Our history

Meet our founders

It all began with two mothers—Peggy Freeman and Margaret Brock—who saw limitless potential in their children, despite the challenges of deafblindness.

In 1946, Margaret Brock contracted rubella during pregnancy, and in 1951 Peggy Freeman faced the same. As a result, both of their children were born deafblind. The two mothers didn’t know who to turn to, and no one knew how to help them.

With no support available, the two mothers decided to take matters into their own hands.

The start of a network

Peggy and Margaret knew there must be other families in need of support. Through contacts and letters, they soon discovered that there were, and their group grew into ten founder families known as ‘The Rubella Group’.

Bunty is a young girl in an old black and white photograph. — Peggy’s daughter Bunty

“When Peggy and I first met…we could not possibly have foreseen how our search for other rubella parents would develop.”
_{Margaret Brock}

Through conferences, the group became affiliated with other major organisations for disabled people, which really started to expand their influence and visibility.

Margaret and her son Christopher in an old photograph — Margaret and her son Christopher

“For once the United States is not the first in the field. The initiative from the United Kingdom has been taken by a group of parents who have organised an association, to the great embarrassment of educators.”
Dr Edward J. Waterhouse

The group’s ongoing focus on what children with deafblindness could achieve, rather than what they couldn’t, drove them forward every day. Through sheer determination, they proved to the world that with the right support, at the right time, their children could learn, communicate and develop.

“The overwhelming love and affection you have for your children, is the driving force of this association.”
Mr Lumsden – professional at an early conference

A legacy that lives on

After registering as a charity in 1961, the group would go on to become Sense, as we’re still known today.

From their humble beginnings, Peggy and Margaret went on to pioneer revolutionary work in specialised support for children and young people.

Their commitment to breaking down barriers for disabled people drove landmark changes in education, health and social care.

Both Peggy and Margaret were awarded MBEs for their incredible work.

Today, their legacy lives on. The values that Peggy and Margaret embodied – inclusivity, innovation, personalised support, connection, boldness and determination – have shaped and are still embedded in our work today.

Sense today

A young boy with curly hair being supported by a support work at Sense TouchBase Pears.

Sense continues their mission to this day. We now reach 32,000 disabled people a year, providing support in people’s homes, and in our centres, colleges and residential services.

The heart of what we do has always been the same – breaking down barriers so that every disabled person is connected and included.

We work to create a world where children can communicate with their parents and get the best possible start in life. Where young people and adults can develop skills, build confidence and connect with their community. Where families can find the hope and resilience to thrive, not just survive.

Together, we can achieve long term change. That’s why we go to any lengths, step up in the face of adversity and unite with the 1.6 million disabled people with complex needs in the UK.

Regardless of how long it takes, how many barriers we need to overcome or how hard we have to fight, we’ll stop at nothing to create a world where disabled people are connected and included, no matter what.