The following issue of The Bulletin was prepared by Deb Lewis (Co-ordinator, Statewide Vision Resource Centre).
WELCOME BACK READERS AND WE, AT THE STATEWIDE VISION RESOURCE CENTRE, WISH YOU A MOST EXCELLENT 2006!
The beginnings of the SVRC PD program for 2006 appears below. For the complete list of activities for 2006 and where available downloadable programs, go to: http://www.visiontech.svrc.vic.edu.au/pd2006.htm
All activities are open to subject teachers, integration teachers and aides, careers teachers, therapists, parents VTs, students etc. Please remember to register: tel (03) 9841 0242, fax (03) 9841 0878 or email svrc@svrc.vic.edu.au
Note: For assistive technology workshops and other exciting events which will be offered throughout the year keep your eye on The Bulletin!
We will also be arranging activities for Education Week (May), Literacy Week (August) and possibly some camps and other exciting events! And of course, there'll be our SVRC Christmas Morning Tea on Wednesday 6 December.
We have an exciting program planned for Monday 13 February - hope to see you all here!
Speakers/Sessions include:
Download the program from here.
Vision Australia, Blind Sports Victoria and the Boroondara City Council invite
you to participate in an exciting ‘Try Day’ event:
Peddaling Towards the Commonwealth Games
What: TANDEM BIKE RIDING DAY
When: Wednesday 15th February
Where: Vision Australia, 454 Glenferrie Rd, Kooyong
Time: 10-30am Until 1-00pm
BYO: Lunch or purchase at Tillys’ own cost
Registration fee: $5.00
For further details: contact Di Hayward (Rec Support Worker)
Tel: 8872 7000
Visiting Teachers should be suitably proud of the support they are providing to students with vision impairments across Victoria – and of course, the students themselves.
We have had the usual array of fantastic results as follows:
If you know of other results, please let us know!!! Also where will the students be studying this year? All news and gossip cheerfully received!
Have you let us know about your VCE student – their subjects, their contact details!!!
Information about students’ Special Examination Arrangements for the June Exam period must be in to VCAA by the beginning of March – rather earlier than in previous years. So…
Message from Gayle Skinner, President, VAPVI Victoria
Dear Parents,
Please add these dates to your calendar;
Feb 13 Our initial meeting for the year. Come along to The Avenue Neighbourhood
Centre,
Cnr Blackburn Rd and The Avenue in Blackburn at 8.00pm, to meet committee members,
to talk about your child or just for a little time out and a cuppa.
Further meetings this year will be May 8th, August 14th, and November 13th.
We look forward to meeting you.
Gayle Skinner VAPVI.
Telephone 9431 2678.
The Toronto Rehabilitation Institute has announced scholarship in rehabilitation-related research for graduate students with disabilities. The scholarship is supported by TD Bank Financial Group.
The funding will provide scholarships of CAD $20,000, plus an individual supplement to help meet special disability-related costs of attending graduate school. The first scholarships will cover the period of September 2006 to April 2007, renewable for an additional year. The application deadline is 1 May 2006.
Candidates must plan to be enrolled in a graduate program leading to a master’s or doctoral degree at the University of Toronto.
Fields of study must relate to rehabilitation but are not limited to any particular discipline. For an application form and more information, please contact Lois Ward at ward.lois@torontorehab.on.ca
Applications are invited for a postdoctoral program funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research for the University of California, Berkeley. The goal of this program is to train postdoctoral and professional scholars, in any discipline, to be leaders in disability studies and rehabilitation research and mentorship. The institute will fund three full-time, nine-month, residential Ed Roberts Postdoctoral Fellowships a year. The Stipend is $30,000, paid monthly. Fellows must have health insurance or purchase it from the university.
Applications are due by 15 February 2006
Fellowship Period: September 2006 - May 2007
Contact the Academic Co-ordinator for more information or assistance: Devva@earthlink.net
Thanks to the SVRC staff and the Visiting Teachers who supported and contributed to the Children’s Mobility Service in 2005. Without the support and encouragement of the SVRC staff and many Visiting Teachers we would not have been in a position to offer the range of programs to students and their families.
One of the highlights of the 2005 program was the joint SVRC CMS Skill Power program in November 2005. The program provided CMS staff with an excellent opportunity to demonstrate to Visiting Teachers and Teacher Aides first hand how CMS Orientation and Mobility programs are provided.
Another highlight of the year was the Sydney program held December 5 to 9 2005. Despite the very hot weather the students did a fantastic job navigating their way around Sydney taking in some of the famous sights as well as some of the less well known including the Watson’s Bay baths.
The CMS was able to offer students a number of group programs in 2005 and we plan to offer a range of interesting and stimulating programs in 2006.
The CMS Newsletter will continue to be published and distributed quarterly at the beginning of each term to students, families, Visiting Teachers and other professionals.
Throughout the year there will be a range of additional programs offered. These include the “Big Night Out” programs and Mini camp programs. The dates and other details for these programs are advertised well in advance in the CMS Newsletter and also the SVRC newsletter.
All programs are provided free of charge.
The CMS staff will also be involved in some of the SVRC Professional Development
days facilitated by SVRC staff.
The GDV Education Kit is available to Visiting Teachers free of charge and we
also have pamphlets and other resource material including the CMS DVD available.
Dean Johnson O&M /Manager 9584 4506
Rachel Morgan O&M/Team Leader 9854 4469
Dani Bennett O&M Instructor 9854 4529
Lil Deverell O&M Instructor 9854 4542
Darlene McIntosh O&M Instructor 9854 4520
Alicia Madden O&M Instructor 9854 4493
Please contact Rachel Morgan on 9854 4469 rachel.m@guidedogsvictoria.com.au to make a referral to the service or for further information about the Children’s Mobility Service.
The Melbourne Mobility Centre is an initiative of Melbourne City Council through a partnership with and funding from the Department of Victorian Communities (Community Support Fund), the Office of Commonwealth Games Co-ordination and with the support of Federation Square. The centre was officially launched on January 11, 2006.
The centre is located on the first floor of the Federation Square Car Park
(ground level adjacent to the ArtPlay playground).
The Melbourne Mobility Centre is operated by the Travellers’ Aid Society
of Victoria on behalf of the City of Melbourne.
This customer service centre has been designed to support and enable easier access to central Melbourne. It is an integral part of the transport network, providing easier and improved access to Commonwealth Games venues for people with disabilities, older persons, and those with temporary disabilities.
Features of the new service at the Melbourne Mobility Centre include:
Monday to Thursday - 9am to 6pm
Friday to Sunday - 9am to 10pm
Public holidays - 9am to 10pm.
People with disabilities, older persons, those with temporary disabilities or any person of any age who requires the equipment or information available. This includes citizens of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and international visitors. You can book using the methods listed below:
In recognition of his extraordinary contribution to world literacy, National Braille Press announces the upcoming release of a new biography of his life, Louis Braille: A Touch of Genius by C. Michael Mellor.
This new biography includes 31 never-before-translated letters, some written by Louis’s own hand. An extraordinary collection of documents, photographs, and artistic works – some unearthed from a curator’s private archives in France – document Louis’s life as a child, student, teacher, musician and genius inventor.
The book will be available on or before March 6, 2006, in both braille and print. All of the images in the visually-elegant hardcover print edition have been described by experts in descriptive media for the braille edition. Order the book in advance – before March 6, 2006 – and take 30% off the price of either the print or braille editions.
Print: US$35.00 (US$25.00 before March 6th!), plus US$4.50 S&H
Order online at: http://www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/publications/index.html
Some research done by Marion Blazé, Education Officer, Statewide Vision Resource Centre
The place to go to find ALL podcasts on ABC Online is http://www.abc.net.au/services/podcasting/. There is information about how to download podcasts (which you can listen to via computer or mp3 player), together with an alphabetical and subject listing. It’s constantly updated so archival and contemporary programs are available including programs from Radio National and Triple J.
The old ‘Newsline’ is no longer, but Vision Australia has a service called TNN – ‘Today’s News Now’. This is like the old Newsline but better. When you telephone the special number it is an automated service which ‘reads’ the newspaper to you in digital speech. You can choose the Vision Australia Library catalogue or TNN. TNN has 24 newspapers to choose from. You can search by date or title and you can ‘skim’ through articles. You can set it up to always go to your favourite newspapers and you can save articles (but they’ll only be kept for six weeks). Students can listen to any newspaper article and at least make some choices of what they might need scanned or sourced elsewhere if they need to keep them for research.
Call the Vision Australia Library on 1300 654 656 to join up for TNN.
Also, Vision Australia are currently conducting two trials which may interest
and benefit (we’ll try to find out more about these and let you know):
There are many more, but the local ones are:
http://www.theage.com.au
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au
These are free through the internet, but if you want better access to search for topics, download articles or go back into the archives (the online papers are only current), you can PAY for the following services.
Warning – check your internet plan
Any students who are going to be dependent on downloading material for their studies, should check their download limits with their internet provider. When you run out of download privileges the provider may either charge you (a lot, and you won’t know until you get the bill), or block further downloads, which may prevent you from completing tomorrow’s assignment.
Who else is bored/annoyed/sick of/(or similar) the Startup Task Pane (Pain?) appearing whenever you open Word, or open a new Word document? If you are like me, and wish it would go away, then do this:
Go to Tools, Options and select the View tab. Uncheck “Startup Task Pane”!!
While you’re there, you may wish to uncheck other (un)helpful options such as Screen Tips and Smart Tags. Click OK and you’re away!!
Source: DE&T S007/2006 – Program for Students with Disabilities – Equipment Grants for 2006 from John Allman, General Manager, School System Reform Division
Applications are now invited for the Program for Students with Disabilities – Equipment Grants for 2006.
Grants are available to assist schools to purchase major items of specialised equipment through the Program for Students with Disabilities for the students in the following categories:
For those students funded since 1995, an equipment component is incorporated in the six levels of funding.
In considering the specialised equipment requirements of a student with a disability, schools are requested to contact their regional office to ensure that suitable equipment is not in excess at another school. Schools are also requested to notify the regional office of any specialised equipment that is no longer in use.
For those students funded prior to 1995, (Phase 1) supplementary funds will be considered for positioning equipment required to maintain the student within the school, for example, standing frames, specialised seating or modified tables.
Applications will need to:
Applications must be forwarded (with the Application Form) to the relevant
regional officer by Friday 24 February 2006.
Eastern Metropolitan Region Marilyn McKeown Ph: 9881 0200
Western Metropolitan Region Judy Baker Ph: 9292 6500
Southern Metropolitan Region Joanne Flight Ph: 9794 3555
Northern Metropolitan Region Alison Jones Ph: 9488 9488
Barwon South Western Region Andrew Taylor Ph: 5272 8300
Hume Region Wendy Fletcher Ph: 5761 2111
Loddon Mallee Region Elaine Tingay Ph: 5440 3111
Grampians Region Laura Carrington Ph: 5337 8444
Gippsland Region Ann Fearnley Ph: 5127 0400
Contact your region or the SVRC for
a copy of the Application Form
Thanks to Lil Deverell, Maria Elford and Dr Jill Keeffe for contributing to this edition of The Bulletin. Thanks also to my fabulous proof-readers, stuffers, mailers – it’s a veritable cast of folk!
Deb Lewis (who can be emailed at deblewis@svrc.vic.edu.au).