The Journey of Colour Purple: Not Just a Colour but a Community - From Exclusion to Celebration

"Disability is a matter of perception. If you can do just one thing well, you're needed by someone." - Martina Navratilova
For centuries, individuals with disabilities have faced numerous challenges, battling exclusion from various aspects of society. In domains such as education, healthcare, socialization, communication, and entertainment, most of the disabled community has long grappled with limited access and opportunities.

The Road to Bern

The road to Bern was yet to be trodden, there was nothing but a concoction of excitement, anticipation and anxiety bubbling up inside me. All I knew was that this was my first trip to Europe and that too to support a young girl with deafblindness- Asha Patwal, who was one of the winners in the one minute video contest by United Nations World Data Forum in 2020.

Conquering Coronavirus: One Story at a Time

The power of storytelling is not a perfect science, but it is a universal truth that stories are powerful. Their ability to transport, transfer experiences, question the status quo and meditate on issues is unparalleled. So when people from the fringes of society access this power source, it becomes the perfect way to break barriers.

Put the Apple away to Meet these Doctors!

In honor of National Doctors Day, we talked to four senior doctors who have been with us on the journey to reach out to people with deafblindness. How did we come to celebrate National Doctor's Day? Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy was a physician, a freedom fighter, a politician and was even awarded Bharat Ratna. He was a legendary figure and an internationally recognized medical practitioner. He is the reason why we celebrate July 1st as 'National Doctor's Day in India, organized by the Indian Medical Association (IMA).

Overcoming the Pandemic with Deafblindness

India recorded some of the highest number of Covid cases in the second wave in the world. Recording upto 314,835 cases in 24 hours while death tolls surreptitiously catching up. Lack of hospital beds, medicines and oxygen sent the country into a spiral of panic. While the country was dealing with the horrors of the second wave, many families of people with deafblindness were still dealing with the remnants of the first wave.

UN Side Event: Accessing the Digital World with Deafblindness

Sense India hosted UN CSocD59 side event on the 15th of February, 2021 on “Social Development of Persons with Deablindness in South Asia.” It opened the platform to people with deafblindness from India, Nepal and Bangladesh to talk about their experiences with technology.

The Deafblind Run-A Run for the Human Spirit

Running for a cause has never been this exciting. Tattva- a voluntary action group, pledged to run 400 kms to raise awareness on deafblindness in the state of Gujarat. The group is committed to a vision of making a difference within local communities.

We Light Up The World: National Youth Day

In honor of National Youth Day we got five of our young adults with deafblindness to talk about themselves, life and pressing on with their rights. But first, what is National Youth Day and why do we celebrate it? National Youth Day is celebrated on the 12th of January- Swami Vivekanand’s birthday.

Understanding Inclusive Education for Students with Deafblindness & MD

Inclusive education creates an inclusive society. It accepts all diversities and goes beyond any ethnicity, disability, caste, class or gender. Our focus is to encourage children with disabilities to participate actively in society, without any discrimination.

Transition Planning for Persons with Deafblindness and MD

Change is inevitable and so we are in a constant state of transition. Our children and adults with Deafblindness and Multiple Disabilities (MD) also have to experience change. There are changes that take place i.e. changes in the environment, meeting new people, taking their own food etc.

Dreams Come True, Even in a Pandemic

Everyone has the right to education. The road to education starts with literacy, but it is not equal for all. So how does one ensure literacy for people with deafblindness? As literacy is as important for Persons with Deafblindness (PwDb) & Multiple Disabilities (MD) as for any other person, it becomes essential to reach out to them.

How to Make Literacy Accessible to People with Deafblindness?

Everyone has the right to education. The road to education starts with literacy, but it is not equal for all. So how does one ensure literacy for people with deafblindness? As literacy is as important for Persons with Deafblindness (PwDb) & Multiple Disabilities (MD) as for any other person, it becomes essential to reach out to them.

The Strategies of Learning Techniques for IEP

Understanding Individualised Educational Plan (IEP) is core to constructing strategies and build learning techniques for children with deafblindness. The aim is to keep the child at the center.

The SMART Way to Prioritize Goals for IEP

Education is important, but more important than that is the availability of education. How available is our education? Does it cater to everyone? How does one design an educational system where people with deafblindness are given a fair chance to what people believe to be a basic and necessary right?

Every child is unique, and so is their Assessment and IEP!

We all agree that teaching is an Art, it is a noble profession and a great responsibility. We all understand how mainstream education functions, roughly because most of us have experienced it first-hand. We all agree that teaching is an Art, it is a noble profession and a great responsibility.

No Persons with Deafblindness to be Left Behind

Strength of collaborative work can be seen on a global level through the United Nations in bringing about change and relief to the ends of the Earth. This past week, the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UN ECOSOC) did something similar for people with deafblindness in India through Sense International India.

National Educational Policy (NEP2020)

From a 500 page draft to 100 pages concisely presented NEP2020 is a mix bag. As all policies do it proposes actions but it also presents a philosophical intent. It carries many reforms but route to bringing those reforms are hazy at the moment and we will have to wait till 2025 to see how far we reach in creating 'universal foundational literacy and numeracy' at primary level.

The Teacher Guides the Way

The Corona pandemic has taught us that we need to utilize all possible sources of imparting skills. It also reiterated that parents and siblings can be the best teachers if we can build their capacities.

Reaching Out in the Time of a Pandemic

With lockdown, there wasn't much left to sustain the basic survival, hence Sense India decided to activate the local network of partners and parents to identify deserving families and extended support through existing donors