Epic Dungeons & Dragons quest held at Forth Valley Sensory Centre
Forth Valley Sensory Centre logo.
An epic Dungeons & Dragons quest brought fun and friendship to people at Forth Valley Sensory Centre.
The charity, which supports thousands of people with sight and/or hearing loss every year, held the games day for younger people affected by sensory loss. The tabletop role playing game has seen a steady growth in popularity, fuelled by Netflix hit Stranger Things, which has returned to screens for its final season.
A total of six people came along to the centre in Camelon for the session, which was put on by the centre to help build friendships and tackle some of the loneliness and isolation that can be associated with sight and/or hearing loss. Kyle Somerville, 25, was one of those taking part. It was the first time the Stranger Things fan had played the game and he said seeing it on the show had made more people aware of it. He added that anyone who was curious about the game should come along and try it.
Kyle, from Stenhousemuir, was born with no sight in his left eye and has Nystagmus, a condition that makes the eyeball flicker, in his right eye. He started going to Forth Valley Sensory Centre (FVSC) as a child, meeting other young people with sensory loss and enjoying fun and adventures through their activities programme – even flying a plane at Dundee Airport. He and his dad John carry out repairs around the centre, and he has also helped at FVSC’s tech class, encouraging people with sensory loss to make the most of assistive technology and digital devices.
Kyle and John sitting in front of a laptop with Dungeons & Dragons dice to the left.
The Dungeons & Dragons sessions are another way that FVSC is supporting younger people who are affected by sensory loss. The charity, which celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2026, already runs a popular Lego group and works with local schools to boost understanding of sensory loss as well as support for young people who are affected. It also holds a wide range of groups and classes, including a new IT class in Stirling and a book group.
Kyle Somerville“It was good. There were quite a few people who were new to it. I’m someone who likes Dungeons & Dragons, but I’d never played it. I like watching it online and playing video games. This was the first time I played it for real with other people. Once we got started it was a lot of fun. We’re planning another one in February. We had a lot of fun talking about what we’re going to do then. You don’t need to know anything about it, just come along and have a go. You don’t need to know the rules. Everyone will help you out – it’s a cooperative thing.”
Jacquie Winning MBE, chief executive of Forth Valley Sensory Centre“Making sure that every person who has sensory loss feels included, supported and is able to have fun with their friends is absolutely central to our mission at Forth Valley Sensory Centre – whatever age they are. We are always looking for new activities and events to help younger people enjoy themselves in a relaxed environment. Our Dungeons & Dragons session brought epic quests to unexpected twists, and everyone threw themselves into an amazing game that had us all laughing and cheering. We are all looking forward to the next one.”
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