Sense International helps deafblind people in less developed countries to communicate, connect, interact and flourish
Sense International provides specialist training, information and support to ensure that every person living with deafblindness can achieve their full potential
We are Sense International
Sense International works in partnership to provide services and raise awareness of the needs of deafblind people and their families so they can connect, participate and contribute to their communities.
Romania
In 1999 there were no services for deafblind people in Romania - there wasn't even a word that could be used to describe this unique disability. We established the first two school units for deafblind children, and these units have now become Centres of Excellence.
Impressed by this work, the Romanian government entered into a partnership with us, which has led to a further 33 education units for 134 deafblind children being established across the country. We have trained 85 special education teachers and created a team of 11 national trainers specialised in deafblindness. We have also supported the introduction of a specialist curriculum for deafblind children.
In 2005 we introduced an innovative programme to identify, from birth, children at risk of deafblindness. Since its inception, over 19,000 babies have been screened in four maternity hospitals across Romania, and those found to have a sensory impairment have been referred to Early Intervention Support Centres. There are currently 19 children receiving services in these centres.
Our current work is focussing on expanding the Early Intervention Programme to include another two hospitals, with the aim of screening a total of 60,000 infants. This would lead to the identification of an estimated 45 deafblind/multi-sensory impaired (MSI) children who would be able to gain the best start in life through specialist help from the Early Intervention support teams. We also continue to strengthen our education work, increasing the knowledge and skill set of our special education teachers, and taking and adapting best practice models from around the world to continually improve the services provided for deafblind/MSI children.
Visit the Sense International Romania website
Get involved with our Fundraising Activities
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May 1st – May 15th 2010
Trek Santiago de Compostela
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Jun 5th – Jun 21st 2010
Another great activity
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