The first steps after learning a diagnosis such as deafblindness (hearing and vision impairment) or sensory disabilities are essential for a parent. The first months are an extremely difficult time for these families, with many questions and intense emotions. The guide launched today is aimed at parents, so they can get all the support and information they need as quickly as possible to support their child's development.

What does early intervention mean? How can we stimulate the child's remaining hearing and sight? How can we ask for family support and what services can we access? These are just some of the topics covered in the guide, in an accessible and easy-to-understand manner.

The material was developed with the help of over 70 parents from Iași, Oradea and Timișoara, who shared their experience, so that it would be as useful as possible for parents at the beginning of the journey.

Accepting the diagnosis is the first important step to a beautiful life. So be it, this is our path and theirs from now on. You, as a parent, will choose whether the road will be with tears or smiles. It's normal to cry, but not all the time. Cry, scream, but promise yourself that the day will come when you wipe your tears and say one morning: What can I do for my child? How do I make him feel that I love him with all my heart? The day you accept the diagnosis, your child's life will be much simpler and easier to live. Acceptance is power. The power to keep your head up, the power not to give up, to bring out the best in your child's potential. N.A., parent

The guide is based on the early intervention experience of the Sense International Romania and the three authors, specialists in early intervention: Mara Apostol, special education teacher at the Special Technological High School "Vasile Pavelcu" Iași, Eva Oprea, pecial education teacher at the School Center for Inclusive Education  "Cristal" Oradea, Gabriela Jianu, psychologist at the School Center for Inclusive Education "Constantin Pufan" Timișoara.

The guide was developed within the project of the same name, a project selected and sponsored within the "Community Solutions" Campaign, implemented by Synevo Romania with the support of the Medicover Association.

I am happy every time I have the opportunity to discover good things, which are so much needed in the community. The first guide for parents of children with deafblindness and sensory disabilities, one of the projects sponsored in the second edition of the Solutions for the Community campaign, represents a joint effort and a real support for many families in the country who are looking for solutions to support the children in their struggle. I wish that in the future we will see more and more projects of this kind, and we, Synevo Romania and the Medicover Association, will be among those who make good ideas come to life, as is the case with this much-needed guide created by the partners of at Sense International Romania, adds George Istrate, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager Synevo Romania and Director General of the Medicover Association.

The early intervention programme started by Sense International Romania in 2006 produced a strong impact in the lives of hundreds of children with deafblindness/sensory disabilities and their families. Over time, in the three partner early intervention centers in Iași, Oradea and Timișoara, over 800 children have benefited from multisensory stimulation services, functional visual training, perceptual-auditory education, speech therapy, physiotherapy and 1,600 parents and other family members received support and counselling. As a result of the centers' continuous lobbying, with the support of SIR, early intervention was included in the Romanian legislation in June 2022.