A Lifetime of Independence to People 4 School Years Who Are Blind Or Have Low Vision

2013 A LIFETIME OF INDEPENDENCE WHAT WE DO Vision Australia is a not-for-profit organisation providing blindness and low vision services to Australians of all ages. 103 We have almost one and a half centuries of experience through the eight heritage 75 organisations* which together now form Vision Australia. 5600 We offer a wide range of services including 324 3710 low vision clinics, orientation and mobility services, Seeing Eye Dogs, children’s services, library and alternate format 320 information and advocacy services. Most services are available from 27 sites and 644 29 clinics while our library and Seeing Eye Dogs services are available across Australia. 640 11737 6956 Vision Australia offices at Geelong, Victoria, and Newcastle, NSW are also demonstration sites for the National Disability Insurance Scheme which will be national by 2018. 602 346 At these sites we are testing new service development initiatives with clients eligible 12857 7358 for National Disability Insurance Scheme support so we can build an evidence base to share with all other Vision Australia sites as the scheme expands. Key to map symbols: 614 Vision Australia clients 605 There are 66 Local Client Groups in to join in. For your nearest group, Queensland, New South Wales, ACT visit www.visionaustralia.org/ and Victoria which connect people Working Seeing Vision Australia about-us/client-consultation-and- * Heritage organisations now forming who are blind or have low vision. Eye Dogs Library Service engagement/local-client-groups or Vision Australia: Royal Blind Society, Royal Groups enjoy a variety of activities phone (02) 9334 3293. Victorian Institute for the Blind, Vision and family and friends are welcome Australia Foundation, National Information Library Services, Royal Blind Foundation Queensland, Hear a Book, Seeing Eye Dogs For further information, go to www.visionaustralia.org Australia and 5RPH. 2013 OUR VISION Vision Australia is a partnership between people who are blind, sighted or have low vision. We are united by our passion that people who are blind or have low vision will have access to and fully participate in every part of life they choose. OUR MISSION Vision Australia will achieve this through creating a community partnership of knowledge, skills and expertise to enrich the participation in life of people who are blind or have low vision and their families. We will ensure that the community recognises their capabilities and contributions. Cover image: Neva, aged four, in rehearsals with singer Delta Goodrem for Vision Australia’s Carols by Candlelight, our premier fundraising event for Children’s Services. Photo: Tim Carrafa, Daily Telegraph WELCOME CONTENTS I’m very proud that Vision 2 Early childhood Australia offers a lifetime of independence to people 4 School years who are blind or have low vision. Our services start with 6 Study and work providing assistance to the families still coming to terms with the knowledge that their 8 Managing responsibilities baby has vision problems and continue through preparing 10 Recreation services children for school and young adults for further education 12 Orientation and mobility to employment and finally retirement. We believe every 14 Seeing Eye Dogs Australian should have access to and be able to fully 16 Retirement years participate in every part of life they choose. This booklet 18 showcases some of the many How you can help ways we ensure people who are blind or have low vision can 20 The future achieve independence. Ron Hooton Chief Executive Officer EARLY CHILDHOOD When blindness or low vision is present from birth, early We work with assistance is vital to ensure families to the child has the best chance address their of reaching their full potential. individual needs, While sighted children are recognising they are the motivated to explore their world experts on their children and through visual cues and copying the main providers of learning others, children who are blind for their children. Our aim is to or have low vision need more empower them and support encouragement and stimulation them to be confident to ‘‘facilitate their child’s learning to develop skills and mobility. Vision Australia specialists, and to advocate including orthoptists, therapists, for their child educators, adaptive technology and themselves. consultants and counsellors work with the child’s family to support their priorities for the Liselle Sidhu, Speech child. The family’s goals for their Pathologist, Coorparoo, QLD. child are documented and an individual service plan is created. ’’ Albinism is usually discovered individuals. All children with at birth because the child will albinism are prone to sunburn often have white-blonde hair and need protection from and very fair skin as well as pale glare as well. Glasses, contact coloured eyes with significant lenses and other aids can vision impairment due to the assist children with their vision. lack of melanin in affected Vision Australia’s Carols by Candlelight raised $1.2 million for children’s services in 2012. 1 The Feelix Library is ten years old. Feelix kits0 prepare preschool children who are blind for the concept of braille and literacy. Each Feelix kit contains a storybook annotated with braille, an audio CD or DAISY recording of the story, some tactile aids relating to the story to help the child imagine the story and a little handbook‘‘ with tactile graphics so the child can tell the story to themselves or others. Mieah, aged two and a half, was born blind but wasn’t referred to Vision Australia until she was 10 months old. Since then her occupational therapist has taught her to crawl and then walk and to start using a cane, to feed herself and now to begin dressing herself. She is learning basic preschool and socialisation skills so she can mix confidently with sighted children. vision australia a lifetime of independence 36 SCHOOL YEARS Vision Australia specialists take a ‘life-stages’ approach Vision Australia with each child and their family offers school so that the child continues to holiday programs develop the skills required for at major centres in a range starting school and gaining of activities from cooking to an education. As each child computer skills. All groups at progresses through school we Vision Australia are designed offer technology training and to meet the specific needs peer support programs. In later of the participants. These high school staff help prepare ‘‘programs are a great way students for tertiary study and for children to practice the workplace. We empower emerging skills in a fun and parents and support them to be social setting and to connect confident to facilitate their child’s children with their peers and learning and to advocate for allow families to meet their child and themselves. and share their experiences. Natalie Kaine, Occupational Therapist, Enfield, NSW. Inherited retinal dystrophies are chronic and disabling disorders of visual function. ’’ Video conferencing Retinitis pigmentosa is the most common retinal dystrophy and will become the condition can vary greatly. increasingly important Some people retain limited in service delivery for vision throughout their lives while others lose their sight all age groups in the completely. It often occurs future as it removes during adolescence and there travel time and costs is no treatment or therapy for and enables more the condition. support for families and clients. 2 Vision Australia estimates1 that 231 days of solid3 driving have been saved so far by the new VidKids™ program, which provides improved services to children with vision and/or hearing impairment in outer regional and remote Australia. Families and children connect with allied health professionals using video- conferencing‘‘ for on-going support of each child and their family’s specific needs. Sean, who was born without eyes, is an active little boy. An occupational therapist helps Sean learn everyday skills like dressing and feeding himself. We also work with Sean’s school to make sure he can take part in activities with the other children and get around safely with his white cane. “Without this support, we’d be lost,” say Sean’s parents. vision australia a lifetime of independence 58 STUDY AND WORK People who are blind or have low vision are almost Vision Australia four times more likely to be Further Education unemployed than the general Bursaries provide population. Vision Australia adaptive technology to help advocates strongly for equality ensure that students who are of opportunity for everyone. blind or have low vision can Our Employment Services sites fully participate and succeed and partners assist clients to in their chosen studies. We work in a range of industries advise on course selection, and roles, from professional ‘‘ study skills, student advocacy and administration through to and funding opportunities. trades and services. We help We awarded 24 bursaries in match the right people to the 2012/13, which brings the total right organisations, and provide awarded since both parties with the support and 1996 to 265 advice needed. We can identify bursaries. roles within a workplace that may suit a person who is blind or has low vision. Max Bini, Tertiary Education Consultant, Macauley, VIC. Vision Australia employment ’’ specialists and partners can ANZ, Maxxia, conduct an assessment of Transport Accident any business or organisation Commission, to determine what specialist technology or equipment Gforce Employment could be implemented to Solutions, Syn, enable positions to be carried ReCoila Hose and out by people who are blind or have low vision. We also Reels and Trilby assist people whose jobs are Misso are work ‘in jeopardy’ due to eyesight partners with Vision loss to either continue working with specialist technology or to Australia and employ retrain for a new position. people who are blind or have low vision. 1 Vision Australia Employment4 Services3 achieved 134 job placements this year in a large variety of industries and roles including office, manual work, hospitality and management, health and community services, education, retail and IT.

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