Sight Scotland and Hearts and Minds are delighted to announce the launch of Play and Connect, an innovative play-based service designed for children aged 0-3 with vision impairments and their families.
This pioneering programme, currently piloting in Edinburgh and Glasgow, provides a supportive and engaging environment tailored to address the unique challenges faced by these children and their parents.
Play and Connect combines the expertise of Sight Scotland’s specialist QVTI teachers and habilitation experts with Hearts and Minds’ renowned Clowndoctor approach.
This collaboration, which draws on over a decade of partnership between the two organisations, creates a nurturing space where families can engage in sensory play, involving rhythm, music, stories, and sounds.
The sessions focus on building confidence in non-verbal communication and creative play, while also fostering connection and support among families.
At the end of each session, a debrief is provided, giving parents the chance to reflect on the session, discuss any concerns, and receive practical tools to support their child’s development at home.
Lucy Chetty, Head of Learning at the Royal Blind School, comments: “This service is a crucial step in ensuring that children with vision impairments and their families receive the early support they need.
“Scotland has over 4,500 young people with vision impairments, yet the condition is often misunderstood, especially in preschool children. Early intervention is vital for these children’s development, as it helps lay the foundation for their future education, social interaction, and well-being.
“Parents of children with vision impairments often feel overwhelmed and isolated, which can be exacerbated when attending traditional baby and toddler groups. These families frequently face feelings of loneliness and a lack of support. Play and Connect offers an inclusive, relaxed environment where families can bond, share experiences, and feel understood. The sessions are tailored to each child’s needs, providing them with specialised stimulation and creative play to thrive.”
Lucy Chetty adds: “The feedback we’ve received so far has been incredible. Parents have been emotional when they see their child beginning to interact with their environment differently, recognising sounds, responding to stimulation, and improving communication skills.
“It is so heartening to watch the children grow in confidence and engage with their surroundings. There’s nothing else quite like this available in Scotland; there is no pressure, no stress, just a relaxed atmosphere where all interaction is led by the child’s preferences and what stimulates them.”
Lucy McGreal from Hearts and Minds says: “Hearts & Minds are delighted to have the Clowndoctors work with Sight Scotland on the pilot project, Play & Connect.
“Clowndoctor visits offer authentic connection and imaginative engagement, responding to how the child or young person is feeling at that moment.
“Throughout our long-standing relationship with the Royal Blind School, they have seen first-hand the impact that the Clowndoctors have had with their young people and together we identified an opportunity for preschool children with visual Impairment and their families to engage with a Clowndoctor visit.
“Clowndoctor visits are accessible to children of all ages and abilities and are performed on their terms. The space that has been created during the start of Play & Connect has highlighted the opportunity for their unique voice, unique humour, unique imagination and their unique self to be valued, validated and amplified at times when they might be feeling powerless, anxious, lonely, or bored.
“This has also been seen within the families that have attended the sessions.”
For more information please visit sightscotland.org.uk
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