Sibiu, March 16, 2026. Sense International Romania organised the Introduction to Early Intervention course for children with sensory disabilities in Sibiu, on March 13-14, 2026. The activity is part of the "For Every Child, Together" project, implemented with the support of the OMV Petrom Foundation, through the "Today. Together." funding fund, 2025 edition, a project within which the first early intervention center in Sibiu county will be established.

Recognising the critical importance of the first years of life, this training program emphasised early intervention as a central pillar in the development of children born with vision or hearing loss.

The 21 course participants, representatives of the School Center for Inclusive Education No. 2 in Sibiu, the Sibiu County School Inspectorate, and the Sibiu County Center for Educational Resources and Assistance, discovered educational and therapeutic approaches specifically designed to meet the unique needs of children with deafblindness.

They had access to structured theoretical information, case studies and numerous practical examples, from a team of five trainers with extensive experience in this field: physiotherapist Mihaela Aionesă and special education teacher Mara Apostol from the "Vasile Pavelcu" Special Technological High School in Iași, psychologist Gabriela Jianu from the "Constantin Pufan" School Center for Inclusive Education in Timișoara, special education teacher Eva Oprea from the "Cristal" School Center for Inclusive Education in Oradea and Asst. Univ. Phd. Ioana Tufar - Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca.

“This course brought clear information and a practical experience, in which we realized how important our role is in the lives of families with children with sensory disabilities. The work of Sense International Romania has brought major changes in special education,” said Aurelia Guțan, a psychopedagogical teacher at the Inclusive Education School Center no. 2 in Sibiu, a participant in the course.

The course represents an important step in the development of a new early intervention service, which will be established within the Inclusive Education School Center no. 2 in Sibiu – the only one of its kind in the county. In the first year after its launch, 40 children aged between 0 and 6 with sensory disabilities and deafblindness from Sibiu and their families will benefit from early intervention services within the new center. The service will represent the resource that children and their families need for the best start in life, with the objective of providing essential early health interventions at the community level.

"I believe that early intervention is vital, because it can radically change the meaning of some children's lives. If at the beginning of the children's diagnosis, there are certain question marks regarding their future, through early intervention activities, the path of these children can be completely changed. I have seen extraordinary successes when there was early intervention" says psychopedagogical professor Eva Oprea, trainer.