Canberra Blind Society
“SENSE - ABLE FINANCES”
This program is proudly sponsored by IMB Ltd
Do you ever:
Have difficulty in identifying coins?
Get flustered when trying to find the right change at the supermarket checkout?
Do you have difficulty with:
Signing forms?
Filling out cheques, withdrawal and deposit slips?
Using eftpos machines?
Using an auto teller machine?
Would you like to learn how to do:
Internet banking?
Buy and sell online?
Pay bills online?
Tax returns online?
Would you like information on:
Making a will?
Power of Attorney?
Internet security?
Contact Canberra Blind Society on 6247 4580 for further details
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“SENSE - ABLE LEISURE”
Knitting Crocheting Scrapbooking
Card Making Beading Woodwork
Card games Board games Puzzles
Book club Story telling Writing
Gardening Hydroponics Walking
Yoga Tai Chi Dancing
Golf Bowling Fishing
Singing Playing a musical instrument
Participating in leisure activities is an important part of leading a fulfilling, active life. Vision impairment can make activities that you previously enjoyed more challenging. However, with a few simple modifications to techniques, materials, tools and equipment, you can rediscover previously enjoyed pastimes or explore new ones.
Learn about games and activities that you can do with your grandchildren.
Share your knowledge and skills with others.
You never know what hidden talents you may uncover!
Contact Judy on 6247 4580 for further details.
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Visual Perceptions
Request for Speaker
Canberra Blind Society (CBS) works in partnership with schools to provide informed, skilled speakers who can provide a positive experience for students learning about the diversity of people in their community.
Our speakers range in age from early 20s to early 70s. They are all volunteer speakers who have completed CBS's Visual Perceptions Speaker Training Program. This program developed speakers' skills in making short presentations to primary school children. Each speaker will speak for about 15 minutes then will invite questions before making a closing comment.
So that we can gain the best outcome for students, teachers, the school, speakers and CBS, we would appreciate you completing, in full, the following details. The information you provide will help us to select the most appropriate speaker for your class.
Please complete this form in detail. Completing this information will enable us to select the right speaker for you to meet your class needs.
1. Your details
Name of school
Street Address
Postal address
Exact details of school entrance, street, identifying features to assist taxi drivers bringing speakers
Name of contact teacher
Phone Fax Email
2. Details of request for speaker
Proposed date Time Length of presentation
Speaker preferences: (e.g. age, gender etc)
Subject/theme of class (how does the speaker link with this subject?)
What you would like to achieve by having a CBS Visual Perceptions Speaker come to your school?
Who will meet the speaker when they arrive and guide them into the school? (Please read the Speaker Guidelines about this point.)
3. Venue and class details
Type of presentation:
[ ] To a class [ ] To an assembly [ ] Other (please give details)
Class year (e.g. year 7) Size of class Age of class
If assembly: Size of group Assembly theme/context
Is there a platform/stage? Yes [ ] No [ ]
If the group is more than 30, will a microphone be available? Yes [ ] No [ ]
Details of room type and layout
4. Guidelines
I have read the guidelines and instructions regarding CBS speakers and agree to follow them.
Signed Date
Please send this completed form to:
Debra Quinnell
Manager
Canberra Blind Society
GPO Box 1188 ACT 2601 Ph: 6247 4580 Email: canblind@tpg.com.au
Fax: 6247 2927
Canberra Blind Society
Visual Perceptions Speakers
Canberra Blind Society (CBS) works in partnership with schools to provide informed, skilled speakers who can provide a positive experience for students learning about the diversity of people in their community.
Our speakers range in age from early 20s to early 70s. They are all volunteer speakers who have completed CBS's Visual Perceptions Speaker Training Program. This program developed speakers' skills in making short presentations to primary school children. Each speaker will speak for about 15 minutes then will invite questions before making a closing comment.
So that we can gain the best outcome for students, teachers, the school, speakers and CBS, we ask that you:
Complete in full and with as much detail as possible, the Request for Speaker form. This enables us to select the right speaker for you based on a detailed understanding of your needs.
Read the Speaker Guidelines and agree to meet these requests. These guidelines will contribute to the ease and comfort of our speakers so that your class session goes well.
You use the Speaker Introduction provided by CBS.
Agree to provide CBS with feedback comments, using the Feedback Comments form provided.
By giving us this information and agreeing to the guidelines we can make sure you have the right speaker and that you have a professional, valuable
Canberra Blind Society
Visual Perceptions
Speaker Guidelines
Canberra Blind Society (CBS) works in partnership with schools to provide informed, skilled speakers who can provide a positive experience for students learning about the diversity of people in their community.
To assist schools who wish to provide this experience for their students CBS has developed some guidelines. These guidelines will help our speakers feel comfortable coming to your school and will help school staff provide a valuable experience for students in a manner that is respectful and courteous.
Our speakers have a prepared presentation of about 15 minutes, which is tailored for a primary school audience. We ask that you allow our speakers to present their material uninterrupted. This will be followed by a question time, and you can determine how long this will be.
Before the speaker comes to the school
You may wish to have discussions with the class about what it means to not be able to see very well. You will find useful information about blindness and the causes of vision impairment at the following web sites:
You may also wish to talk about how we can relate to and respect people who are blind. We have attached our sheet Orientation and mobility in-service training, Guide Dogs NSW/ACT to assist with this.
Children could observe the various ways our community helps people who are blind, such as braille signs in lifts, raised surfaces on footpaths, noise at traffic lights.
Some speakers will come with their guide dog. When a guide dog is working (i.e. in harness and being used by their owner), please resist patting the dog or distracting it. Children should be pre-warned about the best way to deal with the dog.
Meeting the speaker
As our speakers are either blind or have impaired vision it is vital that we can give taxi drivers the exact location of the entrance to the school. This information should be provided on the Request for Speaker form.
Who will meet the speaker? It will help if a nominated person can meet our speaker at the entrance and guide them into the school. This can be done by offering an arm for them to hold. This information should also be provided on the Request for Speaker form.
To assist further we have enclosed a guide to helping a blind person.
Please check if the speaker will need a return taxi and make arrangements for this to be pre-booked so that there isn't a long wait for our speaker after they have finished.
You may also meet a speaker who is has both limited sight and hearing. Face the person when speaking so they can see your lips and hear you.
Introducing the speaker
CBS will give you an introduction to use with the class. This introduction includes some information about the speaker, along with their preferred way of being addressed. We ask that you use this introduction.
Some speakers will come with their guide dog. When a guide dog is working (i.e. in harness and being used by their owner), please resist patting the dog or distracting it. Children should be pre-warned about the best way to respond to the dog.
Teacher responsibilities
Most of our speakers are unable to see details of the classroom or the children. This means the teacher will need to take responsibility for:
Classroom behaviour before, during and after the presentation.
Managing question time.
Classroom behaviour before, during and after the presentation.
Our speakers will have indicated how they wish to be addressed. Some prefer a more formal approach and others are comfortable with informality.
Some speakers may bring `props' with them to show to the class. These props can range from mobility aids (e.g. guide dog, canes), to examples of braille and computer equipment, to support aids for everyday activities like telling the time. These items can be costly so we welcome your help in managing children's handling of them.
Speakers with a guide dog will explain how to respond to the dog. This is a valuable opportunity for children to understand the difference between when a guide dog is working and when it is not, and what is appropriate behaviour.
Managing question time.
A time will be set aside for asking questions. Our speakers will verbally signal when they are ready to take questions. When this occurs it would be helpful for the teacher to:
Say how long question time will be and monitor that time period. It will help to signal when question time is nearing an end by saying something like: `We have time for one more question,' or `This will be our last question.'
Identify who is asking a question and select students in turn to ask questions.
Manage any inappropriate behaviour.
Our speakers are aware that children can ask questions which an adult may consider too personal. If our speaker feels uncomfortable about answering a question they will say so.
After the question time has finished most of our speakers will wish to close with a final brief comment.
After the presentation
Please offer an arm to guide our speakers back to the entrance of the school.
Our speakers will likely need a taxi. Please arrange for the taxi to be booked prior to the presentation finishing so that our speaker is not having to wait a long time.
To reinforce the importance of treating people respectfully who are different because they cannot see very well, you may wish to have further discussions with the class about the range of work and activities blind people engage in, the aids that are available to help people carry out everyday tasks, how the school helps children who have impaired vision, how we can help people in appropriate ways when we see them in the community.
To assist CBS with understanding your needs and whether we have me them and can improve further, we would appreciate your comments using the Feedback Comments form. Your comments can be used for further speaker development, improved service to schools, and modifying our approach so it better supports primary schools in understanding how to relate to people who are blind or have impaired vision.
Thank you for agreeing to these Guidelines.
Debra Quinnell
Manager
Canberra Blind Society
GPO Box 1188 ACT 2601 Ph: 6247 4580 Email: canblind@tpg.com.au
“MAKING SENSE OF YOUR SENSES”
Have you ever:
* Come home with the wrong shopping or used the wrong ingredients when cooking?
* Bumped your head when you bent over too close to try and see something?
* Been unsure whether it is you that is being spoken to in a group if the speaker does not use your name?
* Pulled out your flowers instead of the weeds?
* Been unable to find something that you have dropped?
* Worn odd socks or clothes that do not match?
* Struggled to find the right key and fit it into the lock?
The “Making Sense of your Senses” course will show you how to use the information from all of your senses to make these and other tasks easier and less frustrating. Learn new ways of doing things and share the experiences of others, while exploring the world through touch, sound, taste and smell. You will be surprised at how much your senses can tell you!
Contact Judy Hackett
