Sense, the national deafblind charity, will host a day of activities in Exeter on Friday 24 June to coincide with Deafblind Awareness Week which runs from the 24th until 30th June. The day, which will include a 4 km sensory walk, arts and crafts displays and tasters in signing and braille, will build on the success of last year’s event which was organised by Roger Mulholland, a local deafblind man who has sadly since passed away.
The event, called ‘Crossing Bridges’, will take place at Exeter Quayside, running from 10:30am until 16:00pm, with a Sensory Walk at 11:45am. There will be opportunities for visitors to explore some of the challenges people living with Deafblindness encounter, learn some simple signing and attempt reading Braille.
Displays by people of all ages who are supported by Sense will help visitors discover how people can be supported to develop their individuality and skills. Specialists will be on hand to provide information about Sense services for people with sensory impairments.
Several local artists with sight and hearing losses will be showcasing their work, and visitors can make their own art and craft piece to add to a tactile artwork.
Café 55, a community café in central Exeter, run by Sense staff and deafblind and disabled volunteers from the local community, will be on hand to sell a variety of cakes and drinks.
A 4 km Sensory walk will take place at 11:45am, led by a group of individuals who benefit from the specialised support services Sense provides locally. Walkers will be challenged to note how many different surfaces they travel on along the way. The route is fully wheelchair accessible. Local M.P. Ben Bradshaw has confirmed his attendance at the event.
Last year’s walk was planned and led by Roger Mulholland, a Deafblind young man who died suddenly in September 2015. In his 29 years he amassed an amazing list of achievements, supported in many by Sense – his friends have decided to rename the sensory walk “Roger’s Walk”.
The activity day in Exeter will take place during Deafblind Awareness Week which was introduced to raise awareness of the unique disability and those affected by it. Deafblindness is a combined sight and hearing impairment which causes difficulties with communication, access to information and mobility. It is a unique disability due to the combined impact of the loss of both senses and many deafblind people cannot access mainstream services or those designed for people with a single sensory loss.
