For professionals

If you support a child or adult who is deafblind or has complex disabilities, contact Sense’s specialist services team for advice and support.

Email us at [email protected] or see other ways you can contact us.

At Sense, we’ve developed a range of resources for professionals working with disabled people.

This information hub contains guides, curricula, research reports and tools aimed at professionals working in health, social care, education or policymaking and research.

Healthcare

These resources are aimed at healthcare professionals such as doctors, nurses or audiologists. We want to support you to find the best information on syndromes, diagnoses, and how to treat people with sensory impairments or disabilities.

CHARGE syndrome information pack

A comprehensive information pack about CHARGE syndrome.

Multi-sensory impaired children in hospital

Guidance on how to make the hospital stay less stressful for children with multi-sensory impairment.

Usher syndrome information for healthcare professionals

An overview of Usher syndrome for healthcare professionals.

Explore more healthcare resources.

Education professionals

We have lots of resources are for teachers, SEND (Special educational needs and disabilities) workers and other education professionals who work with children or young people. Explore our tools, download the MSI and VI curricula, or read our guides on how to provide the best possible education for young people with sensory impairments or disabilities.

Making play inclusive: a play toolkit for professionals

This toolkit helps early years play providers and workers offer accessible play opportunities to children with multiple needs

Quality Standards in Education Support Services

These Quality Standards aim to ensure that children and young people have high quality support, so that they can access the best quality education.

SEND routemap to meeting the needs of deafblind children

This guide helps professionals in education, health and social care who work with children deafblindness/multi-sensory impairment.

Explore more education and early years resources.

Policy, public affairs and research

Sense’s policy, public affairs and research team engages with government to ensure that people with complex disabilities have a voice in policy.

Our research provides insight and knowledge that help the general public, decision makers and organisations to make changes that benefit people who are deafblind or have other complex disabilities. We also provide regular policy briefings and articles, and we explain our approach to engaging with government on disability issues.

Visit our policy, public affairs and research centre.

Arts and wellbeing

Sense is dedicated to empowering people with complex disabilities to lead creative and active lives. Our arts and wellbeing team has a host of resources, information and training packages to help service providers offer sensory experiences for people who are deafblind or disabled.

Making sense of dance

A guide for support staff to develop creative movement-based skills.

Music is a vibration toolkit

A toolkit for care staff, teachers, and youth leaders to create inclusive music activities.

Sense Arts strategy

An explanation of Sense’s approach to using arts to help people tackle loneliness and isolation.

Explore more arts and wellbeing resources.

Sports and activities

From yoga toolkits to sensory walk guides, our resources and reports will help sports practitioners, coaches, teachers and support staff provide sensory experiences for people who are deafblind or disabled.

Making walks sensory

The making walks sensory resource includes advice on planning walks, tips on encouraging mindfulness and suggested sensory activities.

Sensory exercises

These exercises aim to improve mobility and coordination and have been designed for people with complex disabilities.

Making sense of mini games

This resource is designed to give you suitable games and activities that can be enjoyed with little or no equipment or in any sized space, helping people to be more active.

Explore more sports and activities resources.

For commissioners

Sense provides a range of services for people of all ages, many of which receive fees and funding from local authorities. Our services overview explains what support Sense provides and how each is funded.

Funding Sense services

Other disability charities, organisations, and resources

We work with many other organisations to improve the world for people who are deafblind or have complex disabilities. We’ve pulled together a list of other service providers, charities, and organisations that specialise in helping blind, deaf, or disabled people.

Other service providers

Safeguarding

This page is about safeguarding for children and adults with complex disabilities or learning disabilities. It tells you what safeguarding is, with a link to the different laws and systems in place in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

It covers abuse and neglect, how to tell if someone is being abused or neglected, and what to do if you think you are being abused or neglected or if someone else is. It also has links for further information and support.

Safeguarding children and adults

Get in touch

If you would like to find more information or support on service provision, policy or support for people who are deafblind or disabled, please get in touch with us at [email protected] or visit our get in touch page for other ways to contact us.

You can also learn more about Sense services or discover more resources aimed at parents and carers in our information and advice centre.