My daughter, Skye, who is 11-years-old, is your typical young girl who likes musicals, playing football and reading. However, because of sight and hearing loss, she’s worn glasses and hearing aids since she was at nursery school.
One day, she took a look at her hearing aids and said ‘I don’t want to wear them anymore.’ She’d needed them since she was three but had recently become self-conscious about it.
Our connection to those close to us has a huge impact on health, wellbeing and happiness. We know from our recent campaign on loneliness, that many disabled people feel lonely and don’t have as many social connections as they’d like.
So we wanted to find ways to increase opportunities for the people we support in our services, to make friends, form new relationships and connect with others.
When I first took my disabled daughter to Nascot Lawn Respite Centre – the only NHS overnight and daycare centre in Hertfordshire – I never imagined it would become one of the most important places in our lives. So when the service was threatened by closure last year, I didn’t hesitate to lead the legal challenge to reverse the decision.
Beating the odds and winning two judicial reviews meant the parents from Nascot Lawn raised the importance of short breaks and social care funding for all disabled children to a national level. But now, with only three staff members left, the gem of Hertfordshire is on the brink of extinction and my daughter’s future uncertain.
Continue reading “I’m fighting for the future of my disabled daughter’s care”
My name’s Ellen Watson. I’m 22 years old. I’m a student at the University of Sheffield. I recently attended parliament where I spoke about loneliness and disability. I shared my experience of being deaf and losing my sight, and the effect it has on young disabled people transitioning from childhood to adulthood.
I have a severe visual impairment and came to Sense to get some work experience. I wanted to develop my skills and develop some inspiration for what I want to do after school. I’m in year ten in a mainstream school and will be doing most of my GCSEs next year.
Over the past several months, Sense Arts has been working closely with six young people with sensory impairments and complex communication needs through a series of music making workshops.
These workshops were part of a project called ‘Music is a Vibration’, which is an inclusive arts project that enabled the young people to co-produce their own musical compositions. The project put young people at the heart of several immersive environments in which they were able to create music and experience soundscapes. The workshops were led by artists Tom Peel and Justin Wiggan, assisted by Sense support worker and musician, Bamba Dia.
Continue reading “Young people with sensory impairments exhibit sonic works of art”
World cup fever is upon us! It’s all over the TV, radio, social media, and is the topic of many of our conversations at the moment.
In amongst all the hype, one video in particular went viral over the weekend, just as Deafblind Awareness Week kicked off. The video shows football fan Carlos and his friends celebrating a goal in Brazil’s game against Costa Rica on Friday. What’s different about this video is that Carlos is deafblind and is experiencing the football through touch.
I choose to support Sense in memory of my aunt Josie. Josie had meningitis in 1940, when she was just 12 years old, which left her deafblind. She was independent, strong-willed and a true inspiration to everyone who met her.
Continue reading “My inspirational aunt is why I’m leaving a gift in my Will to Sense”
Deafblind Awareness Week 2018 is almost upon us. From 24 – 30 June, hundreds of people will be raising awareness across England, by taking part in our Sense Walks. And we’re inviting you to join us.
Deafblind Awareness Week includes celebrating the birthday of world famous deafblind American author and activist, Helen Keller, who was born on the 27 June, 1880. Keller was instrumental in raising awareness of deafblindness among the public, helping them understand what life is like when you have both sight and hearing loss.
Sensibility was a three-day disability arts festival in Birmingham that showcased the contributions and connections to arts and creativity of sixty deafblind and disabled people. It brought together a diverse audience from all over the country, to celebrate and share a unique experience.
