There are a few things that hold a very special place in Jessica Maloney’s life; family, friends, music and her vision impaired pet bird Doody. The 32-year-old identical twin has steely determination, after finding herself with diminishing vision in her late 20s and overcoming the challenges that this brought. In 2011, Uveitis was found in…
We have a few places left on our April SALSA Camp for our Children and Youth Services clients in Western Australia. The RSVP date has been extended to Thursday 5 April – act quickly, as it’s first in best dressed! In 2018, we are heading off to the Nanga Bush Camp which is located in…
For Launceston woman Joan Webb education is the key to a long healthy life. Joan has age related macular degeneration in both eyes, the principal cause for legal blindness in 50% of Australians. Treatment can help, however the condition can’t be cured. Not to let obstacles stand in her way, at 91 Joan just completed a Doctor of…
On Tuesday 20 March, the State Library of Western Australia (SLWA) and VisAbility launched the Baby Ways Touch and Feel Backpacks in celebration of World Storytelling Day. From 2015 to 2017, VisAbility collaborated with the SLWA on the Better Beginnings Family Literacy Program, an initiative that sees all Western Australian newborn babies receive a reading…
Therapy and Support Services Manager, Seb Della Maddalena ponders how non-text cues are a part of everyday life. “Across generations, people have referred to the three Rs; Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic. And yes, these are important. Emphasis is placed on developing reading skills, and rightly so, but we also shouldn’t forget the importance of pictures…
Earlier this year, our Youth Support Officer (and brave explorer) Ryan Honschooten set sail on his three-month adventure at sea. On board the Tenacious, Ryan was planning to sail an almost complete circular navigation of the world. The crew would sail around Cape Horn, tackling the treacherous weather and strong winds. We’re following his 89-day…
As the 2018 Commonwealth Games gears up for a start in April, the traditional Baton Relay reaches its final stage. The Baton’s journey began some twelve months ago in London at Buckingham Palace. The Queen’s message contained within the Baton has made an extensive international trip, zigzagging all over the world before landing in Australia…
In late 2016, VisAbility’s Board decided to sell the Perron Centre in Victoria Park and informed its members at that time. The process of preparing the building for sale has been a long one and the building has been listed for sale this week. This decision has been made based on our vision for the…
Late last year, one of VisAbility’s team members was called to travel a bit further afield in the name of work. Emmanuel Lee, Assistive Technology Officer and Blindness Product Specialist travelled well over 2600km to conduct setup and training of assistive technology for an individual living in Darwin! During the three day visit from 13-16th December,…
It is with sadness that we acknowledge the passing of Mr Thomas ‘Tom’ Blair OAM. Tom was a long-serving member of VisAbility’s Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Team, a trail blazer for the profession and was well known to many VisAbility clients. Tom was instrumental in setting up the early O&M services in Australia but his…