Dean

Born both blind and partially deaf, Dean found the world a threatening place.

He could sense things happening around him. But because he could not understand what they were, he got more and more frightened – even his mother’s touch was an unwelcome intrusion into his world.

His mum Karen was desperately worried – she wanted Dean to know she loved him, but how could she show him?

Opening up the world to Dean

Luckily, Karen found out about Sense. Our 50 years’ experience means we know exactly how to reach into the isolation of a deafblind child, and we worked together with Karen to open up Dean’s world.

We began using his other senses to help him understand the people around him.

The magic of touch tells Dean he is loved

Karen often wore a bracelet on her wrist. And because Dean would pull at her arm, he began to associate the texture of the smooth, round beads with her. It was a wonderful moment when he responded to his mother’s touch for the first time – and gave her a big smile.

Our work takes time, but it can make an amazing difference.

As Karen says: "It still brings tears to my eyes when I hug Dean and he gives me the most incredible smile."