The following bumper pre-Easter and term one holiday issue of The Bulletin was prepared by Deb Lewis, Co-ordinator, Statewide Vision Resource Centre. Hope you enjoy!
The following activities are coming up in the next few months:
For the complete list of activities for 2005 go to: http://www.visiontech.svrc.vic.edu.au/pd.htm and *** NEW*** you can now download many of the programs for upcoming events from this page too! On your own white paper for your photocopying convenience!!!
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
Visiting Teachers’ PD Day, Term I, 2005
Notes prepared by Marion Blazé
Nystagmus is not ‘abolished’ by sleep. One can actually feel the eyes moving under the eyelids.
There are three descriptors for nystagmus:
‘Intensity’, which is often referred to in reports, is a product of both amplitude and frequency.
A very rare form of nystagmus is called ‘see-saw’ nystagmus where one eye goes up while the other eye goes down!
There is also a condition called ‘latent’ nystagmus. This is when nystagmus occurs in an eye only when the other eye is covered.
Patients with nystagmus need to be tested with a fogging lens. If one eye is occluded, the nystagmus increases dramatically, causing the acuity reading to be much lower than it should be. The difference can be as much as from 6/60 in the one eye when the other is occluded, to 6/6 in the same eye with both eyes open. So if you want to find out the acuity of each eye separately, use a fogging lens so that light still enters the eye not being tested.
The most common type of nystagmus in children is ‘pendular’ (like a swing or pendulum). This can become a horizontal (often referred to ‘jerk’) nystagmus in adults.
Hector has only seen one ‘vertical’ or ‘see-saw’ nystagmus in his long career.
People with nystagmus do not see the movement. The brain ‘shuts off’ vision while the eyes are in the process of moving, and only works when the eyes are at the foveal fixating phase. Therefore, the larger the amplitude, the less time for foveation and the poorer the acuity.
If a child complains of a ‘moving world’, then either they are faking or their nystagmus is outside its usual amplitude (perhaps due to stress or illness).
Foveal vision increases (and amplitude decreases) and vision improves as a child gets older. Often this is due to a decrease in the amplitude of the nystagmus.
Amplitude varies with stress. If child is tired, hungry, unwell, upset or telling lies, their nystagmus and vision worsens.
Accommodation and convergence reduce nystagmus. Optometrists will often make spectacles deliberately too strong, to force the eyes to accommodate.
“Beware the class teacher who insists on good posture”. Our kids with nystagmus must be allowed to read very close.
Most kids with nystagmus (only) can read N5 size print up close.
The head nodding associated with nystagmus will occur only until the teen years.
Use of drops such as cyclopentalate and atropine will simulate ‘mature’ vision. One can therefore predict the acuity a child will achieve when they are mature enough for their nystagmus to have decreased.
Contact lenses are not an effective correctional device for people with nystagmus.
Botox has been used to block the movement (also used for eye muscle palsies), but it’s expensive and the effect wears off in three months.
Most people with nystagmus have what is called a ‘null point’ or ‘null zone’. This is a position of the eyes at which the nystagmus is at its least.
For most people the null point is when they look straight ahead, but for some, they need to look in a different direction.
In children, this can cause abnormal head positions. These are generally worse when they are concentrating to look at something at some distance. Generally, the abnormal head position becomes less as the child matures and the nystagmus decreases.
Class teachers need to be made aware of where a child should sit in class, depending on the null position.
When: 14-17 May 2005
Where: Carlton Crest Hotel, Sydney
Theme: The Vision for Accessible Information: Celebrating Achievement,
Seeking Fulfilment
Keynote Speakers: Stephen King, RNIB and Mary Schnackenberg,
RNZFB
Registration by: 15th April 2005
Some Highlights of the Conference are:
All enquiries should be directed to: Tammy Axelsen, Round Table Administration Assistant – tel (03) 6265 1519 or email RoundtableAdmn@bigpond.com
Guide Dogs Victoria will be running a workshop especially for Visiting Teachers which aims to further develop knowledge of the Orientation and Mobility field as well as increase understanding of the services available through Guide Dogs Victoria.
Here’s an opportunity to experience different mobility aides including the long cane, the miniguide and Guide Dog travel!
For further information or to register please call Rachel Morgan on (03) 9854 4469 or email Rachel.m@guidedogs.asn.au
Here are a few resources regarding information access, universal design and copyright laws:
Current issues of the Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness (JVIB) can be found online! You may access the February issue (no password needed) by following this link: http://www.afb.org/jvib/jvib9902toc.asp
The New Zealand-based Pulse Data International and Canadian-based Visuaide announced the merger of their companies in January 2005. The merged entity will be known as the HumanWare Group.
The HumanWare name has been widely used in North America since it was adopted as the name for Pulse Data’s North American subsidiary in 1989.
HumanWare will now sell products such as:
Further information on Pulse Data International and its products can be found at http://www.pulsedata.com
Maestro is a pocket sized mainstream PDA which utilises text-to-speech technology and a tactile keyboard membrane over the PDA touch screen allowing accessibility for people who are blind or vision impaired. Maestro offers:
As a mass-market product, Maestro can evolve in price, power and connectivity at the same rate as electronics for the sighted. Users can benefit from the latest innovations in the PDA market much earlier and at a lower price.
The system readily integrates third-party or other Humanware applications, such as Trekker, a GPS orientation system, and Victor Reader, a digital talking-book player (DAISY format).
For Visiting Teachers: a brochure for the recently discovered Laptop Workstation by Laptop Ergonomics is included with your copy of The Bulletin.
If you haven’t checked it out yet, there is a Laptop Workstation at the SVRC to have a play with or for further information, go to: http://www.svrc.vic.edu.au/04%2705.html#le or http://www.laptopergonomics.com.au/
Report by Jeni Blake, Visiting Teacher, Southern Metropolitan Region and SCI-VIS
Chaperone in 1998 and 2004
How lucky we were to be part of the 15th year of Space Camp for the Vision Impaired
in Huntsville Alabama from September 20th to 3rd October 2004!
I had the experience of organising the first DE&T group from Victoria to travel to Space Camp in 1998 when all we knew was that we were going to a camp in America in a state starting with Al. We knew it was not Alaska and that first year we went via Tennessee as we did not know Huntsville had an airport!
Now seven years later, yet it seems like yesterday I was finally leading another group with Geoff Bowen, Psychologist from the Statewide Vision Resource Centre. In 1998 the organisers were struggling under the weight of voluntarily organising 200 students from all over the world and I wondered how much longer this wonderful program where all children are on an equal footing would continue. They not only had access to the latest technology they had equity. We talk about the “expanded core curriculum” needed to enable students with a vision impairment achieve their goals. Here was a program that had a spirit of teamwork and friendship that crossed all races, religions and challenges. Wow and we were part of it!
We were the 7th expedition to go and from the first meeting we had a good feeling that it was going to be a most memorable. From the many sausage sizzles at Mitre 10 in blizzard conditions, walking the streets asking for donations, writing trillions of letters to the ‘let’s get going’ great sighted guide training we received from Lynden, Orientation and Mobility Instructor from Guide Dogs Victoria at Forest Hills Chase Shopping Centre, all were part of that focus “Getting to Space Camp”. Lyndsay, Michael, Laurel, Mel, Nicole and Natasha were not only great ambassadors for their families and schools but immensely popular amongst the other students and a pleasure to take on a trip. Since returning the internet has been running hot especially with the Canadians to which we seem to share a common bond, maybe they might venture Down Under for our Commonwealth Games.
Each year we touch the lives of many people in our bid to get yet another group of students to experience what they often say has been the highlight of their life, so far! These Friends of Space Camp give us help in so many ways from just reaffirming that the many hours of ‘blood, sweat and tears’ climbing the paperwork mountain with medical, legal and insurance documentation, to direct sponsorship which gives us a basis to start each year. It would be so easy to say it is too hard. From the people in our local communities, our families and friends who support us and to the organisations and businesses that stand behind us in our belief that this program makes such a difference to the lives of those who participate we thank you sincerely.
I often reflect as a Visiting Teacher that with our limited time and resources we are often dealing only with the tip of the iceberg; but perhaps we are like the story of the starfish – a little boy keeps throwing starfish back into the sea. The grandfather walking with the little boy queries his intentions when there are thousands of starfish that need his help. The boy replies that he has made a difference to the lives of the ones he has thrown back to the sea. This is the philosophy we relate to, and as Geoff Bowen is famous for saying, “We want students with vision impairments to become taxpayers to pay tax to support us in our nursing homes”.
Our students deserve the best opportunities to make a difference in the world and have satisfying jobs and careers. Exposing them to like-minded individuals who have goals, ambitions, problem solving skills and motivation sets them up with a confidence that they can achieve their goals and dreams.
We can not hide the fact that some of our students are going blind or that they have other difficulties and challenges, but we can celebrate and focus on the good in their life and escape to a world of space in all its wonderment, even if it is just for a week. To have spent a week learning about astronomy, rocket science, physics, astrophysics, chemistry and space history makes science more enjoyable and somehow easier to connect to the articles in the paper and the news on the TV. It is a pathway to life long learning.
Been there done that. It is hard to believe that these students have trained like astronauts, met challenges and been leaders and team members in a 30 million dollar camp that students from Ireland, Holland, San Lucia, Canada, Mexico and most states of the US have attended. All share a vision impairment or blindness and get the chance to meet others with the same condition and sometimes worse vision conditions.
For teachers it was a chance to network, show off our Aussie inventions for vision impaired students and marvel at the skills displayed by our students when they are participating in a level playing field. It is easy to demonstrate confidence, leadership, self esteem and achievement when the information is presented in an accessible format and the pace allows for your needs. The Graduation ceremony at the end of the week is a moving experience because every student in camp has co-operated with their peers and achieved beyond their expectations. We had the privilege to have our student Nicole win the “Right Stuff” award for 2004 – the top Space Camp award for the student that displays the ideals of the camp. Space Camp for the Visually Impaired is the favourite week of the year for the Camp Counsellors who take groups of sighted students for the other 50 weeks of the year. With a small amount of training and lots of support they are given 20 students who are blind or vision impaired to instruct. They find it extremely challenging but immensely rewarding.
I have always said our students stand tall after being to Space Camp and it cuts our workload down by half. Whether it is from the attention and interest they get from their teachers and their schools, the community who supports them, or having to struggle to raise the money to go, they come back and continue to change in the weeks and months and now years later.
We now have students who are over 21, have been working, or who are in the final years of their courses and we are proud of the choices they have made. Over 35 students have attended SCI-VIS and over 10 staff from metropolitan and regional Victoria and that is something we are immensely proud of. Every student who has been to Space Camp has matured, made good choices, set themselves goals, and had loads of fun! We are now asking them to be mentors to younger students.
Space Camp for the Vision Impaired – SCI-VIS – relies so much on goodwill and volunteerism. The staff of the SVRC and the co-ordinator Deb Lewis who has been instrumental in her leadership of keeping SCI-VIS part of our annual calendar have been invaluable. It would not happen without their interest and hours of volunteer work. We have finally got a date for a reunion, our second reunion in 7 years of all students who went to Space Camp, teachers and interested students on 17th April 2005. Please ring SVRC or see the attached flyer for more information.
On behalf of Geoff and students Lyndsay, Natasha, Michael, Nicole, Mel and Laurel thank you to all the Friends of Space Camp for making 2004 SCI-VIS possible.
INTERESTED IN FINDING OUT MORE ABOUT SPACE CAMP 2005. EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST ARE NOW BEING TAKEN FOR STAFF & STUDENTS. IF YOU ARE A VISITING TEACHER OR A SECONDARY STUDENT PLEASE CONTACT JENI BLAKE ASAP
Send an email to jkblake@optusnet.com.au or phone 0428 1344660 to register your interest and she’ll send you an information kit.
Recommendations for students who would benefit from this experience are encouraged to be forwarded by VT’s. Once we have a compatible group of minimum 4 students and 2 chaperones as staff we will have a meeting for more information sharing. If you want to go and are prepared to focus on your goal we will find a way to have you on the plane in SEPTEMBER school holidays to SCI-VIS 2005.
You are invited to attend space camp reunion. If you went to Space Camp with RVIB or SVRC 1998 — 2004 or want to meet people who did — you are invited.
Date: Sunday 17th April 2005
Time: 12pm—4pm
Cost: $20 per person
Location: Nino’s Italian Restaurant , 189 Gertrude Street,
Fitzroy (Melway ref: Map 44, B6) – this is Maysa’s (2004 RVIB Space
Camper’s) family restaurant
Public transport: Tram number 86 from Parliament Station –
join the group that will be leaving Parliament Station at 11.50am.
If you need help with transport please contact Jeni Blake 0428 134 660.
BYO: photos, memorabilia, shirts are optional but a memory
of space camp to share and what you are doing now is a must do.
RSVP: Jeni on (03) 9772 6334 or 0428 134 660 or email jkblake@optusnet.com.au
by 11 April.
P.S. if you know of a space camper that has missed out on an
invitation, please pass on a copy.
issued by the Australian Braille Authority, March 2005
Braille is the most commonly used method for tactually representing written English. As a living worldwide language, English is constantly evolving. For example, numbers and capital letters now appear frequently within words, study materials are becoming more diverse and visual, and Web addresses commonly occur in news articles and information handouts. The Australian Braille Authority (ABA) has the responsibility to guide the development of Braille codes in order that Braille can remain the primary literacy tool for blind people.
Currently, English-speaking countries employ several different braille codes according to subject matter. While the literary codes are fairly similar, the maths, sciences and computer codes differ markedly between countries. Also, the same print symbol might be represented in braille in different ways depending on whether the literary or another code is being used.
In 1992, the Braille Authority of North America began a project with the aim of creating one braille code which could be applied across all subject areas except music. In 1993, other English-speaking countries, including Australia, became interested in the project and it was internationalised under the auspices of the International Council on English Braille (ICEB).
In early 2004, ICEB met and agreed that the Unified English Braille Code was sufficiently complete for recognition as an international standard, which member countries could choose to adopt as their national code if they wished.
For the most part, readers who are already familiar with literary braille will have little trouble switching to UEB as:
There is no separate mathematics, computer science or chemistry code, simply UEB symbols for symbols used in maths and science and rules for the representation of maths and science notation. This means that UEB is one code, with the more technical aspects being extensions of the base code.
The music code, which has already been standardised internationally, will remain unchanged.
Having one English braille code rather than various subject-specific codes in different countries will mean that any English-speaking braille reader will be able to utilise braille resources in every subject area, regardless of which country produced the braille. This will be particularly advantageous to us in Australia, as we currently use a hybrid code containing various elements of both the American and British codes, with our own unique formatting guidelines and maths code.
UEB also eliminates the ambiguity caused by multiple meanings of symbols in the current codes, which will make Braille easier to learn. It also means that transcription from print into braille will be quicker and cheaper because of the reduced number of exceptions. Back translation, the process of transcription from braille to print, will also be more accurate, which will be particularly beneficial to blind students in mainstream settings.
A small disadvantage of UEB is that it takes more space than grade two braille. UEB was not designed with space-saving in mind; rather, the priorities were simplified rules and reduced ambiguities. It is estimated that literary material may be about 3% longer using UEB when compared with current literary braille. That is, just 3 pages in a volume of 100 braille pages.
At its annual meeting to be held in Sydney on Saturday 14 May 2005, the ABA will consider the proposition that Unified English Braille be adopted in Australia. Those eligible to vote are those members of the Round Table on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities Inc. who have an interest in the production, teaching or use of braille, and each state and territory branch of the ABA.
If UEB is adopted at this meeting, it will be phased in over a period of years, according to an implementation timetable to be developed by the ABA. The phase-in period will be long enough to ensure minimal disruption to those students completing their secondary or tertiary education, and to ensure enough time for teachers and others working in the blindness field to properly learn the code.
Familiarise yourself with the code
The National Information and Library Service is assisting with production of materials in UEB to help familiarise braille readers, transcribers, proofreaders and teachers with the new code. Two new titles produced in the code have recently been added to the library collection: Swimming Upstream by Anthony Fingleton and Last Tango in Toulouse by Mary Moody. Library members may also request braille copies of the key UEB specification documents or ask for student or personal notes to be produced in the code.
Attend a workshop
State and territory subcommittees of the ABA will be conducting workshops to familiarise people with the code. Participants will be guided through the sample materials written in UEB. For contact details of the ABA in your state or territory, please contact Leona Holloway, the ABA secretary at (03) 9864 9701 or leona.holloway@nils.org.au
Join Ozbrl
Ozbrl is an email discussion list devoted to braille-related issues in Australia. New information and minutes are distributed through Ozbrl and list members are encouraged to participate in discussions. To join, simply send an email to: ozbrl-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
If you have any questions or comments, please contact the Chair of the Australian Braille Authority, Bill Jolley, on (03) 9807 5137 AH or email wjolley@bigpond.com
For more information on Unified English Braille, including code specifications and samplers, see http://www.iceb.org/ubc.html
For a full list of UEB symbols, refer to http://www.iceb.org/symbs.html
The next RVIB Study Group, which will be held on Wednesday 20th April, 1.30 - 4pm at 201 High St Prahran in the Board Room.
The topic will be “On line Research for Academic Purposes” for the first half of the session. Following afternoon tea there will be a general discussion about tertiary related issues and opportunities for people to share their experiences with students wishing to take the step into tertiary education.
If you have questions or you’d like to register please contact Renee Williamson, Tertiary Education Coordinator, RVIB on (tel) (03) 9520 5555 or email renee.williamson@rvib.org.au
The Royal Children’s Hospital Education Institute has published an interactive book designed specifically for secondary school students with a chronic health condition.
Written by Kate Parker and designed by Tin Nyuyen and Ed Cutting, ‘Mapping Your Potential’ also discusses the difficulties of dealing with an illness in an educational context. With a background in health and education, Ms Parker has witnessed the impact that chronic health conditions have on young people’s lives, from their relationships to school performance. “With frequent time away from school, young people can quickly become disengaged, particularly when contact is not maintained with peers and the school community,” she explained.
See attached for further information of go to: http://www.rch.org.au/edinst and click under publications.
A vacancy for a Vision Advisory Teacher is available until 1st January 2008 (Salary: ET2 $67,225, Vacancy number: 19222). Applications close 25th March 2005.
Job description: Provide educational support services to children and students with a vision impairment to enable their full participation in educational programs. The successful applicant will have a relevant qualification and registration with an appropriate professional organisation.
For further information and to apply online go to: http://notes.nt.gov.au/dcis/RMS.nsf/(LookupWebVacancy)/3071FBBC780431AFE9256FB9000B5CE2?Opendocument
An ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain!
Thanks to everyone who contributed to this edition of The Bulletin. Thanks also to my fabulous proof-reader Dianne Skillern and my stuffers and posters in the production (and general miracle) department.
Deb Lewis (who can be emailed at deblewis@svrc.vic.edu.au).