By Iain Gray

Copyright newsletter

Lauren Doyle says she was feeling isolated and adrift in raising her two-year-old daughter Isla Neill, who was unable to join regular childcare facilities due to her complex needs. Lauren says she was even cut off from advice and support from other new mums at baby classes, stating: “They’d be discussing sleep training, their children crying at night and saying just let them be and cry it out; we were dealing with seizures, we couldn’t relate to that whatsoever.” But after attending the new Sense hub in south Belfast, she says, Isla came on in leaps and bounds due to the expertise of staff, while the community and friendship she’s found with other parents dealing with the same issues raising children with multiple needs “has made the world of difference to our lives”. The £1.6m hub, which was formally opened yesterday by health minister Mike Nesbitt, provides a place for disabled people with complex needs, for example having learning difficulties as well as being vision or hearing impaired, to try new things and gain confidence. It offers special sensory rooms, altered lighting, spaces designed for people with mobility problems, and rooms designed for young children to be with their families. During the News Letter’s visit yesterday, staff were teaching young people with vision impairments and learning difficulties how to play sport by sound – practicing skills in pickleball and boccia by hearing alone. The hub, located in south Belfast, is the first of its kind in Northern Ireland, and Lauren said it has proved so valuable she’s keen to see more across the province. “Before we came here there was no support, anywhere we went it just emphasised that we were different and the facilities weren’t for us,” she said. “Since we’ve come here Isla has just flourished, she’s really come out of herself. It’s great to know she’s capable of it, I wouldn’t have known if it wasn’t for Sense.” Health minister Mike Nesbitt told the News Letter: “The model is you get health care ideally in your own home, and if not, as close to your front door as possible. “In the old days, people with disabilities would be moved to the edge of society. We’re committed to building an inclusive society, and that means people with disabilities and with communication needs just need help with their everyday lives, and that’s what Sense does here.”