In collaboration with Usher Kids UK, we are holding virtual get-together events.

The next Usher Kids UK family call - Wednesday 25th November 7.30-9pm - will focus on education. We will be joined for this Zoom call by 2 professionals from RNIB and Sense, who are both experienced in advocating for the educational needs of children with multi-sensory impairment. They will give a brief presentation on some topics relevant to all Usher families, and then will be ready to answer your questions. Please let us know your questions via the registration form so that we can share those with the professionals in advance. We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 25th November at 7.30pm.

Caireen Sutherland is a qualified teacher for vision and multi-sensory impairment and has been working in the field of SEND since 1999. She currently works as Principal Education Officer at the RNIB. She has previously worked in Local Authority Sensory Support services, for Sense and as a freelance consultant. Her particular passions include: optimising independence for children and young people with sensory impairments, developing tactile learning skills, improving use of technology, and maximising the benefit of functional vision assessments.

Alongside her role with RNIB Caireen continues to maintain some consultancy work and to allocate time to developing technology training from her international research fellowship.

Laura Byrne is a multi-sensory impairment (MSI) Consultant Teacher for Sense Specialist Services for Children and Young People, in the North of England. Prior to working at Sense, Laura taught in both mainstream and special education settings for 7 years. She looks forward to taking part in the Usher Kids webinar and hopes to bring understanding regarding educational issues for children with MSI, as well as knowledge of SEND systems that are likely to impact on families within the Usher community.

Opportunities to connect with other Usher families are vital, as they help us all learn and share ideas about how to best support our children. Our Zoom video calls will cover a range of topics, and are aimed at any parent or carer of a child with Usher syndrome.

If you prefer you can switch off your video, mute your microphone and just listen in. We will have parents of children at different ages and stages joining us, so this is a great place to meet others, ask questions, share experiences and benefit from peer support.

Sign-in information will be sent to registered attendees by 18:30 on the day of the event.