Not even two...and my Bristol baby's an artist!
26 June 2012
Teddie Crossman, a 21-month-old toddler from Bristol, helped to create a sensory painting along with his friends. The painting will be on show at the Celebrations exhibition which showcases the work of deafblind artists across the South West.
Celebrations opens in Bristol city centre on 26 June, to coincide with Deafblind Awareness Week. The week celebrates the birthday of Helen Keller, the famous deafblind activist, as well as those with sensory impairments much closer to home.
Teddie, from Chew Stoke, was born with the rare genetic condition called ocular albinism. This causes nystagmus (involuntary movement of his eyes) and means he has difficulty seeing anything that is more than three centimetres away from him.
But Teddie's condition doesn't hold him back from taking part in all the activities other children his age enjoy. Every week, he visits our Woodside Family Centre in Kingswood, where he meets other sensory impaired children. Teddie enjoys relaxing in the specially adapted sensory room with its bubble tubes and fibre optic lights. He also enjoys getting stuck into arts and crafts and messy play as mum, Claire, explains:
"Teddie just loves to get in a right old mess! He can't always see what he's doing but he enjoys the feel of the paint on his hands. The piece he helped create for the exhibition is very sensory with lots to touch and feel. Teddie enjoyed running his hands over the bumpy surface of the Braille paper that covers the canvas and all the children have contributed some of their favourite objects to make it memorable for them – Teddie's favourite things are feathers and pipecleaners- he loves the feel of the different textures."
"Sense and the Woodside centre have been a lifeline for us. We haven't missed a visit to the centre since Teddie was 10 weeks old. He has learnt sign language which has helped him focus his vision and he loves to play with the other children who attend. I've made some great friends as well - we all support each other and share experiences of having children with sensory impairments."
Celebrations opens for free viewing on 26 June at The Beachcroft Space, DAC Beachcroft LLP, Portwall Place, Portwall Lane, Bristol BS1 6NB and runs until 30 September.
The Sense Woodside Family Support Centre in Kingswood provides a hub of support for sensory impaired children and their families. For more information, please telephone 0117 967 0008 or email us at info@sense.org.uk