Thane, 29 September 2026: Sense International India (Sense India), the country’s only national organisation dedicated exclusively to supporting persons with deafblindness and multiple disabilities, today inaugurated India’s first Sensory Tunnel for persons with deafblindness and multiple disabilities at its Sparsh Centre in Thane, Maharashtra. Through this initiative, Sense India is introducing a dedicated sensory environment designed specifically to create new pathways for children and young adults with deafblindness and multiple disabilities to explore, communicate, learn and engage with the world around them through their senses.
Supported through the CSR contribution of Shipping Corporation of India Lands and Assets Limited (SCILAL), the Sensory Tunnel is a purpose built, accessible environment designed to help children and young adults with deafblindness and multiple disabilities experience, explore and make sense of the world around them through structured sensory activities.
For a person with deafblindness, the combined loss of vision and hearing can significantly affect how they receive information, communicate and interact with their surroundings. Touch, movement, body awareness, sound, smell and visual stimuli can become important pathways to understanding and connection. The new Sensory Tunnel brings these experiences together in a safe, structured environment where each activity can be adapted to an individual’s abilities, preferences and pace.
The Sensory Tunnel features five specialised sensory zones: vision, tactile, vestibular (movement and balance), proprioceptive (body awareness) and auditory, where olfactory materials are incorporated for additional sensory exploration. Each zone offers carefully selected activities that encourage children to discover different textures, movements, sounds, patterns and sensations. Educators and therapists guide each individual through the space, introducing activities selectively and observing their responses to ensure that sensory experiences remain meaningful, comfortable and purposeful.
The environment has also been designed to enable children and accompanying adults to move through the space comfortably, allowing experiences to be paced according to each person’s sensory needs. For children who may have very limited access to conventional visual and auditory learning experiences, the Sensory Tunnel creates new opportunities to learn through the senses that are available to them.
Sparsh Centre, Sense India’s dedicated facility for persons with deafblindness and multiple disabilities in Thane, has been serving children and young adults in the district since 2022. The centre provides education, therapy, communication support and vocational training, working closely with families to build greater independence and participation. The Sensory Tunnel is the latest addition to the centre’s specialised infrastructure, complementing its existing intervention rooms and expanding the range of therapeutic and educational experiences available to children, young adults and their families.
The facility has been made possible through the CSR support by Shipping Corporation of India Lands and Assets Limited (SCILAL), whose contribution has enabled Sense India to create a long term resource that beneficiaries at Sparsh Centre can use as part of their regular education and therapeutic programmes. Representatives from SCI joined Sense India, children, families and centre staff at the inauguration to formally open the new facility and mark the beginning of its use by beneficiaries.
Speaking at the inauguration, Uttam Kumar, CEO, Sense International India, said, “The Sensory Tunnel is more than a new facility. It represents a shift in how we think about inclusion by creating environments around the way persons with deafblindness and multiple disabilities actually experience and understand the world.
For a child who may not be able to rely on sight or hearing in the way most of us do, touch, movement, body awareness, sound and smell can become powerful pathways to communication, learning and connection. The Sensory Tunnel gives children the opportunity to explore these pathways in a safe, structured and supportive environment.
We are deeply grateful to the Shipping Corporation of India Lands and Assets Limited (SCILAL), for making this resource possible. Their support demonstrates how meaningful CSR partnerships can translate into spaces, opportunities and experiences that have a lasting impact on the lives of persons with deafblindness and multiple disabilities. We hope this Sensory Tunnel will not only benefit the children at Sparsh Centre every day, but also inspire greater understanding of what inclusive environments can look like.”
The inauguration marks another step in Sense India’s commitment to building holistic, centre based support for persons with deafblindness and multiple disabilities. Sparsh Centre in Thane is one of Sense India’s seven direct centres across India, established to provide comprehensive services in regions where specialised support for deafblindness remains limited.
The Sensory Tunnel is more than a space filled with sensory experiences. It is a space where children can discover, communicate, build confidence and engage with the world on their own terms and at their own pace.