Sense Charity

Sense have been established since 1955 and is the leading national charity that supports and campaigns for children and adults who are deafblind. They provide expert advice and information as well as specialist services to deafblind people, their families, carers and the professionals who work with them.

Isolated and locked away was the life that many deafblind people faced just a number of decades ago. Many were left in hospitals staring at nothing or rocking themselves in boredom as there was nothing to stimulate or entertain them and nobody knew how to communicate with them. Fortunately Sense was established and over the last 50 years and it's pioneered innovative ways to help deafblind people live, learn, thrive and reach their full potential.

Deafblindness is one of the most challenging, but also least understood disabilities. There are over 100 different causes of deafblindness such as premature birth or genetic disorders like CHARGE or Usher. Some people are born deafblind or later become completely deaf and blind due to old age and this brings immense challenges. There are now an estimated 248,000 deafblind adults in the UK of which 4,000 are deafblind children.

95% of what we learn about ourselves and the world around us comes from our sight and hearing Deafblind people face huge challenges with communication, getting around safely and living independantly. It can be enormously stressful to communicate your desires and wishes if you are deafblind. This can cause stress and anxiety and lead to what is called challenging behaviour. The families of deafblind people often feel stressed and isolated, having to battle to get the right help. 1 in 4 deafblind people have gone without things like food and medicine because shopping is so difficult.

Helping deafblind children and adults fulfill their potential!

How your donations to Sense Charity will be used?

Sense spend just 6% of their income on administration. The other 94% is spent on service delivery and raising funds for their continued work:

• Supporting and campaigning for people who are deafblind and those with sensory impairments
• Providing expert advice and information as well as specialist services to deafblind people, their families, carers and the professionals who work with them
• Offering skilled assessments as well as offering families best ways to help their child learn and develop
• Working carefully and patiently with each individual learning how they prefer to communicate and spend their time so that they don't become frustrated and anxious
• Listening, counselling and supporting as well as working in partnership with other service providers to the benefit of the individual

Donations can be made either as a regular direct debit, a one-off donation, by post, as a legacy or as an in memory tribute. £10 per month could pay for a vital first assessment allowing Sense experts ot create an individual therapy plan for a child. £7.50 could buy a bongo drum to help stimulate a deafblind child's hearing and £5 could buy an interactive light tube to help stimulate a deafblind child's sight.