Camps, Leisure and Recreation

Arts Access
Australian Paralympic Committee
Blind Sports Victoria
Driving Camp
Great Victorian Bike Ride
Guide Dogs Victoria
International Blind Sports Association
Mount Baw Baw “Do it Yourself Ski Camp”
SCORE Camp
Space Camp
Southern Cross Games
SVRC Camps and Recreation Program
Victorian Blind Cricket Association
Vision Australia

Arts Access
Arts Access offers support for people with disabilities to access the arts and entertainment events. Discounted tickets to many major theatre and sporting events are available for people with disabilities and accompanying friends. “Audio description” which may also include a tour of the set, a look at the costumes etc may also be available for major performances (eg Melbourne Theatre Company). Arts Access publishes The Arts Access Guide and a number of other publications and newsletters which offer information about performances, costs and access facilities. Contact: Arts Access 24 Eastern Road South Melbourne Tel (03) 9699 8299 TTY (03) 9699 7636 Fax (03) 9699 8868
Web http://www.artsaccess.com.au/home/
Email info@artsaccess.com.au

Australian Paralympic Committee
The Australian Paralympic Committee offers support to future Paralympic athletes - particularly in athletics, cycling and swimming. For more information please phone
9614 6800 or visit Web http://www.paralympic.org.au/.

Blind Sports Victoria
Blind Sports Victoria organises and supports a wide variety of sports and recreation activities and “Come N Try Days” for cricket, lawn bowls, power lifting, sailing, swimming, snow skiing, blind cricket, tamdem cycling tennis and goal ball etc. Some participants travel far and wide to participate in these sports at local and international levels. For more information see the website - http://www.blindsports.org.au or contact Hazel Hockley email blindsports@netspace.net.au.

Driving Camp
Held annually at Charlton, this camp gives senior secondary students the opportunity to drive a car! The Charlton Driver Education Centre offers an internal road system with bitumen and unmade roads, traffic lights etc. Students have individual instruction in changing gears, use of indicators, hand brake starts, parking, negotiating witches hats, road rules and much, much more! Maximum number of participants is 12 - so book early! Contact Deb Lewis at the Statewide Vision Resource Centre on (03) 9841 0242.
Driving Camp: report and photos

Great Victorian Bike Ride
Students on DE&T and Vision Australia Visiting Teacher Services have participated in the Great Victorian Bike Ride for a number of years now along with students from 60 or more schools. The ride takes place in November/December each year. Contact: Jeni Blake on 0428 134660.
Great Victorian Bike Ride: article by student

Chilren's Mobility Services - Guide Dogs Victoria
Guide Dogs Victoria hold a number of camps and day/evening programs throughout the year for junior and senior students - some are based at the centre in Kew and some in regional Victoria. For further information please contact Rachel Morgan on (03) 9854 4444 or go to the Children's Mobililty Services page

International Blind Sports Association
Skiing, Archery, Judo, Shooting, Swimming and more!

Mount Baw Baw 'Do It Yourself Camp'
Staff of the SVRC have researched the costs and preparations necessary for a ski trip to the RVIB Ski Lodge at Mount Baw Baw - cheaper and closer than many other ski resorts in Victoria, this is great for individuals with vision impairments and their families. Go to the Mount Baw Baw page.

SCORE Camp
SCORE, held in Canada each year, offers motivated 16 to 18 year olds an opportunity to travel independently and participate in an international leadership and technology course. For more information contact Christine Harding on (03) 9864 9222 or visit the SCORE website.

Space Camp (SCIVIS)
“Space Camp for Interested Visually Impaired Students” (SCIVIS) is one of the largest gatherings of academic blind and vision impaired children in the world. SCIVIS is a six-day program held annually, usually in September, at the U.S. Space and Rocket Centre in Huntsville, Alabama in the United States of America. The exciting program is jam-packed with astronaut training activities - space shuttle missions, training simulators (like the 1/6 gravity chair), rocket building and launches, scientific experiments, and lectures on space exploration. Specialists in the field of vision impairment assist the Space Camp staff to ensure that the program is fully accessible to students who are blind or have low vision. All scripts are available in braille or large print. Access to computer technology is available via speech output or enlargement.
Who can attend? Students with vision impairments from around the world can take part in this program. Usually there are around 200 students, mainly from the USA, but participants have also come from as far away as Canada, Mexico, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Ireland etc. Students must be enrolled at school - year 4 (minimum 10 years old) to year 12. Ideally, students should have an interest in space science and the desire to learn more in this exciting field. Students should be keen to meet new people and be prepared for plenty of challenges. They should also be healthy and fit as the days are long and there is plenty of walking involved.
How much will it cost? From Australia, the cost including flights, accommodation, meals and subsidised camp fees has been around AUS$4,600 for students and AUS$4,000 for chaperones. Participants can either self-fund, or seek financial support. For example “sausage sizzles”, mystery bus tours and trivia nights, film nights or chocolate drives have helped pay the way!
Program cost, applications, scholarship information etc. can be found on the Space Camp 2009 website or contact Deb Lewis at the Statewide Vision Resource Centre on
(03) 9841 0242.

For more pictures and information about Australian trips to the Space Camp at the U.S. Space and Rocket Centre, visit:
Space Camp: Report 1999
Space Camp Photo Gallery: 1999
Space Camp: Report 2001
Space Camp: Report 2002
Space Camp: Report 2003
Space Camp: Report 2004

Southern Cross Games
Held every two years in a different location, the Southen Cross Games bring participants from Australia and the South Pacific together for competition and social events. Contact Uli Pfisterer for more information on (03) 9808 6422.

SVRC Camps and Activities Program
The Statewide Vision Resource Centre conducts an exciting range of activities designed to provide opportunities for students to try something new, to take risks, to explore leadership roles, and to rise to challenges. The aims of the camps program are as follows:

to provide the opportunity for students to develop peer group networks with other students with vision impairments
to promote within the students a better understanding of their vision impairment
to develop, within a supportive environment, social and communication skills that will assist in the students' management of the varying demands of their educational environments
to offer additional recreational and educational experiences that may not be available within the school curriculum
to have fun!
Some of the activities organised by the Statewide Vision Resource Centre in recent years include:
Braille Games Day, Challenge Camp, Circus Day, Driving Camp, Great Victorian Bike Ride, Literacy and Numeracy Week Activitities e.g. Dictionary Day

For more information on the above programs click here or contact Deb Lewis on (03) 9841 0242.

Victorian Blind Cricket Association

History of the game

Vision Australia
Vision Australia offers various services related to recreation and leisure eg Vision Australia Library, the Adapt Centre for products for people with vision impairments and 3RPH (Radio for the Print Handicapped). For more information visit: Vision Australia

NEED MORE INFORMATION?
Visit our Physical Education page or email Deb Lewis to subscribe to The Bulletin, the.fortnightly newsletter of the Statewide Vision Resource Centre.

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Web page editor Lyn Robinson. Last updated April 2009.