Sense | |
Formerly | The National Deafblind and Rubella Association |
Industry | Non-profit |
Headquarters | 101 Pentonville Road, N1 9LG, London, UK |
Key people | Richard Kramer (chief executive) |
Revenue | GBP £69.87million (2020) |
Number of employees | 2,446 |
Website | https://www.sense.org.uk/ |
Footnotes /references Sense annual report and accounts: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/289868/accounts-and-annual-returns |
Sense is a charitable organization based in the United Kingdom. [1] The charity exists to support people who are deafblind or who have a hearing or vision impairment and another disability [2] and campaigns for the rights of disabled people in the UK. [3] It operates in England, Northern Ireland and Wales. [4]
The charity's full name is Sense, The National Deafblind and Rubella Association but its operating name is Sense. It was previously called The National Deafblind and Rubella Association. [5]
The charity offers a range of services for disabled people including residential services, advice and information and arts and sports activities. [4] It also offers education services to young people with complex learning disabilities. [6] It also provides a residential holiday scheme for disabled children. [7] Sense also supports people in the UK affected by Usher syndrome. [8]
Sense also campaigns for the rights of disabled people to take part in life. [9]
This activity included a 2016 campaign that highlighted that many disabled children were excluded from playgrounds and other children's play activities. [10] This included an inquiry into children's play activities in the UK and a report called The Case for Play. [11]
In 2020, the charity ran an educational campaign called Sense Sign School to increase understanding of British Sign Language (BSL). [12] This campaign promoted free online lessons in BSL taught by a teenager living with CHARGE syndrome. [13]
In 2021, Sense campaigned to highlight the exclusion and social isolation of disabled people during the COVID-19 pandemic. [14] The charity was also involved in highlighting the abuse of a woman and her deafblind sister for removing a face mask. [15] Sense also published a report about exclusion and social isolation among disabled people that highlighted the barriers faced by disabled people in everyday life. [3]
Sense is a charitable company registered with the Charity Commission. [5] It is also regulated by the Care Quality Commission, [16] Ofsted (Office For Standards In Education) [17] and Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW [18] ).
Princess Anne, the Princess Royal is the patron of Sense. [19] [20] In December 2020, Princess Anne was thanked for her work by a disabled teenager supported by Sense. [21]
Sense is notable for holding the world's largest tactile signing lesson. This took place in London on 2 October 2018 and involved 390 participants. [22]
British Sign Language (BSL) is a sign language used in the United Kingdom and is the first or preferred language among the deaf community in the UK. While private correspondence from William Stokoe hinted at a formal name for the language in 1960, the first usage of the term "British Sign Language" in an academic publication was likely by Aaron Cicourel. Based on the percentage of people who reported 'using British Sign Language at home' on the 2011 Scottish Census, the British Deaf Association estimates there are 151,000 BSL users in the UK, of whom 87,000 are Deaf. By contrast, in the 2011 England and Wales Census 15,000 people living in England and Wales reported themselves using BSL as their main language. People who are not deaf may also use BSL, as hearing relatives of deaf people, sign language interpreters or as a result of other contact with the British Deaf community. The language makes use of space and involves movement of the hands, body, face and head.
The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) is a UK charity that offers information, support and advice to people in the UK with sight loss.
Action for Children is a UK children's charity created to help vulnerable children and young people and their families in the UK. The charity has 7,000 staff and volunteers who operate over 475 services in the UK. They served a total of 671,275 children in 2021 and 2022. Action for Children's national headquarters is in Watford, and it is a registered charity under English and Scottish law. In 2017/2018, it had a gross income of £151 million.
Deafblindness is the condition of little or no useful hearing and little or no useful sight. Different degrees of vision loss and auditory loss occur within each individual. Because of this inherent diversity, each deafblind individual's needs regarding lifestyle, communication, education, and work need to be addressed based on their degree of dual-modality deprivation, to improve their ability to live independently. In 1994, an estimated 35,000–40,000 United States residents were medically deafblind. Laura Bridgman was the first American deafblind person known to become well educated. Helen Keller was a well-known example of an educated deafblind individual. To further her lifelong mission to help the deafblind community to expand its horizons and gain opportunities, the Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults, with a residential training program in Sands Point, New York, was established in 1967 by an act of Congress.
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Richard Brook was Chief Executive of the UK deafblind charity Sense, The National Deafblind and Rubella Association. He was appointed in July 2008 and left in September 2010. Prior to this he was Chief Executive of the Public Guardianship Office and then first Public Guardian and Chief Executive of the Office of the Public Guardian when this was established on 1 October 2007, until July 2008. He was previously the Chief Executive of Mind, the mental health charity, and has many years experience in the public and not-for-profit sectors.
The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, known colloquially as Guide Dogs, is a British charitable organisation that uses guide dogs to help blind and partially blind people. The organisation also participates in political activism for the rights of those with vision impairments.
Rosamond Mary Monckton, Baroness Monckton of Dallington Forest, is an English businesswoman and charity campaigner.
Signature is a United Kingdom national charity and awarding body for deaf communication qualifications. Signature attempts to improve communication between deaf, deafblind and hearing people, whilst creating better communities.
Mile End Hospital is a community hospital in the Mile End area of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in England. It is managed by Barts Health NHS Trust.
Kent Association for the Blind is a registered charity providing rehabilitation services for children and adults with visual impairment to support them and help them live independent lives. Services are provided by six, specialist rehabilitation teams based in offices in Kent, Medway and Bromley. Additional specialist support is provided in Bexley.
The British Thyroid Foundation (BTF) is a UK-based, patient-led, registered charity dedicated to supporting people with thyroid disorders and helping their families and people around them to understand the condition.
Ethiopiaid is a UK-registered charity that generates public funding for local charity partners in Ethiopia. It supports organisations who work in poverty reduction, healthcare, empowerment of women & girls, elder support, children with disabilities, surgery for facial disfigurements and educational access.
Sense Scotland is a disability services and awareness charity in Scotland, formalized in 1985. The charity’s aim is to create a supportive world for people with complex communication support needs where they can live meaningful lives and achieve their own ambitions. Services are located all over Scotland with the charity’s main resource centre and head office based in Glasgow. The charity also provides information about complex communication support needs and participates in disability rights campaigns. Sense Scotland’s work is mainly funded by Local Government through contracts for services provided. It also raises money through donations, legacies, community fundraising, events, retail and corporate partnerships.
Oily Cart is a London-based national and international touring theatre company founded in 1981. The company specialises in creating original, immersive, multi-sensory productions for babies and very young children under 5, and for children and young people who have profound and multiple learning disabilities, are on the autism spectrum, or are deafblind/multi-sensory impaired. The emergence of Theatre for Early Years (TEY) has been credited to Oily Cart and Theatre Kit. The company is a registered charity.
Deafblind UK is a national charity in the United Kingdom supporting people with sight and hearing loss to live the lives they want. Founded in 1928, Deafblind UK has its headquarters in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. The charity help people to live with deafblindness by making connections, and building their confidence and independence through a range of services and campaigns. Run by staff and volunteers, the current CEO is Steve Conway, who has been in position since 2018. The current chairman in Robert Nolan.
Park Lane Stables are stables in Teddington, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames built around 1830 and originally conceived as a fire station when fire engines were horse drawn. Today the stables are run as a charity belonging to the Riding for the Disabled Association.