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StatewideVisionResourceCentrePOBox201Nunawading3131(03)[email protected]
TheBulletinNumber10,Monday26June2017
InsideThisIssueHere'swhatyou'llfind:
• PD:NDISNoticeboard,TactileReadingConference,TenTipstoPrepareYourChildtoLearnBraille• SportandActivities:SwimmingCarnival,GoalballNews• FromtheField:ChangestoAustralianCopyrightLaw,SimulateVisionwithSmartPhone• News:DiaryDates,NewintheSVRCLibrary,NDISComestoSSP
CheckTheBulletinarchiveforbackissues!
InCaseYouMissedIt!!!PositiveChangestoAustralianCopyrightLaw!!!InresponsetotheobligationsundertheMarrakeshTreaty,theCopyrightAmendment(DisabilityAccessandOtherMeasures)Bill2017passedthroughbothhousesofparliamenton15June2017.ThisBillintroducestwonewexceptionstotheCopyrightAct:113E(forpersonswithdisabilitiesandeveryoneassistingthem)and113F(fororganisationsassistingpersonswithadisability).Bothexceptionsextendtoimportationandexportationofaccessiblematerials,addressingourcompliancewiththeMarrakeshTreaty.Allcopyrightmaterial(print,music,video,art,etc)canbeconvertedtoanaccessibleformatforpeoplewithadisability(includinglearningdisabilitiessuchasdyslexia)providedthattheformatisnotalreadyavailableinthatformatatanordinarycommercialpriceandinreasonabletime.Acopyrightstatementdoesnotneedtobeincluded(nomore135ZP).Reportingisnolongerrequired,howeverCALiswillingtocontinuemaintainingamastercopycataloguetoassistwithsharingofaccessiblematerials.
AccordingtotheAustralianBlindnessForum,"undertheCopyrightAmendment(DisabilityAccessandOtherMeasures)Act2017,whenevercontent–beitabook,film,onlineresourceorgovernmentpublication–isnotaccessibletoapersonwithadisabilitybecauseitisnotavailableintheformattheyneed,theyorsomeoneonactingontheirbehalfwillbeabletoconverttheworkintotherequiredformat."
Further,millionsofunpublishedworks–suchascelebrityletters,wardiaries,recipescrapbooks–willbeabletobedigitisedandsharedonlinefrom1January2019.
TheBillisexpectedtocomeintopracticelaterthisyear.We'llkeepyouposted!
DatesforYourDiaryHere'swhat'scomingup:
• BrailleMusicCamp:24Juneto1July• SVRCSwimmingCarnival:4August–seebelowformoreinformation• LowVisionDayPD:15August• SSPCricketDay:22September• SVRCExpo:28November• SVRCChristmasMorningTea:6December
SeetheSVRCwebsiteformoreinformationandonlineregistration.
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StatewideVisionResourceCentrePOBox201Nunawading3131(03)[email protected]
NDISNoticeboardFromMarionBlazé
WhatparentsofourstudentsaresayingabouttheNDISQ:WhentheNDISwasrollingoutinyourarea,wereyoucontactedbytheNDIA,ordidyoucontactthem?
Motherofagirlwhoisblind–theycontactedusbecauseourdaughterisonalistashavinglevel4PSD(ProgramforStudentswithDisabilities)fundingfromDET(DepartmentofEducationandTraining)
Motheroftwoboyswithlowvision(notlegallyblind)–IapproachedtheNDIA
Motherofaboywhoisblind–theysaidthatweshouldhavebeenonalistandshouldhavebeencontactedwhentheNDISwasrolledoutinourarea,butwhennocontactwasmade,Icalledthem
Motherofanotherblindboy–theycontactedme,notsurewhat"list"wewereon
Q:Whatsortofthingsarefundedinyourchild’sNDISpackage?(Commentsfromvariousfamilies)
Schoolcampsupport
Therapyhours
Mightbegettingsomeequipmentbutneedatechnologyassessmentfirst
iPad,butwehadtoproveitwasforuseoutofschool
Sportsprescriptionsunglasses
O&Msupport
Allhome-basedstuff
HavebeennegotiatingtogetaBrailleNoteTouchforhome
Weekendactivities–camps,cooking,sport
Assistancewithself-carefornight-timesleepovers
Soundrecordingandplayingdevice(VictorReaderStream)
Portablenote-takingdeviceforbraille(BrailleNote)
Trainingforparents/carers
Q:Anyothercomments?
Youcanloginonlinetoseeifyourchildqualifies,thenmakeaplan
Weweretold,youneedtomeetthegoalsyousetinyourplanorwon’tgetfundinginthenextyear
It’sallaboutlifestyleandbeinginvolvedinthecommunity
Yourenegotiateyourpackageeveryyear
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StatewideVisionResourceCentrePOBox201Nunawading3131(03)[email protected]
What'sNewintheSVRCLibrary?Wehaveover2,500titlesintheJuniorareaincludingpicturestorybooksandbooksforprimary-agedreadersandover1000titlesintheSeniorarea–sohopefullyyourstudent/childcanfindsomethingtheyliketoread!
HerearesomeofournewertitlesavailableasWordfiles:
• MagicSchoolBus#9DolphinsatDaybreakbyMaryPopeOsborne
• Weirdo3ExtraWeirdbyAnhDo
• TheLegendofKevinthePlumberbyScotGardner
• WonderbyRJPalacio(seereviewbelow)
Torequestoneofthesebooksoranythingelsefromthecatalogue,pleasecompletearequestformwhichcanbefoundontheSVRCwebsite.
Wonder–RJPalacioReviewbyCarlyFindlay
WonderiswrittenbyRJPalacioandI’vedevoureditinaday.
Wonderisafictionalchildren’sbookaboutAugust(Auggie)Pullman,ayoungboybornwithafacialdifference.He’sgotageneticconditionwhichaffectshisfacialstructureandhishearing.RJPalaciowasinspiredtowritethisbookafteranencountershehadwithhersonsandalittlegirlwithavisibledifference.Asareaderwithavisibledifference,Iwillsaythatit’sverywellresearched.Itcouldwellbeanaccountfromanactualperson.
Onthefirstpage,Auggiesays:“Iwon’tdescribewhatIlooklike.Whateveryou’rethinkingisprobablyworse.”
WeneverknowwhatAuggielookslikebutwegetanideafromhowhe’streated.
Wonderdocumentshisfirstyearinmainstreamschool–thechallengesofmakingnewfriendsandfittingin.Thedescriptionsofbeingaprimaryschoolstudentwholooksdifferentbroughtbackmanymemoriesforme–it’sinterestingreadingitfromayoungcharacter’sperspectivewhenI’veexperiencedsimilar.Auggieisteased,excluded(someoftheotherstudentsinventedagamecalledThePlague,wheretheybelieveiftheytouchAuggiethey’llcatchsomething),andphysicallybullied.Hehasafewgenuineclosefriendsbutittakesawhiletofeelaccepted.
NewCatalogueof"Readers"Weareworkingonupdatingourcataloguesatthemoment–thefirstoffthepressisthecollectionof"readers".Thecurrentcollectionhasover2,500titlesinanExcelspreadsheet,whichcanbesortedbytitle,author,ReadingRecoverylevel,formatetc
You'llfinditonourwebsite,alongwithanupdatedRequestForm.
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StatewideVisionResourceCentrePOBox201Nunawading3131(03)[email protected]
NDISComestotheSVRCSupportSkillsProgramFromReneeWilliamson
TheStatewideVisionResourceCentrethankstheYouthDisabilityAdvocacyService(YDAS)forfacilitatingtwoSupportSkillsworkshopsdesignedtoenhanceunderstandingabouttheNationalDisabilityInsuranceScheme.On9Juneand16June,PeggySoo(aformerSupportSkillsstudent)andnowworkingasanInformationandEngagementOfficerwithYDASconductedforumsfortwoofourseniorgroupsintheSupportSkillsprogram;introducingstudentstothescheme,explaininghowtoparticipateintheschemeandwheretolearnmore.
YDASencouragesstudentstobeginthinkingabouttheirshortandlong-termgoalsfortheirfutureanddiscussedhowtheNDIScouldpotentiallyassistthemintheirendeavours.YDAShasadvertisedatrialprogramforstudentsbetween15and18yearsofagewhichwillrunduringthenext2schoolholidays.Thisprogramis"MapMyFuture".Thisisdesignedtocapacitybuildandassistyoungpeopletosettheirlongandshort-termgoals.
YDASisastatewideadvocacyservicespecificallyforyoungpeopleagedbetween12and25withdisabilityinVictoria,andwerethereforewellplacedtoworkwithourtwoseniorgroupswithintheSupportSkillsprogram.
YDAShasbeenfundedbytheVictorianGovernmenttohelpyoungpeoplewithdisabilitygetreadyfortheNDISandarerunningworkshops,creatingresourcesonlineandhelpingyoungpeopleindividuallytoengagewiththeNDIS.
Studentswhoattendedtheworkshopswereprovidedwithinformationandresourcesinalternativeformatswhichtheycanrefertointhefuture.
TolearnmoreabouttheNDIS,pleasevisittheSVRC’shomepageorresourcelistat:
http://svrc.vic.edu.au/resources/ndis/
ForfurtherinformationorforanExpressionofInterestformforthe“MapMyFuture?Program",pleasecontact:PennyStevenson,[email protected] (03)92673703
WearelookingforwardtoPeggyandmembersoftheYDASteamreturningon10Novembertoupdatethegroupsandtogetsomefeedbackfromthestudentsabouttheinformationtheyhavereceived.
Againwe’dliketothankPeggySooandtheteamfromtheYouthDisabilityAdvocacyServicefortheirinputandinvaluableassistance.
Photo(above)showsPeggyfromYDASspeakingtoagroupofSupportSkillsstudents
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StatewideVisionResourceCentrePOBox201Nunawading3131(03)[email protected]
TenTipstoPrepareYourChildtoLearntoReadBrailleSource:http://www.perkins.org/stories/ten-tips-to-prepare-your-child-to-learn-to-read-braillebyCharlotteCushmanwhichincludesmoreinformationandlinks
Evenbeforechildrenlearntoread,therearestepsparentscantotaketogetthemreadyLearningtoreadactuallybeginsatbirth.Theprocessincludesdevelopingbasiccognitiveconcepts,motorskills,languageandcommunication,andmore.Inaddition,childrenlearningtoreadbrailleneedtodeveloptheirfinemotorskillsandtactilediscrimination.Hereare10tipsforgettingstarted.
1.GiveyourchildlotsofaccesstobrailleeverywhereRememberthatchildrenwhoaresightedhaveseenmillionsandmillionsofwordsbeforetheybegintoread.Printiseverywhere:onboxesandcontainersoffood,shampooandtoothpastethatcanbeseenathome,inshopsandontelevision.It’salsoinnewspapers,magazines,books,correspondence,computer,lists,etc.Nowthinkabouthowmuchpracticeandexposureachildwhoissightedhashadbeforeformalreadinginstructionbegins.It’scrucialtoprovideasmuchexposuretobrailleintheenvironmentasyoucan.Itemsinthehouseshouldbelabeledinbraille,andeverychildshouldhaveloadsofbeginningreadingmaterialsinbrailleavailablethattheycanfind.
2.GiveyourchildlotsofpracticedevelopingfinemotororhandskillsEncourageyourchildtoopenandclosealldifferenttypesofcontainers,andtodoalltypesoffastenersonclothing(buttons,snaps.zippers,etc.).Invitehimtohelpwithcookingchores–stirring,scooping,choppingandpouring.Whilethesemaynotseemimportanttolearningtoread,theyare.
3.Haveyourchildsort,matchandcategorizeitemsAskyourchildtosortdifferenttypesofmaterials–buttons,beans,nuts,coins.Itcanbeanythingsolongasyourchildcanfeelthedifferencesbetweentheitems.Havehersortbig/little,rough/smooth,squares/triangles,etc.Besuretosetupthesortingtaskwithdistinctplacestoputitemsandanorganizedworkspace.Forexample,mixedcoinscanbeplacedonalargeplateandquarterscangointoonebowlontheleftandpenniesintoabowlontheright.Thechilddoesn'tneedtounderstandthevalueofthecoinsatthispoint,butjusttorecognizethedifferenceinsizeandtactiledistinctions.
4.HaveyourchildpracticetellingstoriesandsequencingeventsDecodingbrailleisonlypartoftheprocessoflearningtoread.Languagedevelopmentisalsoimportant.Askyourchildtotellyouwhathedidtoday.Havehimnamefivethingsheboughtatthemarket.Askherwhatshedidatschoolyesterday.Whatwasthefirstthinghedidwhenhegotup?Whathappenedafterthat?Whatdidshedobeforebed?
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StatewideVisionResourceCentrePOBox201Nunawading3131(03)[email protected]
5.Helpyourchildtounderstandposition,directionandspatialorientationGiveyourchildpracticewithpositionalconceptssuchasup/down,above/below,infront/inbackof/nextto,top/middle/bottom,left/middle/right.Askhertoshowthesethingsonherself("Putthecupbehindyou.").Thenaskhertodoitwithtwoobjects("Putthebookabovetheplate.").Askhimtopointtotheselocationsonapage("Showmethebottomleftpartofthepage.").
6.PracticecountingCountthingsnaturallythroughouttheday.Countthenumberofshirtsinthelaundrybasket,thenumberofforksinthesink,thestepsfromonelocationtothenext.Counthowmanypeoplearegoingtositatthetablefordinner.Thencountthechairsandsilverware.Matchoneplatetoeachplaceandonecuptoeachplate.Askyourchildhowmanyitemsareinaset.Forexample,givehereightspoonsandask,“Howmanyspoonsarethere?”Nextgiveheralargerarrayofitemsandaskhertomakeasmallerset.Forexample,givehim10nutsandaskhertogiveyousixofthem.
7.ProvideopportunitiestoincreasetactilediscriminationCreatetactilebookstogiveyourchildexposuretodifferentitems.Next,giveyourchildmoreformalpracticebybraillingsinglecellsthatarethesame,withoneletterthatisdifferent.Forexample,youmightbraillealineofa,a,a,a,a,l,a,a,a.Askyourchildtofindtheonethat'sdifferent.Braillehisnameandputadifferentwordinandaskhimtofindit.Forexample,Ahmed,Ahmed,Ahmed,Ahmed,puppy,Ahmed,Ahmed,Ahmed.Youcanmakethisharderandharderashegetsbetteratit.
8.CreateExperienceStoriesInviteyourchildtodictateastoryaboutanevent.Writedownwhatshesaysinprintandbrailleandthenhaveherreaditaloudwithyouoverandover.Thiswillhelphertobegintounderstandthatthebraillecodeisassociatedwithmeaning,andthateachbraillewordonapagecorrespondstoaspokenword.Thisisalsoawaytomotivatehertocreateherownbooks.
9.Encourageyourchildto"scribble"onthebraillewriterReadingandwritinggohandinhandwhendevelopingliteracyskills.Childrenwhoaresightedpracticescribblingwithcrayonsandmarkerslongbeforetheybegintowriteactualletters.Similarly,childrenwhoarelearningbrailleshouldhavepracticemakingmarksonpaperusingabraillewriterorslateandstylus.
10.Readeveryday!Westartedthispostbysuggestingthatyourchildshouldhavelotsofexposuretobrailleallaroundthehouseandineveryenvironmentpossible.It’salsoimportanttoreadstorieswithhimorhereveryday.IntheUnitedStatestherearemanywaystogetfreebraillebooks.Ifyouhavedifficultygettingaccesstobooksinbraille,youcancontacttheAssociationfortheBlindnearesttoyou.Theexposuretobrailleingeneralisimportant,butit'sequallyimportantforyourchildtobegintounderstandthatbrailleisacodeforspokenlanguage.Hearingstoriesreadaloudareagreatwaytobeginthatprocess–andinspirealife-longloveofreading.
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StatewideVisionResourceCentrePOBox201Nunawading3131(03)[email protected]
GoalballNews:FootscrayFirstLeaveaStunnedStrathmoreSecondFromDanPritchard
ThisweekwasdoordiefortheteamfromMelbourne’snorthintheU19’sDivisionoftheVictorianGoalballAssociation’s2017AutumnLeague.Strathmoreinordertoprolongtheirseasonhadtogetsomemorepointsontheboard.Footscrayhavingalreadyclaimed7victoriesandadrawfrom10matchesonlyneededadrawandawinfromthefinal7gamestofinishtheLeague.AlltheconfidencewaswithFootscraybutStrathmorewerenotwithoutbelief.
Game#21gotoffandrunningatScotchCollegeJuniorSchoolGymandbothsidesbroughttheirAGametotheoccasion.Scoringwaslowinthefirsthalfwithbothsidesensuringtheballwaskeptwellawayfromthegoalline.Scoreswerelockedat3-3butitwasFootscraywiththebreakthrough.AlapseinconcentrationfromtheStrathmoreCentre,NathanLukeandsuddenlythescoreboarddoubled.Footscray’sLeftWingerandNathan’syoungerbrotherJeremy,scored3timesinarowpasttheStrathmoreCentreandthemomentumwaswiththewest,6-3.ThethreegoalleadwasunbreakablegoingintothesecondhalfwithFootscraywellincontrolofthematchfinishingthegame14-11.StrathmorenowinserioustroubleneedingnothinglessthanawintokeeptheirseasonaliveforanotherweekwerereallyfightingforsurvivalagainstanunstoppableFootscraymarchingtowardsafinishlineonly24minutesofGoalballaway.
Game#23wasanuphillclimbforStrathmore.WearyfromGame#21andwaryofdefeat,Strathmorecouldnothidetheirfatiguefromthewest.Footscrayshowednomercyastheyattackedfromallanglesfindingthebackoftheneton9occasionsbeforehalftime.SecondhalfbeganwithStrathmoredown2-9butnotout.Thenorthrefusedtogiveinandgotthemselvesbackinthegame.StrathmoreledthescoringintheearlystagesofthesecondhalfreducingthedeficitbutitwouldbeFootscraythatreducedthematchtoanearlyfinish.FootscraywinningbymercyoverStrathmore,17-7.
Footscraymembers;ThienAutran,JeremyLuke,CalebNeyenhuisandCallumSaunderscanenjoyanearlyfinishtothe2017AutumnLeagueknowingthattheyhaveanunbeatableleadontheiroppositionhoweverforNathanLukeandhiscrewfromStrathmore,prideisonthelineastheremaining5gamesacrossthenext3weeksarestilltobeplayed.FinalgameoftheseasonwillbeplayedtheweekendaftertheQueen’sBirthdayonSaturdaythe17thofJune.ThisFinalsDaywillincludeabarbecuetocelebratethecompetitivestarttotheyear.
FollowingonfromtheAutumnLeaguewillbethe2017WinterLeague.ThiscompetitionwillrunfromSaturdaythe15thofJulyuntilSaturdaythe23rdofSeptember.RegistrationsareopenforparticipantstojoininwiththeplayersfromFootscray,MalvernEast,RingwoodandStrathmoreacrossthe3divisions;U15s,Women/19andUnderBoysandMen’s.Individualscansignupathttp://goalball.org.au/contact/tobeapartofallthewinteraction.
Photo(BlindCricketTeam):St.PaulsXIIthatpartookinthe2016/17GrandFinal.TheindividuallineupinthephotoisBackRow:ZacSheehan(Vice-Captain),NedBrewerMaiga,BrettWilson,PeterLoh,HamishMackenzie,BrettScarr,CallumSaundersFrontRow:DanielPritchard(Captain),NathanLuke(ThirdSelector),CallumHarper,JohnBoland,BeauJones.
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StatewideVisionResourceCentrePOBox201Nunawading3131(03)[email protected]
ArtPDinBendigoArtTeacher,MichaelDonnelly,willbeconductinghis"ArtforStudentswithVisionImpairmentsProfessionalDevelopmentseminarandhands-onworkshopinregionalVictoria.
Exploreinformationonsettinguporadjustingyourartorclassroomtobetteraccommodateyourstudents,issuesofaccesstothevisualarts,specialisttechniques,budgetoptionsandopportunitiesfor“hands-on”artmaking.Participantswillexploreworksofartunderblindfold,investigatingtheuseofvisualdescription,tactilediagramsandtouchaccess.LearnabouthowBendigoArtGalleryismakingartmoreaccessibletoallvisitors,includingstudentswithvisionimpairments.
When:Thursday17Augustfrom9.30amto4.00pm
Registrationessential:http://www.bendigoartgallery.com.au/Education/Teachers/Art_for_students_with_Vision_Impairment_Professional_Development
SVRCSwimmingCarnival,4August2017TheStatewideVisionResourceCentre(SVRC)ishostingafreeSwimmingCarnivalforalleligible
Victorianschool-agedstudentswithvisionimpairmentsonFriday,4August2017from9:30amto1pmattheGenazzanoFCJCollegePoolinKew.
Thepoolisa25mindoorheatedpoolwithchangefacilities.
Therewillbeeventstocaterforallparticipants:12.5mkickboardeventsthroughto50meventsandnoveltyrelays.Theeventwasabigsuccesslastyearandwehopethatmanycanattendthisyear.PleasecontactGarryStinchcombeifyourchildisinterestedinparticipating.
Photo(above)showsstudentinthepoolatthe2016SwimmingCarnival.
TactileReadingConferenceTheTactileReadingconferenceonbrailleandgraphicsforchildrenandyouthisnowavailableonlinewithvideorecordingsofallsessions.http://www.mtm.se/en/tactilereading2017/conference-videos/
SVRCNewsWe'vehadourfirstrequestfor2018–thanksLisaforyouroutstandingorganisationskills!!!
FinallyHappyholidaysforthoseluckyenoughtohavethem!!!
DebLewis(Ed)
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StatewideVisionResourceCentrePOBox201Nunawading3131(03)[email protected]
Map Your Future Are you 15 – 18 years old? Do you live in Victoria? Do you have a disability? Would you like to practice speaking up for what YOU want? If so, you should think about joining Map Your Future! Map Your Future is a trial program from the Youth Disability Advocacy Service (YDAS). YDAS is a state wide advocacy service for young people with disability in Victoria. Map Your Future will help you to think about what you want. Thinking about what you want will help you to work out what kind of support you need and where you want to go in life. What happens if you join? • A chat with someone to work out what’s happening for
you now. • One group workshop with up to four other people. This
will run for five hours and include different activities and a workbook to take home.
• Three one-to-one coaching calls (via Skype or phone). Each call will be one hour long.
You will get a Certificate of Completion for finishing the program. Because Map Your Future is new, we will also want to know what you think afterwards.
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StatewideVisionResourceCentrePOBox201Nunawading3131(03)[email protected]
The program will run for the first time starting in the July school holidays. It will run for the second time starting in the September school holidays. It is free to take part in the Map Your Future program. We will make sure you get the support you need for your disability during the program. You need to be: • Keen to learn more about speaking up • Interested in working out what you want to happen in
your life • Ready to put in the time to make it happen!
For our first groups, we are looking for people who: • Already know a little bit about the NDIS • Can tell us what they think about the program
To sign up, just fill out an Expression of Interest form. For further information or for an Expression of Interest form please contact: Penny Stevenson Map your Future Project Officer E [email protected] P (03) 9267 3703
