semi-structured qualitative interviews were performed, analyzed, and categorized using content analysis.

Results: Fourteen interviews were performed, with equal number of both sexes. Mean age was 70.1 years (47–81 years). Analysis of the data resulted in 22 categories, six sub-themes and two main themes. Two main themes emerged as Isolation and The Ability to control one’s own daily life. Surprisingly, most of the participants did not think of their vision and hearing impairment as a combined disability. The interviews showed various kind of strategies to handle daily life. The Deafblind-team unit was reported to offer excellent health care. Companion services for persons with disabilities proved to have become more difficult to get support from and created lack of independence and control over their own lives. However, it was also obvious that the participants felt a positive outlook on life and were more solution-oriented in order to adjust their everyday life to their lifesituation.

Conclusions: The combination of vision and hearing impairment demonstrated isolation, and the respondents in the study have a need of support in everyday lives. At the same time, they struggle to have the ability to control their own lives.

Diplomacy plays an important role in world politics and international relations. Broadly speaking, diplomacy is defined as the use of peaceful means to prevent, settle, or resolve armed conflicts. After the Cold War, changes in the international scene call for a different practice of diplomacy than before. Issues are raised of how psychology may contribute to achieve a more efficient diplomacy. Psychological knowledge has become increasingly important for the successful practise of various categories of diplomacy,; i.e. peacetime diplomacy, crisis diplomacy and preventive diplomacy. Various challenges to diplomacy is discussed.Diplomacy is a means used by government to communicate. The function and possible improvement of this communication is discussed. Furthermore the prevalence of different cognitive and motivational biases in political judgements, the use of theory in political judgements, the relationship between justice and conflict and its implications for preventive diplomacy, the role political leaders play in escalation of social conflict, effective negotiation and mediation, social psychological principles of reconciliation.