Nine out of 10 deafblind children left without hope of professional support

12 November 2012

Rebecca Front joins national charity call for vital support for deafblind children

Read about and watch videos of our intervenors parliamentary event

With deafblind children and their parents, Rebecca Front joined Sense for a parliamentary event with Minister Edward Timpson from the Department of Education to highlight that nine out of 10 deafblind children are left without any hope of the professional support they vitally need. This is because only 10% of deafblind children have been identified by local authorities, according to new research by Sense [ Local authority children’s survey, October 2012 ].

Sense’s research also shows that even for those deafblind children identified by local authorities, only three out of 10 are getting the professional support they vitally need.

Sense and Rebecca Front, who is famed for her BAFTA winning role as Nicola Murray MP, the Leader of the Opposition on the TV programme The Thick of It, are calling on the Government to make the case for deafblind children to ensure they get the support they need in the form of a unique professional called an ‘intervenor’. This is a highly-trained professional who works one-to-one with a deafblind child to help them play, learn and develop communication while they are growing up.

Rebecca Front said:

“When I visited extraordinary services for deafblind children run by the charity Sense I witnessed first hand how these unique children can learn and achieve with the right support from a professional called an intervenor. It is remarkable watching a deafblind child learn by touch as they feel the intervenor’s hands – it is like watching a beautiful ballet.

“So I am shocked to learn that most deafblind children are being left without the professional support they need to develop language and make sense of the world. Surely as a society we cannot leave deafblind children unable to connect with their world, and their families alone to cope with the many challenges.”

Steve Rose, Head of Children’s Specialist Services at Sense, said:

“It is estimated that there are 4,000 deafblind children in the country. These children are truly unique, and Sense recognises that an intervenor’s role is a highly specialist one and provides crucial support for deafblind children to make sense of the world, learn how to communicate and overcome the isolation caused by deafblindness.”

Personal story

Kiera Barve is eight years old and was born deafblind. She lives with her parents in Southfields, London, and communicates by feeling people’s hands as they use sign language. She has one-to-one support from an intervenor while she is at school, and the intervenor acts a bridge for Kiera so she can understand, learn and develop in our hearing and sighted world.

With support from her intervenor Kiera is learning Braille, and has also discovered her love of cycling – she loves the sensory feeling of the wind rushing through her hair.

Kiera’s Mum, Ashling Barve (40), says: “Kiera would be so lonely, isolated and frustrated if she didn’t have an intervenor. No one would be able to communicate with her and she would not be able to learn anything at school, which would be such a waste because she is a bright little girl. I honestly don’t know how families with a deafblind child cope without an intervenor.”

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