It was a 1978 book called The Children of Skylark Ward that set my wife, Dianne Sandler, on the path to a distinctive career. The book describes the restricted world of children with a range of complex physical, emotional and learning needs, who were confined to the back wards of long-stay hospitals. Its author, Ann Hales, illustrated how detailed observation and innovative, sensory teaching techniques could transform these children’s lives.
After reading it, Dianne, who has died aged 68 of cancer, went on to become a play specialist and teacher, and a force for good. She worked consistently to make things happen for children and their families, and saw potential where others saw deficit.
In 1981, Dianne joined Save the Children on an innovative project called Playtrac. She and her colleague Jill Hutcheson were tasked with driving a caravan full of play equipment to long-stay hospitals all over Britain, and found themselves in situations, and with young people, like those described in The Children of Skylark Ward.
Dianne would return from these trips indignant but determined to connect her clients to the world. For one young man with severely restricted movement and visual impairment, she designed a brightly coloured, stylish waistcoat that featured all kinds of attachments and fasteners that he could explore. Jimmy’s Waistcoat became one of the first items she sold to TFH Special Needs Toys in the mid-80s. She also devised the Lollipop Jungle, a beautiful sensory toy, which remains a bestseller.
Throughout the 90s, Dianne continued to work as a freelance play specialist in all kinds of settings. Her expertise as an advocate, enabling parents and carers to learn ways of supporting their children’s communication skills, came to the fore in her later work as a special needs teacher in Islington, north London, then for the borough of Hackney. As an early years coordinator in Hackney, she worked closely with staff across pre-school and early-years provision, building a network that brought together professionals, parents and carers.
In 2010, Dianne and Simone Griffin, a speech and language therapist, produced a book on developing and enhancing children’s communication skills, Motivate to Communicate, with more than 300 activities for children with autism. It became an important resource for teachers and families.
Dianne was born and grew up in Leeds, the younger daughter of Max and Pamela Sandler. Max worked for the family business, Hurst and Sandler, clothing manufacturers. Dianne and her older sister, Gaye, both attended Charters Towers, a boarding school in Bexhill-on-Sea in East Sussex. Strong willed and independent, Dianne left to take her A-levels in Leeds, then studied for a degree in education at Manchester Polytechnic.
Having qualified as a teacher, she took a job on an adventure playground in Manchester before moving to London in 1978 to work on a playground for children with disabilities. This was where I first met her. We were married in 1989, and in the early 90s our children, Joseph and Eleanor, became her chief toy testers.
Dianne showed great courage after her diagnosis with cancer. She kept up her advocacy work, supporting families and former colleagues until the last weeks of her life.
She is survived by Joe, Eleanor and me, and by her sister, Gaye.
