Useful Links
Friends and Families | Empowering Families with Disabled Children | Plymouth | South West
Step into our Sensory Room — a magical space filled with starry lights, an Infinity Tunnel, and calming Bubble Tubes, all designed to spark your child’s senses and support their development. Book weekday sessions (including school holidays) and enjoy hands‑on play together. Plus, our Lending Library lets you borrow a wide range of sensory toys and specialist equipment, giving your child endless opportunities to explore, learn and grow.
Supporting Families and Children with a Hearing Loss
National Deaf Children's Society | For every deaf child
The National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) website has a wealth of resources and advice for deaf children and their families. They also have their own dedicated YouTube channel which has useful information and advice on a range of topics, including technology.
CICS | Cochlear Implanted Children's Support Group
The Cochlear Implanted Children’s Support Group is a voluntary group set up by parents of children who have had cochlear implants. Their purpose is to support other parents who are considering cochlear implantation for their child as well as parents of children who already have cochlear implants.
About the Let’s Listen and Talk programme – Lets Listen and Talk
The Elizabeth Foundation’s ‘Let’s Listen and Talk’ website provides a range of online home lesson plans designed to support the development of the child’s listening and communication skills.
Professor Danielle Matthews | Psychology | The University of Sheffield
The University of Sheffield in collaboration with the National Deaf Children’s Society, have produced a series of short videos on how to support communication with deaf babies and toddlers (0-3)
Discover how your child hears and why strong listening skills are essential for brain development. Learn how hearing technology supports learning, and explore free, engaging activities you can use at home or on the go. Connect with a supportive community of parents and professionals where you can ask questions, share experiences, and know you’re not alone
Supporting Children with Vision Needs
Fun Activities for Children with Vision Impairment
It can be difficult to keep children active and engaged while at home. Here we share some resources, for your child with a visual impairment, to help you do just that!
CustomEyes Large Print Books for Children | Guide Dogs
From Harry Potter to Wuthering Heights, from inspirational fiction to educational textbooks, we have over 6,000 large print books available – and counting. Each one is custom-made, with font size, spacing, colour and more all tailored to your child’s personal needs.
Tactile books for blind children - Living Paintings - How we help children and families
Tactile books and resources for blind children
Access to our collection of tactile, audio and braille books for blind and visually impaired children is 100% free.
Our growing postal library of accessible books and resources has something for all ages, from toddlers to teens.
Discover how our unique service can bring the visual world of books and learning to life through touch and sound.
Here you will find some great links to support learners with CVI, including these three resources:
LOOK: Free Reading Tool
Look is a reading tool, with multiple functions and settings, designed to make reading easier for people with CVI. Look can be used for all levels of reader, from a non-reader learning to read, to an experienced reader wanting specific settings to read faster and more comfortably.
ZOOM - Free Video Player
ZOOM is a way to watch YouTube videos, specifically designed for people with cerebral visual impairment (CVI) especially those who have difficulties with clutter, or seeing things that move quickly.
COOL Games
Cool is a platform for a number of different interactive games, using images and voice recognition software. The games are designed to help those affected by CVI with:
- Learning the concept of colour (Colour Concept Games)
- Learning the names of wider colours (Colour Naming Games)
- Learning the names of objects (Object Naming Games)
Grants
The Powell Family Foundation - Blind/Vision-Impaired Child Grants
The Foundation exists to help children and young people with a vision impairment up to the age of 25. We do this through the provision of grants both to individual children and young people and also to the charities and not-for-profit organisations that provide valuable services to support and nurture them.
