Nomination for Sense Award

Posted: 17/11/2021

Congratulations to Dr Rimmer and the pupils taking part in the Deaf Culture and Communications activity sessions on their nomination at the 2021 Sense Awards. The winners will be announced in an online ceremony on 25th November.

For the past six years, Senior School and Prep School students have had the opportunity to learn about sign language during activity sessions hosted by Dr Rimmer, who works during her holidays with Sense, a national charity for people with complex communication needs such as deafblindness. Many students have developed an appreciation for BSL poetry, signed songs, and other aspects of Deaf/deaf people’s experiences, and learned some sign language basics.

Year 8 students embraced a ‘transition to Senior School day’ where the whole year group were asked to learn about deafblindness and then design a theme park or employment venue for people with multisensory impairment. To do this, they undertook some tasks whilst wearing eye-masks and ear defenders to understand more deeply how people with multisensory impairments navigate the world. They also learned basic BSL and the deafblind manual alphabet. Furthermore, our students act as buddies for young people from TouchBase Pears in Selly Oak, the local Sense community centre, as part of the ‘Get Out There’ programme, supporting their participation in bowling, cycling, and, on a return visit to school, a swimming session. More recently, our pupils supported Sense by donating £1500 following an Own Clothes’ Day.

Dr Rimmer says, “Having worked these last twenty years with Sense, I was pleased to begin making a connection between the charity and Bromsgrove School. It is especially gratifying that, as a consequence, we have been shortlisted as ‘Community Partner of the Year’ at this year’s Sense Awards. The annual Sense Awards celebrate the outstanding achievement achievements of people with complex disabilities, as well as the people and organisations that support them and their families.”