This issue was edited by Deb Lewis, Co-ordinator, Statewide Vision Resource Centre.
AUSTRALIA’S BIGGEST MORNING TEA - 25th May
Come and join the staff of the Statewide Vision Resource Centre and be part
of Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea - a fundraiser for The Cancer Council
Australia. More details in the next issue
The SVRC PD program for the rest of 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 offered by the SVRC are open to class and subject teachers, integration teachers and aides, careers teachers, therapists, parents VTs, students etc. Please register: tel (03) 9841 0242, fax (03) 9841 0878 or email svrc@svrc.vic.edu.au
Source: Joanne Webber Disability Coordination Officer c/o RMIT University
Then mark this working forum in your diary.
What: A working forum on learning disabilities in education
and employment
The forum aims to address:
When: 24-27 September 2006
Where: Rydges Hotel, Exhibition St Melbourne
Further information and registration form: http://www.deakin.edu.au/events/ldc2006
ePublications - the latest option in information delivery for you is now available from AFB Press. Selected texts and individual JVIB articles are now available for purchase and access online. You can choose to buy a full text or as many or few chapters as you need then view, print, or download them as often as you wish for one full year.
Browse through the specially selected JVIB ‘Classic’ articles, to find articles published before the year 2000 that are of particular interest to the field of blindness and visual impairment.
To set up your online bookshelf go to: http://www.afb.org/epublications
It appears that Space Camp 2006 WILL be lifting off ???
A group of at least four students will make the journey with chaperones Helen Young and me, Deb Lewis. In addition to this, I recently spoke to Space Camp supremo Sherry Cunningham (Vision Australia) and she plans to take a group as well!!!
The four boys who have so far expressed interest in travelling with the DE&T group are:
Andrew – Northern Metropolitan Region
Luke – Loddon Campaspe Mallee Region
Michael – Southern Metropolitan Region
Peter – Southern Metropolitan Region
Note: places are still available for two more students – please let me know ASAP
In the mean time, let’s talk about the cost…
We will try to keep the cost to $4,500 as it has been in the past – but we won’t know the final cost for quite some time.
Basically this includes the air fares, accommodation/meals/ activities in Los Angeles, and Space Camp itself. If needed, here are some possible sources of funding for you to think about:
The payment timeline is as follows:
First payment $2,000 1st June
Second payment $2,000 1st August
Final payment $500 1st September
If you’d like more information about Space Camp, go to: http://www.tsbvi.edu/space/
Also if you would like to see pictures and read a little of our adventures from previous years, go to: http://www.visiontech.svrc.vic.edu.au/camps.htm
If you wish to discuss financial support call Jeni Blake on 0428 134660.
The following by Hannah Jones is reprinted from the Winter 2005/2006 issue of Blindosity
SCIVIS (Space Camp for Interested Visually Impaired Students) is exactly what the name implies. Students with visual difficulties come to Huntsville, Alabama to spend a week doing the same simulations that the astronauts do before they can go up in a shuttle. First we divided into the four camps: standard space camp, space academy, aviation challenge, and my camp, advanced academy. I was on the Von Tiesenhausen team, which in my personal and very biased opinion was the best group!
When we got off the airplane we went straight to the habitats, dropped of all of our stuff, and got handed our I.D. tags.
Then to one of the best parts of the day, lunch! It was really good. I found out the next day that the only thing the cafeteria ladies couldn't make is eggs. After the all-important lunch, we went and took our belongings up to our rooms. Later that day we had a fire drill and the girls in my room and I met the rest of Von Tiesenhausen. Over the week we learned a lot about the shuttle stack, NASA, and a lot of other very cool and scientific things.
My favorite things about space camp had to be the missions and the simulators.
Over the course of the week, we did six or seven different simulators that were really fun. Plus we did four missions throughout the week. In our first mission I was on the orbiter and my role was payload specialist. To fulfill that role, I had to “clean” some filters, flip a bunch of switches, and help do an experiment (we did an iron extraction), and then go flip a whole bunch of other switches. In the second mission, I was in mission control as a mission scientist. I got to assist with the launch and help fix any problems with the space station. In my third mission, I was in the space station as Commander! I got to do all of the things that I did in the orbiter, but I had a really good title! We didn't have any problems during those missions. But in the fourth mission, things started to go wrong…
Everything was fine at first. The orbiter launched okay, but I wasn't concerned with that, my job was to be concerned about the space station. This mission was very special being that it was a 6-hour mission and we had two types of anomalies (problems) to deal with. We had “buzzer anomalies” where the computer would make a sound and as mission scientist I would have to find out how to solve the problem.
First, we had a problem with the waste water system - there were bodily secretions floating around in the air. We also had a meteor shower and then things started to get really bad. I had just been called over to the guy and was told to show the signs of a hypoglycaemic attack, and if no one noticed in half an hour, just to pass out. When I got back to my desk, a new problem had come up on my screen and the people in space station were trying really hard to get hold of me. The air pressure was decreasing and I had to find a way to deal with that and imitate the symptoms of a hypoglycemic attack.
The symptoms of hypoglycemia are agitation, and extreme hunger (it’s funny because we had just eaten pizza and I was really full). I was trying to fix the space stations problem, and getting really mad at the girl I was talking to because of the “attack”. I was having trouble fixing the problem with the space station and people were passing out, and it was time for me to pass out. I have no acting abilities, so I just took my microphone off and lay on the floor by my desk, while the girl on the space station was in mid-sentence. No one noticed me for half an hour, even though I was kicking a person to get her to notice. They finally noticed me when they needed me to fix the problem because people were passing out on the space station from decompression sickness.
When they finally did notice me they tried to put splints on my shoulders, and ace bandages around my arms, and a pill (actually candy). I couldn’t eat it even though I wanted to. Then someone finally got smart and gave me a “shot” of something and it worked.
All in all it was a really good camp. I had a lot of fun, and I want to do it again next year.
The Talent Search Program is a new initiative of the Australian Paralympic Committee (APC). Its main aim is to identify people with physical disabilities, vision impairments or intellectual disability who display the athletic potential to one day, make it to Paralympic level competition.
The Talent Identification Day is open to people with cerebral palsy, limb deficiencies, people in wheelchairs, people with a vision impairment to name a few. The age group that is being targeted is 12 years and above.
A 2005/06 calendar incorporating 37 Talent Search Days across all states and
territories of Australia has been developed.
Each Talent Search Day involves a series of testing including general measurements
as well as sport specific tests. Head coaches from the targeted sports are involved
in the testing process and are ultimately the “talent spotters”.
Identified participants are grouped in two tiers – Tier 1 include those targeted for 2008, and Tier – 2 for the 2012. The program aims to identify 150 potential Paralympians by the end of 2006. This is the first step in the process of identifying people with disabilities who can display the potential to make a future Australian Paralympic team. In most cases it will take years of training and preparation to reach the standards required to compete at a Paralympic level.
People who are identified as showing potential will be encouraged to take the
next step in their sporting endeavours, which will vary from sport to sport
and person to person.
Victoria’s Talent Search Days are as follows:
27 May 2006 – Shepparton (North East)
11 November 2006 – Warrnambool (Western)
9 December 2006 – Moe/Morwell (Latrobe Valley)
THIS IS AN EXCITING OPPORTUNITY – for more details contact:
Tim Matthews tel: (03) 9614 6800
Email: tim.matthews@paralympic.org.au
Web: http://www.paralympic.org.au
The 96 page full colour publication “Making The Journey: Arts and Disability in Australia” is now available online in pdf, html and hardcopy from the Arts Access Australia network.
Written by Mary Hutchison it provides a snapshot of what is happening in each Australian State and Territory in Australia in providing access to the arts for people with disabilities.
“Making the Journey” can be downloaded from: http://www.ozco.gov.au/arts_resources/publications/making_the_journey/
The Willing and Able Mentoring (WAM) Program has been developed to provide students/job seekers who have a disability, the opportunity to showcase their talents and gather essential information and experience to assist in the transition from education to the competitive world of employment.
The WAM program is designed to train and match selected students/job seekers with mentors in career areas relevant to each person’s aspirations. Mentees are expected to attend several meetings (a minimum of 8 hours in total) with the mentor, who will provide advice, insight and a range of opportunities to enhance knowledge of the chosen field of work. Students/job seekers would also be required to attend a training session at the start of the program, and a debriefing and certificate presentation event at the conclusion of the program.
The training, mentoring sessions, and Certificate Presentation will be held in the student’s/job seeker’s locality as far as possible).
For further information on WAM and to access the application form go to: http://www.gradlink.edu.au/wam
Applications to be returned preferably via email attachment to Kevin Murfitt
kevin.murfitt@deakin.edu.au,
or mailed to Kevin Murfitt at: School of Psychology, Deakin University, 221
Burwood Hwy, Burwood Vic 3125.
Wish you had one? Not sure how to make one? Wouldn’t know where to store it? Brent, who arranges Saturday Swish at Vision Australia in Kooyong, may have a solution! Brent suggests commissioning the building of a table to be shared by roster around a region. If your school would like to be on a roster to have a swish table for a month at a time, please register your interest by contacting Lea Nagel van.der.nagel.leanne.n@edumail.vic.gov.au or Deb Lewis deblewis@svrc.vic.edu.au.
Brent would also love to hear from prospective Saturday Swish participants as well – there’s always room for more! Swish is open to children and adults, and helps with fitness and developing friendships and networks. On-the-spot training is offered, and matches are expertly refereed by volunteer staff.
Source: http://www.rncb.ac.uk/t3
T3 - A touch sensitive, multi sensory device provides instant audio feedback from tactile images. This combination of sound and touch offers a new way in which people who are vision impaired can access graphical information.
Operation is simple. The T3 is connected to a standard PC or laptop computer via a USB connection and the self-installing programme CD is inserted. To activate the system all that is needed is a T3 tactile diagram overlay to be placed on the surface of the device and touched by the operator’s finger.
Depending on the CD programme content, the operator now has access to a huge volume of information on any pre-selected subject. By moving the finger around the surface area and applying touch pressure, the linked audio file recites relevant information or corresponding to the selected point of area.
By delivering visual images in a non visual format, i.e. touch and sound, T3 offers improved accessibility to all levels of education and information programmes for every lifecycle stage, from early years right through to VCE, vocational training and life long learning.
Source: LiveWire, February 2006
Quantum Technology supplies a variety of products for people with low vision and two of the electronic magnification units available are:
For the high-tech user there is also a Picture in Picture (PIP) feature which allows you to view both the magnified document and computer display at the same time.
Adapted from email by George Bell from the DuxUser listserve, 17th November 2005
The subject of PDF files has been thrashed. The product has been called every bad name imaginable, and the screen reader companies have been chastised beyond belief.
Jamal Mazrui’s article which can be found on the American Foundation for the Blind’s web site does a beautiful job of rolling back the veil over PDF files and their inner workings. I’d recommend this article to anybody trying to figure out the ins and outs of getting a screen reader to read a PDF file efficiently and to anyone trying to figure out how best to create accessible documents.
Read the article here: http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw060604
Source: DE&T Email S126-2006
Applications are invited for the Program for Students with Disabilities 2007 for additional resources to support new or existing students with disabilities who will be attending a government school in 2007. The closing date for students currently enrolled in Victorian government schools is Friday 14 July 2006. Applications for Preps entering school for the first time in 2007 must reach the Student Wellbeing Branch by 28 February 2007.
For more information about the Program for Students with Disabilities go to: http://www.sofweb.vic.edu.au/wellbeing/disabil/index.htm
Source: ICEVI Newsline, April 2006
ICEVI and the Overbrook-Nippon Network on Educational Technology recently announced the release of “Mathematics Made Easy for Children with Visual Impairment”. This new publication is one that all teachers and parents of children with vision impairment will find to be an invaluable resource. Of particular interest to teachers will be the adaptive procedures for teaching nearly 500 secondary level mathematical concepts. Best of all, all proceeds from the sale of this publication will support programs to reach children in the developing world who currently are without access to education. Mathematics Made Easy can be ordered as follows:
North America/Caribbean and Latin America regions from Towers Press, Overbrook School for the Blind 6333 Malvern Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19151-2597 USA E-Mail: dennis@obs.org
All Other Regions: ICEVI Secretariat, IHRDC Campus, Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya, Coimbatore 641-0202 India E-Mail: sgicevi@vsnl.net or oficevi@vsnl.net
The cost of this publication is US$35.00 plus shipping and handling.
Source: Insight, Jan/Feb 2006
The Social Inclusion Project set out to identify the critical stages and key issues in the social and emotional development of children and young people with visual impairment, with particular reference to self esteem. The project considered the current range of strategies and resources used to support young people’s social and emotional development; and identified the training needs of educational and mental health practitioners. The project also initiated, delivered and evaluated a range of school and community based projects (eg making a video, transition days) which aimed to support the social and emotional development and inclusion of children, young people and their families.
These aspects are described in the report alongside a list of useful resource materials and an appendix containing the questionnaire used to gather data from children and young people – a useful audit tool for a service reflecting upon this work.
A full report of the RNIB West Midlands Social Inclusion project is now available to download as a word document or PDF file from http://www.education.bham.ac.uk/research/victar/
Autism Spectrum Disorders – 16th May
Behaviour and Toileting Problems in the Younger Child – 23rd May
Sexuality and Social Behaviour in the Child with a Disability – 30th May
Where: Royal Children’s Hospital
Time: 7.15-9.30pm
Cost: $15 per person or $25 per couple
For more information: (03) 9345 5898 or education.seminars@rch.org.au
From: Lea Nagel, Senior Visiting Teacher Eastern Metropolitan Region
For those who enjoy music and would be interested to know how to write braille music notation, I’d like to share my latest cheat sheet: Braille Music - click here to download (but you will need a braille font already loaded on to your computer).
As with braille mathematics, the code starts out simply, and becomes more complex as the detail in the notation increases.
The braille music code was invented by Louis Braille, and has been developed over time by users world wide. We have an international braille music code with minor local interpretations.
Braille note names do not correspond with the braille letters of the alphabet. Once you get your head around this minor confusion, the code begins to make a lot of sense. Each braille cell represents both the note and the amount of time it is played. The top four dots tell the reader the note, and the bottom two dots indicate the timing. Bars are separated by a space.
Give it a go! You will need to borrow or buy a book to get you started (available through RNIB or RNIB book suppliers), then the cheat sheet below could help once you get going. My cheat sheet covers enough of the code to transcribe a beginner recorder book, which has single lines of music, songs accompanied by music and duet parts. If my student wants to take her music further, I’ll have to do some more research!
Click the links to download word documents -
Cheat Sheets:
Note: if they don't load the first time, click Refresh.
Source: Winter 2005/2006 issue of Blindosity
I get heaps and heaps of material through my desk via mail and email but one publication that I really enjoy receiving is Blindosity which arrives as a pdf file a couple of times a year.
Blindosity is an interesting and chatty e-newsletter which is produced “by students for students who are visually impaired”. Their newsletter is open to submissions of all types from short stories to scathing editorials. If you have ideas or would like to show your work to the world, write to blindosity@hotmail.com – and wouldn’t it be great to read something written by one of the kids we know – an Aussie kid!!!?
Issue 4 (Winter 2005/2006) includes the article reprinted above “Adventures in Space”, interviews with two VI teachers, “I survived Hurricane Rita” and two other articles reflecting what it is like to have a vision impairment that I will reprint in future issues.
Hannah - I have seen two movies that have people with visual difficulties. The two movies are The Village and O, Brother, Where Art Thou? Neither of the actors knew how to use the canes that they were given. The girl in the village was using hers like a walking stick, and knew the way around almost better than a sighted person. In O, Brother, the man was whacking everything with it, instead of the tip being on the floor the tip was on the walls and everywhere else.
Fallon - I have not seen very many movies that portray blind people. However, a movie that does come to mind is the movie Ray. Jamie Fox portrays the life of Ray Charles, a famous blind musician who passed away last year. Fox does such an excellent portrayal of Ray Charles in that movie that he won an Academy Award! There were some instances that Ray had to stand up for what he believed in, and those advocacy skills can carry you a long way in life.
Have you seen any movies that portray people with visual impairments? Let us know what you think. Email us at blindosity@hotmail.com (And I’ll be looking out for your contributions – Deb)
Source: Early Childhood Newsletter, December 2005
Source: Future Reflections, Volume 24 Number 4
Slate Pals is a program for children from prep to year 12 that matches students who want braille pen pals. The program is available free of charge to children around the world. Slate Pals enables children who are blind to correspond with one another in braille. It also finds blind pen pals for sighted children who are interested in learning the braille code.
For more information email dkent5817@att.net or check out the ad in Future Reflections: http://www.nfb.org/futref.htm
Here’s how to make a braille heart:
Line 1: dots 234, 15, 24, 156
Line 2: dots 126, -, -, 345
Line 3: dots -, 15, 24
Thanks to Maria Elford, Jill Keeffe, Lea Nagel, Mike Steer and Rene Williamson for contributing to this edition of The Bulletin. Thanks also to my fabulous proof-readers, stuffers and mailers. .
Deb Lewis (who can be emailed at deblewis@svrc.vic.edu.au).