17 April 2026

What does play look like for a child with deafblindness? And why does it matter that children with complex disabilities are included in play alongside their peers? A new resource on the Global Deafblindness Resource Hub, developed by Right to Play with funding from the Lego Foundation, shares 100 play-based learning activities along with guidance on adapting them for children with disabilities. 

Play is an essential part of growing up. From helping to develop social skills and strengthening bonds with friends and family to improving mobility, reflexes, and cognitive abilities, play makes us stronger, more resilient, and connects us with one another. Play can also foster inclusion, enhance relationships, and promote understanding of different abilities and needs. 

The Play Opportunities for Wellness and Education Resource (P.O.W.E.R.) is a collection of 100 play-based learning activities created to support parents, teachers, and carers to promote children’s learning and well-being. Created by Right to Play, with funding from the Lego Foundation, these activities build critical skills like confidence, collaboration, and problem-solving. 

Earlier this year, Sense International partnered with Right to Play to help bring the P.O.W.E.R to the Global Deafblindness Resource Hub. By making the resource accessible to Hub users, we’re helping to connect children with deafblindness with opportunities to learn through play, and parents and teachers with information on creating accessible, inclusive environments for children with disabilities to interact and engage with their peers. 

The resource, accessible to all who use the Hub, includes a section on ‘Children with Disabilities and Play’ to provide some guidance on how to make these games inclusive, so everyone can fully participate and benefit. It encourages facilitators to think about specific needs and abilities of the participants, asking for their input on how they would like to play. Sense International’s global teams are already implementing the guidance within projects, and have found the resources helpful in inspiring creative ways of adapting play activities for children with deafblindness to be included alongside their peers. 

This collaboration demonstrates the long-term goal of the Global Deafblindness Resource Hub: to host and share resources from partners and experts across sectors, making vital information accessible to people with deafblindness and their families. As the Hub continues to grow, we will keep working with partners to improve inclusion and share accessible resources for people with complex disabilities, their carers and teachers. 

Thank you to Right to Play for working with us to take this step forward, and helping us to build a world where no person with deafblindness is left behind.  

Learn more on the Global Deafblindness Resource Hub: https://deafblindness.info/resource/play-opportunities-power/ 

We’re looking for new partners to help us bring more resources to the Global Deafblindness Resource Hub. Get in touch with Laurie-Ann.Mafusire@senseinternational.org.uk to collaborate.