The following issue of The Bulletin was prepared by Deb Lewis (Statewide Vision Resource Centre).

Inside This Issue

- SVRC Professional Development Programs and Reports - Mountbatten, JAWS, Students with Additional Impairments
- Braille Games Day
- Poles in the Covered Way Project in Mildura
- Celebrating Literacy: Events to Commemorate
- Early Experiences with Braille

SVRC Professional Development 2002

Please see Bulletin 7 for programs and further information regarding the upcoming SVRC professional development activities including:
- Visiting Teacher PD Day - 7th June
- ZoomText Morning - 25th June

Mountbatten Day - Thursday 25th July

Term 3 will see a new approach to Mountbatten Days. Trevor Boyd of Quantum Technology has kindly offered to come for the whole day - mainly to address the ever-expanding skill level of the Mountbatten users out there! So in the morning, Trevor will cover subject areas for beginners and the afternoon will be devoted to more advanced topics. Please bring your own lunch. Morning and afternoon tea will be provided. There is no charge for the day.
Presented by: Trevor Boyd, Quantum Technology
Where: Statewide Vision Resource Centre 370-380 Springvale Rd, Donvale
Who: VTs, integration staff and parents supporting students with low vision (DE&T and other agencies welcome)

The program:
Session 1 for Beginners: 9.30am to 12.00noon
Session 2 for Advanced Users: 1.00 to 3.30pm
Please come to one session or both!

For: Visiting Teachers, Integration Aides and Teachers, Parents and Other Interested Persons (DE&T and other agencies welcome)
Cost: Free (morning and afternoon tea will be provided)
BYO: Lunch and your Mountbatten brailler
RSVP: Deb Lewis (SVRC) 9841 0242 by Friday 19th July 2002

JAWS for Beginners Morning - Monday 28th July

Who: VTs, students, integration staff and parents supporting students with low vision (DE&T and other agencies welcome)
Where: Statewide Vision Resource Centre 370-380 Springvale Rd Donvale
When: Monday 28th July from 9.30am to 1.00pm
The program will include:
- 80/20 principle: 10 things you should know to use JAWS effectively
- How to use Windows without the mouse
- Using JAWS with popular applications
- Accessing the Internet using JAWS
Cost: Free (morning tea provided)
RSVP: tel (03) 9841 0242 or fax (03) 9841 0878 by Wednesday 24th July
BYO: laptop with JAWS or come at 9.00am to have the demo installed.

Braille Games Day

What a raucous and fun affair we had at Braille Games Day. Students gathered from Northern and Western Regions bringing quite a collection of tactual games including Snakes and Ladders, various card games, Noughts and Crosses, Connect Four etc, which were played in pairs. We finished up with a game of Cluedo with the group, which was great fun - and won by the youngest participant, Cassie. Parents and students seem keen to have another Braille Games Day - so we'll be checking our calendars and letting you know!

By the way: to the person who borrowed our very new white bell ball, can we please have it back. Ta.

PD Day Report: Supporting Students with Vision Impairments and Additional Impairments in the Classroom

Another well received day, which included simulations of a vision impairment, discussions of low vision, CVI and classroom strategies for low vision and blind students. Orientation and mobility, behaviour management, and paediatric ophthalmology completed a most worthwhile day.

Participant comments included:
- Very thorough, helpful suggestions and being able to have some sense of what vision impaired children experience through the first three activities
- Excellent information and very relevant
- Reminds us of the big picture and the need to think outside the classroom
- A wealth of knowledge - so lucky to have someone like Professor Maclean speak to us

Thanks to our speakers: Marion Blazé, Annette Godfrey-Magee, Helen Caldow, Jeni Blake, Kaye Jones, Sandra Groves and Professor Hector Maclean. Thanks also to the staff of the SVRC who do a great job of setting up the room, keeping morning tea flowing and answering phones quickly.

Marion put up a great display of information and examples for encouraging tactual and visual learning for students with additional impairments in the classroom. If you weren't here on the day, please call by in the next month to take a look at the display.

We have tapes of Hector Maclean's session: 'Paediatric Ophthalmology' - please call if you would like a copy.

We also have copies of several recipes that Helen Caldow handed out, including:
- Play dough
- Finger paint
- Strong opalescent bubble mix
- Soap snow painting
- Slime!
- Goop

Please call for your copies.

Mildura: Creative Solution to Jayden's Problem

Jayden was having difficulties seeing the poles around the school, as they were painted a beige colour, the same colour as the school buildings. Local koori artist, Wade Smith, was invited to design and paint the poles in contrasting colours. Blue, white, green, orange and red were chosen and the design includes hand prints, animals and other symbols. The project involved several of the koori students from the school and Jayden - and the outcome is fantastic. For the full story see our webpage: http://www.svrc.vic.edu.au/bluepoles.html/.

Challenge Camp Cancelled

Due to problems with public liability insurance, the wonderful and exciting Challenge Camp has had to be cancelled. I know there are quite a few disappointed kids out there - I am as sad as them. Hopefully we can find an alternative - and perhaps we will run something later in the year. Sorry folks…

New Name for Guide Dogs

It appears that 'Guide Dog Association of Victoria' will now be known by its new name: 'Guide Dogs Victoria'. But the services to students (Children's Mobility Service) will remain the same.

Guide Dogs Victoria have three Orientation and Mobility instructors providing service to blind and vision impaired children throughout the Melbourne metropolitan region and regional Victoria.

Please contact Dean Johnson on 9854 4506 if you have any questions about Children's Mobility Service.

Space Camp

So far, the SVRC group going to Space Camp this year will include 5-7 students all from metropolitan Melbourne, and 2 chaperones (Lea Nagel and Deb Lewis). As we will be making our bookings in the next week or so, if you want to join the group, please let me know ASAP.

Another group will also be travelling with RVIB Visiting Teacher, Sherry Cunningham - and we hope that we can either travel there together or maybe even bump into each other along the way, though we'll just have to see.

Celebrating Literacy: Events to Commemorate

Alan Egerton from RVIB recently sent the following information:

2002 marks the 150th anniversary of Louis Braille's death. To commemorate this event, and celebrate literacy for blind people, the Victorian branch of the Australian Braille Authority is holding a braille reading competition, which will be run in conjunction with a display of braille writing tools and technology. These events will take place in the Vision Australia Foundation library, 454 Glenferrie Road, Kooyong, on Saturday, 12th October 2002.

There are three categories in the braille reading competition: junior readers (readers under 16 years of age), adult readers, and new braille readers with not more than three years experience with braille. Entrants will be required to read two pieces: one piece will be set by the organising committee, and the second will be a piece of the readers choice which is to be between five and ten minutes in length.

Several prominent authors and members of the blind community and blindness field are being invited to adjudicate, and entrants have the possibility of walking away with interesting and useful braille-related prizes. A landline is being kindly provided by 3RPH, Radio for the Print Handicapped, so those from interstate who are interested in entering are very welcome! Those who are with us on the day can also take the time to browse through the display of braille writing tools and technology. Items from the earliest writing tools to the latest braille technology will be on show.

If you or someone you know is interested in entering the reading competition, please contact Vyvette Baptist on 9864 9626 or email Vyvette.Baptist@visionaustralia.org.au/. A fun and informative day is expected, and we hope you can all come join us!!

Centenary of Federation Books in Braille and Audio Format

As part of the Centenary of Federation celebrations the National Council funded a project, in conjunction with the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind (RVIB) Library & Information Services, to professionally record 100 titles in audio format and transcribed 50 titles into braille. This exciting project was part of the Australians All project. These titles have been produced for people with a print disability so that they are able to access the many wonderful titles on offer on this subject. Most titles are available for purchase or alternatively they can be borrowed from RVIB through your local public library.

There are a range of exciting titles from the story of Weary Dunlop to the life and times of the Ned Kelly gang. There are also many other titles produced, which cover a range of topics such as the first immigrants to land on the Australian shores, to the history of the Commonwealth. These titles were not previously available in braille and audio format.

Many titles covered the history of the Federation. They include:
- Primary and secondary source material about the Federation movement
- People of significance/influence involved in the movement
- The impact of Federation on Australia's national development
- Events of significance and cultural developments

Many titles are available to purchase or loan on two-track cassette and in braille, and are professionally labelled, bound or covered.

For further details contact NILS on the number below.
Tel: 1300 654 656
Fax: 8530 3491
Email library@nils.org.au

Early Experiences With Braille

Here are some great ideas for early braille readers.
- make a ritual of each braille lesson by preparing the hands for braille. Have the student clean their hands using handiwipes or similar
- sprinkle talcum powder on the page to encourage a soft touch
- which is different, braille a line of braille cells with one that's different. Ask child to find the one that's different
- at Easter use the theme Easter eggs eg ask the student to find the eggs on the pages of the book. Use a line of braille cells to represent grass and eggs. Another version of this is to ask the child to find the rabbit in the grass.
- other similar ideas include: where's Mum and have the "M" in the braille; use student's name or first letter of their name
- leap frog (pretend your fingers are a frog, leap frog over the gaps, land on the next braille cell). Pretend you are a computer make a noise when their is a gap
- ask the child to pretend they are a computer and make a noise when they find a different braille symbol
- poke a hole in the gap (with a pen) or stick something in the gap
- make a braille wave using dots 3,2,1,4,5,6 and repeat or dots 6,5,4,3,2,1 and repeat
- use a story map - this is where you make up a story to go with a braille picture or pattern (eg chicken going to the hen house) make up a story to go with the braille. The student's fingers follow the chicken represented by braille cells to the hen house and make up a story as they go.
- after an excursion or special event at school, tape what they want to write and then create a story map to go with it.
- fiddle cards eg twinkle twinkle little star. Stick a star on a card and braille the word star on the card, child fiddles with the card when rhyme is being read. Make fiddle cards for other popular children's stories such as the 3 little pigs.
- snap games eg find two of a kind (shape / braille cell)
- braille trail eg braille cards, cut out and stick around the room (or on the child's clothing). If the student finds ten of the cards they win a reward. You can braille child's name on card.
- egg carton game - throw dice; move that number along egg carton, pick out the card in the egg carton; if the child can say what it is, they get to keep it. First to get three wins.
- create braille stickers using braille label for rewards or fun

You can find this and lots more interesting ideas for encouraging braille literacy on the SVRC website at http://www.svrc.vic.edu.au/emergentbrl.html/.

For information about buying or making braille stickers: http://www.svrc.vic.edu.au/brlstickers.html/.

Braille Resource Material Available at the SVRC

The following information is now available for either study resources or personal interest:

Timelines of 20th Century Australian History highlighting significant historical events in all decades of the 20th century. Included are Timelines highlighting significant events in Aboriginal history from 1770 to the present day. There is information about the first fleet and many of Australia's early explorers. You can also find out some things about Caroline Chisholm and Ned Kelly who are two important people from Australia's past.

Our native animals are unique and we have some information available on them. This is useful for project work or just for fun.

For those of you that have an interest in popular music we have the lyrics to many of the 'Abba' songs and for the footy fans there is a short profile on the Essendon, Carlton, Collingwood and Brisbane clubs. Other clubs may be added over time.

Contact Jenny in the braille department 9841 0242 to order your copy.

JVIB: April 2002

The following articles appeared in the April edition:
- Access to Multimedia Presentations for Students with Visual Impairment
- Production of Textbooks and Instructional Materials in the United States
- Training and Availability of Braille Transcribers in the United States
- Visually Impaired Personnel Preparation Program: A Collaborative Distance Education Model
- A Glance at Worldwide Employment of People with Visual Impairments
- Self-Perception and Locus of Control in Visually Impaired College Students with Different Types of Vision Loss
- Athletes with Visual Impairments: Attributes and Sports Participation

Wanted

A non-government school in the Tyab area is looking for a Visiting Teacher (Vision Impairment) for a termly consultancy. Call Deb Lewis on 9841 0242 for further details.

Please Return

A couple of good things have gone missing or been borrowed recently from the SVRC. If you have them, can you please return:
- PE Video from Western Australia - we haven't even seen it yet
- New white bell ball
- Photo album belonging to Marion Blazé of Space Camp
- Mounted photos of Space Camp (ie in frames)

Staff News

- Northern region has increased the time fraction for Visiting Teachers - Vision by .4. So Lea Philp and Meredith Walsh are now working an extra day per week each.
- Janie McLeod is in the United States visiting friends she made whilst on Space Camp! She'll be back on 3rd June.
- We have a couple of new grandmas within our ranks: Trish Potter from Bendigo - Chloe 10lb 15oz; and Dianne Skillern (Large Print Production etc) - Riley 9lb 2oz). All are doing well.

Student News (and this is BIG!!!)

Two students were will be travelling to SCORE Camp in Canada as the result of their applications to RVIB late last term.

And the winners are:
- Glen from Wantirna College (DE&T Visiting Teacher Service) &
- Bernadette from Nazareth (CEO Visiting Teacher Service)

The two year 12 students will be travelling independently to Canada and spending almost three weeks at the camp. The program is very intensive - with 16 hour days not unusual. Classes in technology (eg HTML), social skills and communication will be held, but there will also be an emphasis on cultural activities (eg dining out). I am hugely excited for both students and wish them all the very best with this huge adventure.

If you have something you would like included in The Bulletin, contact:

Deb Lewis (who can be emailed at deblewis@svrc.vic.edu.au).

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