Shock! Horror!!! Askance!!!!! How on earth did we get to 2005 already??? Hope all of you had an excellent holiday and that you feel all inspired for another GREAT and productive year!!!
The following issue of The Bulletin was prepared by Deb Lewis (Co-ordinator, Statewide Vision Resource Centre).
The Statewide Vision Resource Centre Professional Development program for term 1 appears below. For the complete list of activities for 2005 go to: http://www.svrc.vic.edu.au/pd2005.htm
All activities are open to subject teachers, integration teachers and aides, careers teachers, therapists, parents, principals, Visiting Teachers, students etc. Please remember to register: tel (03) 9841 0242, fax (03) 9841 0878 or email svrc@svrc.vic.edu.au
Date |
|
| New Visiting Teachers – Orientation Day | Monday 7 February |
| Visiting Teacher Day | Tuesday 8 February |
| O&M Morning Linden Woodruff, Guide Dogs Victoria |
Tuesday 15 February |
| Mountbatten Workshop (for ‘beginners’) – BYO Mountbatten 10am-12.30pm (setup 9.30am), Trevor Boyd, Quantum Technology |
Monday 21 February |
| Educational Support for VCE Students with Vision Impairments (low vision and blind students) – Years 9, 10, 11 and 12 – for subject & careers teachers, integration staff, therapists, parents, VTs & students | Friday 25 February |
| Educational Support for Blind Students – for class and subject teachers, integration teachers and aides, therapists, parents and VTs supporting students who utilise braille | Wednesday 9 March |
| Educational Support for Students with Low Vision – for class & subject teachers, integration teachers & aides, therapists, parents and VTs supporting students who have low vision (maximum participants: 80) | Thursday 24 March |
You will find a plethora of fliers for the activities listed above with the print edition of The Bulletin or email deblewis@svrc.vic.edu.au for your copy!
Several of the sessions on the VT Day may be suitable for parents, teachers, principals etc – please feel free to invite people to individual sessions and see below or call for the costs.
Participants |
Cost Full day |
Cost Half day with lunch |
Cost Half day without lunch |
| Visitors | $38.50 |
$28.50 |
$18.50 |
| Visiting Teachers | $27.50 |
$17.50 |
$12.50 |
| VT Speakers | $17.50 |
$17.50 |
$12.50 |
| Students | $12.50 |
$12.50 |
N/C |
| Staff | $6.00 |
$6.00 |
N/C |
| Exceptions | |||
| Sessions (per each) | $3.30 |
||
| Tea/coffee (per person) | $1.00 |
||
The Statewide Vision Resource Centre and DE&T Visiting Teachers were rather well-represented at the recently held Biennial SPEVI Conference in Melbourne in January. With all four teaching staff, an Educational Psychologist and three braille transcribers from the SVRC attending parts or all of the Conference, and even presenting several very well-received sessions, we are now all fired up for an excellent and productive year!
We were able to obtain/purchase a number of resources that were available at the Conference including:
We also have other exciting resources on order, many of which we hope to show you on the VT PD Day on the 8th February!
I am hoping to include more SPEVI thoughts in the next issues of The Bulletin, but here is an excerpt from a mum in New Zealand who was able to attend the Conference:
Hi everyone!
I had such a great time at the Melbourne conference. I am glad my son’s
RTV (vision teacher) mentioned the event to me so I could find a way to get
there.
I met so many wonderful people there that I thought I’d better try to
touch base before I let you all slip away as I get back into the rigmarole of
‘life as it is’!
Take care, and good luck for 2005. (See you in Perth?) Kate McMaster
Meanwhile, several of the papers presented at the Conference are or will soon be available on the SVRC website:
We’ll be adding more – so watch this space!!!
You’ll find the articles and some others from the SVRC professional development day at the bottom of the following page: http://www.svrc.vic.edu.au/pd.html
When: 14 – 17 May 2005
Where: Carlton Crest Hotel – 169-179 Thomas Street, Haymarket,
Sydney
Overview: The aim of Round Table is to facilitate and influence the production and use of quality alternative formats for people with print disabilities. The Round Table Conference 2005 will highlight and celebrate achievements to date and pave the way for the future to ensure the momentum is maintained in a changing and innovative environment.
The Conference will showcase examples of best practice in the provision of accessible information to people with a print disability in the workplace and the community centre, including businesses, agencies, tertiary institutions, libraries, Commonwealth, State and local government.
The Round Table Conference 2005 will be inclusive and provide benefits to all sectors, including:
The Conference will be a forum to:
Trade Exhibition:
All Conference enquiries should be directed to: Tammy Axelsen, Administration Assistant, Round Table Conference Program Committee tel: (03) 6262 1519 or email: RoundtableAdmn@bigpond.com
The Round Table website is: http://e-bility.com/roundtable
The Round Table Program Committee is calling for papers to be presented at
the Conference.
Please contact: Sue Oriander, Secretary, Round Table Program Committee tel:
(03) 9864 9605 or email: susan.oriander@nils.org.au
The Victorian subcommittee of the Australian Braille Authority (ABA) is holding a workshop on Unified English Braille (UEB) to provide an opportunity for all braille readers, educators, producers and other stakeholders in Victoria to gain exposure to the code before a decision is made on its adoption in Australia.
When: Saturday 19 February 2005, 2-5pm
Where: Day Centre, Vision Australia, 454 Glenferrie Rd Kooyong
Guest Speakers:
The UEB sampler will be distributed at the meeting. More information about the UEB can be obtained at http://www.iceb.org/ubc.html and print and braille files for the following documents are available from Leona Holloway:
Clients of the National Information and Library Service are also able to request braille copies of the above files or other material of their choice to be transcribed using the Unified English Braille Code.
The aim of the workshop is to ensure that Victorian braille readers, teachers and producers in Victoria are familiar with Unified English Braille and aware of the voting procedures before voting takes place in May. As the decision as to whether Unified Braille Code be adopted in Australia will affect us all, this is an important opportunity to be involved and prepared, so we would love to see you there.
All expressions of interest in attending the workshop, receiving more information about the workshop or the queries about the availability of UEBC sample materials should be directed to: Leona Holloway, Australian Braille Authority – Secretary, tel: (03) 9864 9701 or email: leona.holloway@nils.org.au.
The Australian Braille Authority Victoria meeting dates for 2005 are as follows:
RVIB College conducts workshops and courses for professionals who interact with people who are blind or vision impaired. Training can be customised to meet the needs of particular groups. For further information, please contact Karen McKenzie or Chris Edwards on 9520 5555 or email college@rvib.org.au. The following sessions will be on offer this year:
Contact: Natasha Brake tel (03) 9520 5555 fax (03) 9521 3685 email college@rvib.org.au
Dr Hyvärinen’s lectures on CVI will continue to be offered on the website: http://www.ksar.usu.edu/leacvi
Past participants may return to the site to review the lectures and material – the site will still be accessible until May 2005. The threaded discussions from the earlier series will be summarised and a new article by Mary Morse, PhD entitled Educational Implications of Neurological Insult will be added to the site. A CD of the lecture series will be available soon and will include:
Their availability for purchase will be noted on the website when they are ready.
Dr Hyvärinen will be conducting two, 2-day training sessions. The first will be held at Boys Town Teaching Research Hospital in Omaha Nebraska, 21-22 2005. The second will be held in Denver, Colorado, April 26-27. These sessions are designed to be a follow-up to her webcast series and Dr Hyvärinen will be working with children and their service delivery teams.
Seating is limited. The two host states will open up the onsite to a limited number of participants from surrounding states. To register please contact:
Nebraska: Sally Gittinger, 402/873-5513, sgiitin@esu4.org,
fee is US$50
Colorado: Tanni Anthony, 303/866-6681, Anthony_t@cde.tate.co.us,
fee is US$50
International Summit on CVI, April 30, 2005 in San Francisco, CA
In an effort to promote inter-disciplinary discussion regarding issues surrounding the complexities of visual impairment caused by brain damage (CVI), SKI-HI is partnering with some other agencies to bring together a group of 13 experts in the fields of medicine and education, along with parent representatives, to examine key concerns.
When: Saturday, April 30th
Where: Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute in San Francisco,
CA.
A Proceedings from the meeting will be made available to the field on accessible websites and will also be published. The discussions will be videotaped and recorded. Attendance is by invitation only.
For more information, go to the SKI-HI Institute website, then Projects and select VIISA. The site address is: http://www.skihi.org
The January 2005 issue of the Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness includes the following articles:
Where: Rippon Lea Estate, 192 Hotham Street, Elsternwick
When: Sunday 20th February, 2005 11.00am to 4.00pm
Variety invites you to pack a picnic & attend the Teddy Bear’s Picnic which will feature Humphrey B. Bear; puppet shows; bear competitions ‘best dressed’, ‘most interesting’, ‘oldest’, ‘most loved bear’; face painting; old fashioned street organ playing bearly lovely music; sausage sizzle; mansion open for viewing; Dr Tom for all bear emergencies & health advice and a whole lot more!
RSVP: February 4th 2005 to Kerryn Rudge 0411 735 898
Department of Education & Training Visiting Teacher Jeni Blake and two students with vision impairments participated in what is possibly the largest bicycle event to be held in Australia ever – the Great Victorian Bike Ride 2004. RVIB Visiting Teacher Sherry Cunningham also led a group which included at least one student on the DE&T Visiting Teacher Service. (Ahhhh they are dedicated women, aren’t they???).
The Great Victorian Bike Ride, which included over 5,000 riders from all over Australia took a route from Port Fairy last Saturday to Geelong. Here is an excerpt from an article from Bayside Leader 30th November 2004
Cycling 570km along the Great Ocean Road sounds like an arduous task at the best of times - but imagine doing it when you are visually impaired. For Bayside’s Kyle Griffin and Nathan Ash, the nine-day Great Victorian Bike Ride is no different than any other challenge they have faced in life. Both boys said the bike ride was a way of showing the community that being visually impaired did not stop them from living a normal life. Last week, the two students from Mordialloc College visited Olympic champion Kathy Watt in Black Rock to get last-minute coaching tips. Organising teacher Jeni Blake said cycling was a sport for everyone. “The skills Kathy Watt displays that make her a champion – motivation, dedication, persistence and commitment – are the skills that will assist our students in their challenges in life,” she said.
“Students are encouraged to ride their own bike and where that is not possible tandems are used.”
Watt has sponsored the students and organised T-shirts for the boys to wear.
4 - 7 April 2005
This program is designed for primary or junior secondary students who are enthusiastic about developing their independent orientation skills and learning more about what is in the city of Melbourne.
The aim of this program is to develop an understanding how the CBD differs for the suburbs and also what exciting landmarks can be found in the city. The program activities are designed to make students more aware of environmental information in a variety of fun and stimulating activities.
The program will include travel into the city and inner Melbourne suburbs, road safety awareness and quizzes, social skills sessions relating to body language and lots of humour and laughter!
4 May 2005
This is a new workshop especially for Visiting Teachers. The aim is to further develop their knowledge of the Orientation and Mobility field as well as increase their understanding of the services available through Guide Dogs Victoria. There will be an opportunity to experience different mobility aides including the long cane, the miniguide and Guide Dog travel.
15 February 2005 and 28 July 2005 and 18 October 2005
For Parents, Teacher Aides and Teachers
The Children's Mobility Service is planning to run another three Orientation and Mobility mornings in 2005, based at the Guide Dog campus in Kew. These morning programs include discussions about the issues students with low vision experience when travelling in the community as well as a practical workshop under low vision simulators. A set route in a local suburb is followed, where participants will answer questions along the way and experience tasks such as crossing roads and entering shops.
For more information please contact Rachel Morgan on 9854 4469 or rachel.m@guidedogs.asn.au
Source: Dean from Guide Dogs Victoria
Following are the program goals and a list of activities that were undertaken during the week.
You can see how active the students are during the week and what a wonderful and unique opportunity the Sydney program offers students to explore a wide and diverse range of O&M skills in an environment away from their familiar support networks.
Sydney Program 2004 Goals:
Route Planning skills:
Monday
8.30am train to Sydney
Lunch and dinner and plenty of spare time on the train
9.00pm arrival at Central Station
Train to Kings Cross station and walk to the hotel in WoolloomoolooTuesday
Breakfast at the hotel
Walk to the Opera House and Circular Quay
Ferry to Darling Harbour where we had lunch
Ferry back to Circular Quay
Ferry to Manly and visit Ocean world
Dinner in Manly and then free time
Ferry to Circular Quay
Bus from Circular Quay to WoolloomoolooWednesday
Breakfast at the hotel
Bus from Woolloomooloo to the Australian Museum
Tour of selected parts of the museum
Walk to the monorail
Monorail to Chinatown where we had lunch
Market City for free time
Walk to the QV Building and some shopping
Train to Woolloomooloo
Dinner in WoolloomoolooThursday
Breakfast at the hotel
Walk to the Opera House and Circular Quay
Walk to The Rocks and morning tea
Walk over the Harbour Bridge
Visit Luna Park where we had lunch and some fun
Ferry from Milson’s Point to Circular Quay
Bus from Circular Quay to Woolloomooloo
Rest for a couple of hours at the hotel
Walk into the city
Dinner in Liverpool St
Go up the Sydney Tower
Walk back to WoolloomoolooFriday
Breakfast at the hotel
Discussion about the week
Bus transfer to the airport to catch the 12.45 plane
Arrival at Tullamarine where students are met by their parents
The Adaptive Technology Room at Coburg Library will be launched on 10th February at 2.00pm by the mayor of Moreland Mark Higginbotham. If you would like to attend the launch, please contact Jenny Guadagnuolo of the Moreland libraries via phone 8311 4111 or email jguadagnuolo@moreland.vic.gov.au. Jenny also extends a warm invitation to come and use the adaptive technology in their new room!
Source: VisTech Newsletter, December 2004 http://www.rvib.org.au/vistech/newsletter/index.shtml
The new 40 cell and 24 cell Brailliant refreshable Braille displays are the smallest, lightest and most compact displays on the market today. Designed for use with a laptop or desktop computer, and offering both Bluetooth and USB connectivity, the Brailliant 24 and Brailliant 40 are your ideal workplace companions.
Features:
Cost:
Brailliant 24 cell braille display - $5,250
Brailliant 40 cell braille display - $9,940
Source: VisTech Newsletter, December 2004 http://www.rvib.org.au/vistech/newsletter/index.shtml
Finally, CD burning software that is designed to work with a screen reader!
While Premier CD/DVD creator appears to be like many other CD burning software, if you use screen reading software, you will be able to really HEAR the difference immediately!!. This is the first CD/DVD burning software that is designed to work with a screen reader and is now the most Section 508-compliant CD burning software in the market.
For many vision impaired users, while individual "screens" may be accessible, once you select a button or other function, the user often loses tracking of the progress or status of a task because the screen reader cannot tell you what is happening. Premier CD Creator takes care of all of that. With the new Premier Assistive CD/DVD burning software, you always know what it is doing as it is doing it. No more guess work.
The best part is there is nothing special you need to do to get it to work with your screen reader! If you have a screen reader running, the Premier CD/DVD software will automatically detect it, and send information through your screen reader.
The Premier CD/DVD Creator software package contains four unique tools. It comes with:
Each one of these products is independent of the version of screen reader being used. They do not require any Script files or Set Files. You never have to worry about what version of the screen reader you have. Just install it and use it. This is a must for people who have a vision impairment.
Cost: $85.00
Source: The Associated Press 26 November 2004 (Reprinted in BN News Summer 2004)
A 12-year-old blind and autistic boy is holding unassisted conversations with his deaf parents these days, thanks to a new piece of technology in their suburban Detroit home. The BrailleNote is not the largest but may be the most valued addition to the Vardon family home as part of being featured on ABC-TV's ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’.
The device lets Lance Vardon type in braille and converts his work into words that show up on his mother’s computer screen. When she types, the words appear in braille on Lance’s BrailleNote.
It makes it easy for Judy Vardon to ask him simple but important questions such as, “What do you want to eat?” and “How was school?” Communicating was much more difficult before the BrailleNote. Judy Vardon is not completely versed in braille and, because he is blind, Lance had to have his parents’ words spelled out in sign language in his hands.
“I’m still learning, but it’s so exciting,” Judy Vardon told the Detroit Free Press. “I use it more every day and I think it’s wonderful.”
ABC picked the family for the home makeover after Stefan Vardon, 14, wrote an essay about his family for extra credit at school earlier this year, telling about parents Larry and Judy and his brother.
Julie Unatin, one of Lance’s teachers, alerted ABC to the BrailleNote and how it could benefit Lances’ family. She also solicited the help of Pulse Data HumanWare, which makes the product and donated one to Lance’s family.
“Having the $10,000 BrailleNote at home will make a world of difference
Our very own Bry recently graced the ‘Body Confidence Club’ page of Dolly magazine!!! Below is the article where she describes what it is like to have albinism.
Bryony, 19, knows she looks different, but she’s happy in her own skin.
I was born with albinism – an inherited condition meaning I have little or no pigmentation in my skin, eyes and hair. Although it’s genetic, I’m the only one in my family who has it.
The most noticeable thing about it is that my skin is so white. When I was younger, other kids didn’t understand and would say, “Why are you so white?” Although I felt sat that people would call me “pavlova” and make fun of me, I never wished I was different.
I have a great family who are very protective and supportive of me, so they’d help me come up with strategies to overcome being picked on – like walking away, ignoring it or just smiling. I’ve had my share of teasing, but I’ve never let it get me down because I know people with albinism who have been bullied much more than me.
Most of the time it’s because people don’t know much about it, as it’s so rare. I find that after I’ve made friends with people, questions come flooding out because they see that I’m comfortable with it. I don’t mind when people ask me questions – I think it’s cool because they’re curios and just want to know what it’s about.
It also gives me the chance to abolish myths and stereotypes that have been created in movies and on TV. Albinism is so exaggerated – I don’t have red eyes and I don’t burn as soon as I walk into the sun, like most people think. I do burn more easily than other people, but it just means I have to wear sunscreen all the time.
Of course, there are still things I’m a little conscious of. When it comes to clothes I feel a bit weird wearing pale yellows in case they make my colouring look even funnier. But I’ve never felt the need to cover my body up with clothes – I’ve never been that self-conscious.
Sometimes boys can be an issue. I’ve never actually had a boyfriend and I wonder if guys don’t look at me because I’m white – bit I dismiss thoughts like that very quickly. As I’ve gotten older, things have been easier to deal with and I’ve found my own little ways of doing thins. If I ever have low days, I make myself feel better by wearing something I love, like my prettiest skirt.
I’m different, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. I can’t overlook having albinism because it’s a disability I’ll always have. I don’t hate it in any way and it doesn’t make my life difficult. Most of the time I don’t even think about.
I’m comfortable with my looks and I’m not a negative person. I think it’s because I’ve been raised in such a supportive environment. I have a great group of friends who understand me, and a mum who always tells me I’m beautiful. I know I look different, but I was raised to believe it’s what’s on the inside that counts, anyway.
The braillies were hard at it all holidays while some of us were allowed to take a break! Here are the results of their toils – a pile for each of the brailling students we are supporting in 2005. THANKS LADIES!!!
Meanwhile, we are going to be FLAT OUT LIKE A LIZARD DRINKING this year with a challenging professional development timetable and vastly increased production demands – if you find you have time, please come and offer to help out. Helpful things include:
And many thanks in advance!
Thanks to Maria Elford and Annette Godfrey-Magee for their contributions to this edition of The Bulletin and thanks to my fabulous proof-reader Dianne Skillern who is finally back on the job (Hooray!).
Deb Lewis (who can be emailed at deblewis@svrc.vic.edu.au).