Originally known as The Western Australian Home Teaching Society for the Blind, its charter was to provide education and employment to blind citizens.
SensesWA has helped people with disability live more independent and fulfilling lives for 130 years.
Here are some of our key milestones:
1895: Originally known as The Western Australian Home Teaching Society for the Blind, its charter was to provide education and employment to blind citizens.
1896-98: The organisation was renamed The Western Australian Industrial School for the Blind and in 1898 became known as The Victorian Institute and Industrial School for the Blind, WA Inc.
1932: Some 30 years later, another name change to The West Australian Institute and Industrial School for the Blind (Inc).
1967: Then known as The Royal WA Institute for the Blind (Inc.), its role evolved a great deal to include employment, training, respite, recreation and a variety of accommodation options for WA’s blind citizens.
2001: On August 15, 2001, The Royal WA Institute for the Blind and the WA Deafblind Association amalgamated to form Senses Foundation, the organisation for people who are blind, deafblind and multisensory impaired.
2013: Seeing and Heard project commences
2013: On July 1, 2013, Senses Foundation became Senses Australia, a not-for-profit charitable company limited by guarantee, able to provide disability services to all people with disability across Australia.
2019: Deafblind Information Australia begins – a consortium led by Senses Australia in partnership with Able Australia and Deafblind Australia.
2023: SensesWA is awarded a Telethon grant for New Buds which provides Early Childhood Intervention for children with hearing and/or vision impairment who may not be able to access mainstream support via the NDIS.
2025: SensesWA’s Dr Meredith Prain and a team of international researchers launch the world’s first World Health Organisation (WHO) International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Core Sets specifically for deafblindness. The ICF Core Sets will help with the diagnosis and treatment of deafblindness, for people who often struggle to access appropriate support.
2025: Celebrate our 130th year and continue to roll out the biggest digital transformation project in SensesWA’s history.
