Archie Woodrow-Bennett is an 11 year old boy living in Ramsgate with his parents and his brother.

He is deafblind and has CHARGE syndrome which means he has to cope with other physical difficulties as well.

To mark Deafblind Awareness Week, which runs from June 22-28, Archie’s family and Sense, the national deafblind charity, are hoping to raise awareness and understanding of some of the challenges faced by deafblind people every day. Sense estimates there are 512 deafblind people in the Thanet area.

Archie attends the Royal School for Deaf Children in Margate, where he gets specialist support for his dual sensory loss and other complex needs. He communicates with his friends and teachers using a combination of British Sign Language and clear speech.

He has lessons all day including cookery, science, history and citizenship.
In his spare time, Archie enjoys swimming and cycling. He has a special tricycle. He also really likes listening to music, even though he has to wear hearing aids, because he enjoys the rhythm and vibrations.

Archie’s mum, Andrea said, “Our lives would be better if we had more access to after-school activities that were organised by people who understand the issues surroundings deafblindness and multi-sensory impairment and CHARGE syndrome. I would like to see the doctors, teachers and social workers who support Archie talk to each other more so that his care is integrated and that the time he has to spend in hospital is kept to a minimum.”

Find out more about Sense from www.sense.org.uk.