Number 11, Friday 23^rd July 1999

Inside This Issue:

• Professional Development for 1999,
• Report on Windows 95 workshop,
• Green-Lined Paper, Space Camp
• Learning Styles,
• World Junior Chess Tournament
• Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness-articles in current issue
• From the Internet: Retinalblastoma, Grade1 or 2 braille, Fun Sites, The Assistant in the Classroom
• Through the Maze
• Driving Camp
• Copyright
• JAWS and the Internet
• Beginning Reading Resource
• The Art Box
• BCA Identity Cards
• Braille Essay Competition
• Learning to Read and Write Braille
• VT Contact Details
• Term 3 PD Day
• Dr Lilli Nielsen
• Recreation and Sport – PD and Article
• RVIB - VCE PD and Career Exploration
• Staff News and Attachments

Lyn ran two very successful workshops designed to encourage participants learn to love their desktop. And by all accounts, she succeeded! One participant was so enthusiastic about what she was learning, that she was overheard to pronounce: ‘You just feel so empowered – where is Pam Smedley?’

Green-Lined Paper

Due to technical difficulties, green-lined paper will only be available on A4 paper in future. For students on the Department of Education Visiting Teacher Service, one ream of plain paper

(eg Reflex or similar) can be exchanged for one ream of green-lined paper or is available for $7.00 per ream. Paper can be collected or we can arrange for it to be posted at a cost of $5.00 per ream.

Space Camp
Jimmy Cheng from Balwyn High School spent the last week of term 2 on Work Experience at the SVRC. He writes:
‘My aspirations to visit America will finally be realised. As part of a service for visually impaired students, the NASA space centre will be holding a camp for one week. Visually impaired students from all over the world will be eligible to go and participate in one of two courses: the advanced course for senior high school students and the novice course for all students.

There are eight students who are interested in going on the camp the camp from Victoria and over 300 all up from around the world. As part of the trip to America we (students from Victoria) will be going for two weeks. Included in the airfares, we’ll have vouchers to go to Disney Land and tour the Universal Studios. Ever since I’ve known about Disney Land and the Universal Studios, I’ve had an ambition to visit the Universal Studios and to throw up in Disney Land; and in September, one of my many ambitions will finally come true.

After visiting the landmarks of LA, we’ll have a couple of days to visit some of the local sights. We’ll have a couple days to observe the local life style and to do some shopping. Then we’ll be off to sweet home Alabama for the space camp. At the space camp we’ll hopefully be participating in activities defying gravity. I was also told that we can indulge in as much of the delicious foods as we like.

When the space camp is eventually over, I’m afraid it’s finally time for us to come back to Victoria. I’m sure we’ll be exhausted for another few days and it would probably take us a few more days to get over it. So for the teachers out there, don’t be shocked if we don’t turn up the first week of term four.’

Learning Styles
Here is an excerpt from an article from Vision, May 1999 by Linda Silverman, reprinted with permission from the Victorian Association for Gifted & Talented Children Inc.,.
 

The Auditory-Sequential Learner

The Visual-Spatial Learner

Is a step-by-step learner  Has auditory strengths  Learns by trial and error  Is an analytical thinker  Attends well to details  Does well at arithmetic  Follows oral directions well  Learns phonics easily  Can sound out spelling words  Excels at rote memorisation  Has excellent short-term memory  Can remember easily isolated bits of  information.  Has neat handwriting  Is well organised  Learning progresses sequentially from easy  to difficult material.  Learns from models  May need some repetition to reinforce  learning.  Performs well in timed tests  Can show work easily  Masters other languages in classes  Emotions do not interfere with learning  Is comfortable with one right answer  Development is fairly even  Usually maintains high grades  Enjoys algebra and chemistry  Is academically talented  Is an early bloomer

Is a whole-part learner  Has visual strength  Learns concepts all at once  Is a good synthesiser  Sees the big picture; may miss details  Math reasoning exceeds computation skills  Reads maps well  Learns sight words easier than phonic  Must visualise words in order to spell them  Learns best by seeing relationships  Has excellent long-term memory  Can remember only information that he or she  sees as relevant.  Prefers keyboarding to writing  Creates unique methods of organisation  Learns difficult concepts easily; struggles with  easy skills.  Develops own methods of problem solving  Learning is usually permanent: is turned off by  drill and repetition.  Performs better in untimed situations  Arrives at correct solutions intuitively  Masters other languages through immersion  Is very sensitive to teachers’ attitudes  Generates unusual solutions to problems  Development is quite asynchronous  Grades may be very uneven  Enjoys geometry and physics  Is creatively, mechanically, technologically or  emotionally gifted.  Is a late bloomer

World Junior Chess Tournament for Blind Students
Do you have students who would be interested in this? If so, contact Peter Rickards of Vision Australia Foundation on (03) 9864 9237.

JVIB
The following articles appeared in the May edition:

• Schools and Family Involvement: Attitudes among Latinos who have Children with Visual Impairments
• Providing Culturally Competent Services to Visually Impaired Persons
• Cultural Transition: A Lesson from One Ethiopian Child who is Blind
• Perspectives on Visual Impairment: An Asian American Woman Shares her Story

Retinalblastoma – a parent view
The following comments are from the parent of a child with Bilateral Retinalblastoma to a parent who is concerned about the prognosis for their child with the same condition.

"As the parent of an almost twelve year old with Bilateral Retinalblastoma I can assure these folks that yes indeed there is life after 21. There is a special list available on the Internet that has given me more information in the last 6 months than I received in the last 11 years. It is for survivors and their families to exchange information. It is like a giant sized family. I intend my child to live as long or longer than I do. As with any cancer there is always the possibility of secondary cancers, yet there is an equal chance of survival.

The E-mail address for this list is
R-BLASTOMA@LISTSERV.ACOR.ORG
We hear from families all over the US and Canada. So tell them to send in to the list.
Joann Grimmett mother of Marian age 11"
Here are some other resources Lyn has found for Retinalblastoma:
New England Retinoblastoma Support Group
(an affiliate of the National Association for Parents of the Visually Impaired)
P.O. Box #317 Watertown, MA 02272-0317 Phone: (800) 562-6265
Retinoblastoma Family Association (RFA)
14 Annette Gate, Richmond Hill, Ontario, L4C 5P3, Canada Phone: (905) 737-2788
Fax: (905) 669-6124 e-mail: kwikkopy@idirect.com

Retinal Blastoma Family Support
URL: http://www.familyvillage.wisc.edu/lib_reti.htm/ University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center Medical Research Group http://www.oncolink.upenn.edu/disease/retinoblast/

r-blastoma
R-BLASTOMA is an unmoderated discussion list for persons with Retinoblastoma, their loved ones, family, and friends. It is also a forum where patients, family, and friends can interact with researchers and physicians, to discuss clinical and non-clinical issues and advances pertaining to Retinoblastoma. Topics of discussion include: patient experiences, psychosocial issues, new research, clinical trials, alternative therapies and discussions of current treatment practices.

To subscribe to R-BLASTOMA, send an emessage to:
listserv@listserv.medinfo.org
In the body of the emessage, type:
subscribe r-blastoma
To contact the listowner, Gilles Frydman, email either:
R-BLASTOMA-request@LISTSERV.MEDINFO.ORG
Or email gfrydman@acor.org
R-BLASTOMA is part of a group of lists co-sponsored by ACOR, the Association of Cancer Online Resources, and is archived at: http://www.medinfo.org/

Grade One or Grade Two Braille - What’s in a Name?
From Louise (AERNET) on Thursday, June 10, 1999 3:25
When Louis Braille made braille, it was in direct correlation to the alphabet. Therefore, ‘braille’ is grade one braille. Later contractions were added to make contracted braille. For some reason someone decided to call them grade one and grade two braille, which has caused our current situation of arguing how long a student should stay in ‘grade one’ which to many people means staying in the first grade. The terminology gets in the way of education.

I once spoke at a conference about teaching braille in which a lady said she didn’t want to be taught in ‘baby braille’ (grade one braille). My response was that I have been in grade one braille all my life - it’s called ‘print.’ And I certainly don’t feel uneducated.

If we can’t call it ‘braille’ and ‘contracted braille’, then how about ‘alphabet braille’ and ‘contracted braille’ to get rid of the stigma of people thinking they are somehow being held back into the first grade?

My current student being taught in grade one braille just finished the first grade and is reading on a third grade level. He understands phonics and will finish the transition to grade two braille by next fall. He loves learning the ‘shortcuts’ (contractions) and is excited about moving on. I firmly believe that students like him deserve the opportunity to have choices and be able to get the materials in alphabet braille when he needs them. Thanks to efforts by the NFB I am now able to get all the materials I need, but I was not able to get them through normal sources.
How about changing the terminology?

Fun Sites You Can Go To With Your Kids
There are trillions of sites that you and your students can visit for fun and information – here are a few:
www.afl.com.au – The AFL
Not terrific for a vision impaired person, but packed with heaps of facts and photos (if you are into the footy which I am not!!!!!) It has results, news reports and articles, the ladder, player information, club news and photos from the AFL.

www.discovery.com – Discovery Channel OnLine
An excellent science-related site with loads of interesting information and photos. The articles seem to change fairly regularly. You can find information on dolphins or man’s walks on the moon. There is also ‘Discovery News in Brief’ which is read to you.

www.melbourne.org – Virtual Tour of Melbourne
Lots of information and photos about Melbourne. You can send a ‘postcard’ (scene of Melbourne including Flinder’s Street Station, the Fairy Tree etc) and play the Melbourne Game.

The Assistant in the Classroom
From Kristin (AERNET) on Wednesday, June 23, 1999 12:53 AM
I have a fifth grade student who has the same wonderful aide for the past five years. As the child got older, she learned to use the 20/80 vision in her 20 degree field of vision very efficiently. The aide has been doing less and less for her visually (copying from the board, explaining busy maps...) But the past few years the aide has found herself becoming more and more a tutor. The student has come to rely on her to prompt her to continue working, re-state what the regular teacher has said, and help her with difficult tasks.

I asked my student why she needs an aide in math class. She said, "in case I need help."
I said, "but you can see the board from your seat, your math book is in large enough print, how would an aide help you?"
"In case a problem is real hard."
"Do all the other kids have an aide there to help them if they have a hard problem?
"No, but they are not visually impaired."
"But your visual impairment doesn’t hinder you at all in maths."
"But I need her there."
The student had become so used to the aide being there, and she thought she was there to help her with everything, not just the things that were difficult due to her visual impairment.

Over the past two years, the aide became more and more frustrated because she was no longer needed to do what she was hired to do. She was expected to be with the student, but the student did not need her the majority of the time. The aide was great at not giving help when it was not needed, but since she was present, the student continued to ask for help. She has become so dependent on the almost constant feedback from adults that she acts as if she is unable to do some of the work. We are questioning if the child is truly having academic difficulties or if she has ‘learned to be lazy’. So, the aide became a tutor, paper-grader, and personal ‘slave’ for the student!

My point is: We should be very clear on the role of an aide or assistant, and realise this role can change. The student, parents and regular education staff get used to having the aide there and they are reluctant to change. It’s so hard to back off on the aide time once everyone is ‘used to’ it!
Just my two cents worth...

Through The Maze
The Association for Children with a Disability Inc. has recently produced the third edition of ‘Through the Maze: A Guide to Benefits and Services for Families of Children with a Disability’. Astonishing in its coverage of this complex array of services, this booklet has sections covering:

Driving Camp ‘99 – Charlton – November 22 and 23
Information and forms for the Driving camp in term 4 were included with Bulletin 10. Please call if you require further details. First in with the paperwork and a $25 deposit (or better still, the full amount) will secure a spot on the camp.

Copyright
Below is an article from the May 1999 edition of Link Magazine, reprinted with permission:
Every day thousands of Australians with a print disability may be breaking the law according to a Melbourne consultant. Bruce Maguire, a member on the national Round Table on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities, has told a Parliamentary inquiry into Copyright that the law is out of date and needs to be changed. ‘Copyright Law is not keeping pace with changes to technology.’ Mr Maguire said, ‘The Law assumes that information will be put into braille by large organisations. It fails to recognise that people can now scan printed material and, if they wish, turn it into braille in their own homes. Not only that, but they can email material to friends with a print disability, or have the text read aloud to them by their computer.’

According to Mr Maguire, ‘This isn’t an attempt to impinge on the author’s market, or to defraud the system. It is just a case of people trying to get access to the range of information that is freely available to other people in the community who are not print disabled. The Copyright Act needs to be changed to recognise that it’s a fundamental human right for individuals with a print disability to have appropriate access to information. The law needs to clearly state that it is the right of individuals with a print disability to use any technology that is available to gain access to printed or electronic material.’

Jaws and the Internet
At the end of this issue is a sheet with some shortcuts to using the Internet with Jaws, which Lyn has found and adapted.

New Beginning Reading Resources
We have recently purchased a set of ‘Of Primary Importance’ beginning reading books which have been developed in Australia. ‘On Track Reading’ gradually introduces and revises many of the most commonly used words such as: this, like, you, said etc. Pictures are clear and colourful and text is approximately N40. Reading Books are $59 per set (with 16 books in the set) and Activity Books are $28 per set. There are also books emphasising the phonic approach, maths books and books with a Christmas theme in other sets. ‘Of Primary Importance’ can be contacted at: PO Box 894, Mildura 3502,
Phone/Fax (03) 5023 4216 Website http://www.opi.com.au

The Art Box
‘The Art Box’ project, an initiative of Knoxbrooke Inc., provides adults with intellectual and other disabilities the opportunity to explore their creativity, imagination, and artistic abilities. Participants have the chance to experiment with different and varied art mediums. Work can be displayed and/or sold. For further information call (03) 9758 3666.

BCA Identity Card
In the May 1999 issue of Blind Citizens News, Bill Jolley noted the following:
The Blind Citizens Australia Identity Card is now available. It is worth twenty-five points as proof of identity for financial transactions. It will be accepted as photo-ID at times such as collecting plane tickets or entering a mobile phone contract. It includes your name, address, signature, date of birth and photograph and is available to BCA members by completion of the application form and payment of $20. Call the BCA for the application form on (03) 9521 3433 or 1800 033 660.

Braille Essay Competition
This message came through from the ICEB and was reprinted in the latest Round Table newsletter, Camelot:
Braille essay contest:
The World Blind Union (WBU) in cooperation with The Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB), invites any individual to enter a braille essay contest, on the topic ‘What Braille Means To Me’. Essays should be written from a personal perspective and describe how braille has affected or changed a life.
Ten winners will be chosen; each winner will receive $500 (Canadian) and the winning essays will be published in English, French and Spanish and distributed internationally. Published essays will become the property of the WBU.
Winners will be notified by mail. The decision of the judges is final.
Submissions must be postmarked or received electronically by 1 February 2000.
Entry Rules
The contest is open to individuals who are blind, visually impaired, deafblind or sighted.
There are no citizenship restrictions.
Entries can be submitted in English, French or Spanish.
There is no entry fee.
Entries may be written in print or braille; electronic submissions are preferred.
The essay should be 1,000 to 1,500 words in length.
Each entry must include, on a separate sheet of paper, the individual’s name, address and phone number. Essays should not include personal identification within the text.
Winning essays will be selected based on their ability to capture the judges’ interest and how compelling, powerful and creative they are.
Entries will be judged by an international panel.
Submissions will not be returned.
Entries should be sent to:
The CNIB,1929 Bayview Ave.Toronto, ON M4G 3E8 Attention: James W. Sanders or by e-mail to: sanderj@east.cnib.ca

Learning to Read and Write (Again)
Lynne Davis, Helen Merrin and Eddie Solomon have written on their experiences of learning to read and write in braille as adults in the May 1999 edition of BCA news. Lynne, diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, writes of her experience of losing her sight and deciding to learn braille at the age of 50. Eddie writes about how ‘the secret for success in braille is persistence.’ Helen writes about issues in learning to read braille and notes that: ‘in braille, there is no interest in the physical shape of the word. The word "comb" is an exception, perhaps, but it is not a word one often comes across! … it is for each student to find the way that best assists, whether it be in the language of braille’s logic, in visualising shapes, corners and lines, or in the dot’s positions in the cell. Often I find, students visualise the places of the dots, in a way that only people who have had vision would do. Almost’. Please request a print copy of these articles if you are interested in reading more.

VT Contact Details
Attached at the end of this issue is the latest version of VT contact numbers.

PD Day – 27^th August 1999
Attached is the flier (see page 13). Please call to let us know that you will be coming – the cost is $12 which includes a yummy lunch.

Dr Lilli Nielsen
Active Learning guru, Lilli Nielsen will be running four days of seminars in Adelaide on April 17 to 20 next year. There will be two days for beginners followed by two days for advanced Active Learning. Jan Perry, principal of Kilparrin School, would like you to contact her to let her know if you are planning to attend by calling (08) 8296 5297 or emailing her at jperry@nexus.edu.au/.

Successful and Effective Physical Education Programs for Children who are Blind and Vision Impaired within Mainstream Schools
This seminar, presented by Betty Edelstein (Department of Education) and Uli Pfisterer (RVIB), will be conducted at Mt Eliza PS, Wooralla Dve, Mt Eliza on Wednesday 25 August from 9am to 1pm. It is open to physical education teachers, curriculum co-ordinators, classroom teachers, visiting teachers, and interested staff. The cost of $25 can be made payable to Monterey PS. You are asked to bring gymshoes.
See attached flier at the end of this issueor call Betty Edelstein on 0417 591838 for further details. RSVP by 13 August to Monterey PS on (03) 9786 3211.

School Aged Students with Severe Vision Loss
This article was kindly provided by Peter Rickards of Vision Australia Foundation and is attached at the end of this issue.

RVIB: Towards VCE for Students who are Blind or Vision Impaired
This seminar will be held at RVIB School on Thursday 5 August from 5.00pm to 8.45pm (which is unfortunately the same date and time that Dr James Elder will be speaking for SPEVI at the Statewide Vision Resource Centre). Topics for Towards VCE will include:

• Developing individual student objectives
• Technology options for secondary students
• Work education / career choices
• Options for VCE years (including RVIB Support Programs)
• Student panel – voices of experience
• The cost is $45 and the registration form is attached or you can call Rachel Grealy by Wednesday 28 July on (03) 9808 6422.

Staff News

• Susan Reynolds from Wodonga is back on deck after taking term 2 on Long Service Leave.
• Neil Barrington from Southern Region will be off sick for a few weeks and Louise Cooper will be filling in.
• The position of .4 Education Officer for the Educational Vision Assessment Clinic was recently advertised and Annette Godfrey-Magee was the successful applicant. She will be sharing the full time job with Yvette Higgins as follows
• Monday Annette
• Tuesday Leave a message
• Wednesday Yvette
• Thursday Yvette and Annette
• Friday Yvette
• Yvette and Annette can be contacted on (03) 9841 0807.

And finally…

Hope you all had wonderful holidays – Marlene rang in with an astonishing story of being canoed and carried out of a rockpool in Kakadu after breaking some part of her anatomy; we received a postcard from Pam in Slovakia, Phyllis in Coffs Harbour and Jenny in Hong Kong; and I am looking forward to seeing Rita’s photos of her adventures in the north west of Australia.

Did you see the lovely photo of one of our students, Hussein Alieski, on the front page of Victorian School News on 15 July?

Look forward to seeing you at the Mountbatten Day, the VT PD day or on one of your visits to the SVRC.

Deb Lewis

deblewis@svrc.vic.edu.au

Documents mentioned in the Bulletin can be found below:

JAWS and the Internet
Some people have commented that they are having difficulties using JAWS with the internet. The following information may be of help. You could also join a discussion group about JAWS for more information, there is one listed at the end of this article.
Key Commands for JAWS for Windows 95 and Internet Explorer4-Adapted, with permission, from an email on AERNET by Penny Reeder

INSERT-F-5, will convert the webpage to a text-only site ie. all of the graphics will be removed.

INSERT-F-7, this will place all the links in a list box, you can then arrow down, using the arrow keys, and press enter on whichever link you wish to go to.

CONTROL-O, and then type in the http://... address to go to a new website.

CONTROL with the left arrow key, to go back one link.

The JAWS cursor is the top right key on the numeric keypad.

The PC CURSOR (which is the computer’s cursor) is the long skinny key right under the JAWS cursor key. (It is the addition key on the numeric pad). Sometimes, you have to route the JAWS cursor to the PC cursor; to do this, press insert with the JAWS CURSOR key. Sometimes—I don’t know why—there’s inexplicable junk on the screen that gets in the way of reading; you can often get rid of this junk by pressing the insert key simultaneously with the escape key.

The Jaws for Windows Mailing List
Nick Allan, a past student of the Visiting Teacher Service, maintains a site dedicated to the exchange of information about JAWS for Windows.
To subscribe to the JFW mailing list, send your request to majordomo@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au with
subscribe jfw in the body of the message.
To unsubscribe, send your message to majordomo@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au with unsubscribe jfw
in the body of the message.
If you have any questions regarding the mailing list, please email owner-jfw@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au/.
Hope this helps, Lyn

Visiting Teacher Contact Phone Numbers (Term 3, 1999)

Name	Region	Telephone
Aaltonen, Robert	CEO - Southern	9532 1922
Adler, Lillian	Eastern	0418 566823
Aylward, Christine	Loddon Campaspe Mallee	5033 2383 (Voice & TTY)
Barrington, Neil	Southern	9708 0476
Beilharz, Joanne	Gippsland	5135 6050
Bennett, Di	CEO - Eastern	9758 4999 Tue & Wed
Blake, Jeni	Southern	9785 2065
Blazé, Marion	CEO - Eastern	9758 4999 Mon - Wed
Budge, Odette	Western	9399 1704
Burrows, Marlene	Western	9331 5317
Caldow, Helen	Eastern	9808 6071
Cooke, Ian	Barwon South Western	5275 0496
Cooper, Louise	Southern	9708 0476
Edelstein, Betty	Southern	9776 9702
Cooke, Ian	Barwon South Western	5275 0496
Edelstein, Betty	Southern	9776 9702
Farrelly, Rita	Southern	9532 5642
Fraser, Sue	Barwon South West	5561 1711
Gooch, Ro	Gippsland	5144 1844
Goodall, Karen	Loddon Campaspe Mallee	5442 2626
Harbison, Alan	Barwon South Western	5229 7428
Iwanowicz, Gabriella	Western	9331 0351
Jungwirth, Kirsty	Loddon Campaspe Mallee	5023 5190
Kilpatrick, Prue	Eastern	9877 9516
Lovell, Trish	Gippsland	5622 0077
McLeod, Janie	Northern	9302 1908
McQualter, Kay	Eastern	9761 0910
Mentiplay, Carolyn	Eastern	9859 5216
Moloney, Marg	Loddon Campaspe Mallee	5427 1217
Murdoch, Lynne	Barwon South Western	5231 1499 Mon, Wed, Fri
Nevill, Jeanette	Central Highlands	5334 1315
O’Neill, Sonia	Loddon Campaspe Mallee	5480 7448
Potter, Trish	Loddon Campaspe Mallee	5442 2626
Probert, Denise	Eastern	9870 5399
Probert, Denise	Northern	9458 3857
Rampling, Sue	CEO - Central	5331 4944
Reynolds, Susan	Goulburn North Eastern	(02) 6056 5178
Robottom, Julie	Northern	9416 8915
Sims, Joanna	Central Highlands	5334 1315 Mon -Wed
Smedley, Pam	CEO - Western	9329 8800
Squires, Faye	Goulburn North Eastern	5831 5616
Vasudevan, Ena	Northern	9428 6862
Williams, Jennifer	Eastern	9882 7035
Zarb, Lisa	CEO Western Geelong	9748 0844 Mon & Thur

School aged students with severe Vision Loss – an article by Peter Rickards of Vision Australia Foundation

The PE picture

We should all be alarmed at the declining level of fitness of the Vision Impaired and Blind community. Participation in active sport and recreation is being replaced by an intimate relationship with the personal computer, and the internet. Even walking to the tram stop, or railway station, or to the shops, or place of employment, is very often replaced by using ones finger to dial a taxi and flourishing the multi-purpose taxi card.

To make matters worse, already small levels of physical education are being reduced even further to make way for the "core" subjects (particularly in the later years of high school).

The non vision impaired student can compensate for this to some extent by riding his or her bike, skate boarding, playing cricket or footy in the local park etc. Is the vision impaired student participating in these activities to the same extent? I doubt it.

Within the school physical education program, many students with severe vision loss are being allowed to, or even worse encouraged to take a soft option to sport, by doing their home work, going to the library, or keeping the score from the side lines. Some of the reasons for this include;

• Reduced funding for teacher support staff
• Lack of alternatives to team ball sports
• Limited knowledge by PE teachers
• Parental pressure not being applied to remedy the situation

What can be done to make a difference?

This information is to point out the importance of thinking beyond the class room to maximising the student’s involvement in structured, and unstructured physical activity from as young an age as possible.

1. Structured activity involvement

1. Community based

b. Community based non-ball activities.

• Little athletics
• Swimming
• Gymnastics
• Cubs and scouts
• Judo, wrestling & martial arts
• Sailing
• Canoeing
• Horse riding
• Golf
• Rowing
• Indoor rock climbing
• Snow & water skiing

Once the initial fears of those running the activity have been overcome, and other others have become used to the vision impaired participant, less input will be required from the third person, to the point where this may not be required at all. It is most important for the family to show enthusiasm to provide this support at the outset to encourage those conducting the activity to give the child a go.

Sport and recreation for vision impaired or disability groups

There is a considerable range of sport and recreation groups of this type in major cities, but very little available in smaller towns or rural areas. Also most of these groups are based around the needs of adults. However some organisations have developmental programs for juniors. Some examples include:

• Blind Cricket Association
• Blind Golf Association
• Sailability (sailing)
• Goal ball Association (Paralympic team sport played under blind fold)
• Disabled Winter-Sport Australia
• Riding for the Disabled (horse riding)
• Some state-based sporting associations such as athletics and swimming
• Water Ski Association (disability sub committee)

Unstructured Activity

Normal play activities should be encouraged wherever possible, despite the likelihood of the vision impaired child receiving more than their fair share of cuts and bruises. The worst thing a parent can do is to try and protect the child too much from this. This cotton wool approach will make the child tentative to try new activities in the future. Extra input and supervision will still be required with some activities more than others. For example bike riding, skate boarding, and roller blading may require someone to ride along behind giving verbal directions. Whereas tree climbing requires more minimal input.

Adaptive equipment can help with some activities such as a tandem bike, audible balls, larger and brighter balls such as the one used by the vision impaired tennis group, or specially designed games such as swish (blind table tennis), mini ten pin skittles, bagatelle (like pin ball).

For more information about The Bulletin contact:
Deb Lewis

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