Vision Australia has designed a ‘Life Ready Program’ to encourage and support the development and education of children and young people who are blind or have low vision.
The program “aims to help participants form strong foundations for life, true meaningful participation and life-long employment” by helping them, to develop in nine critical life skill areas. Each of the areas is described in the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC), an internationally recognised curriculum used in many Australian schools to support students who are blind or have low vision.
The program aims to help participants form strong foundations for life…
While it is delivered by a team of paediatric experts in stages – the early years, primary school years, high school years, and beyond – participants can join the program at any time.
Nine Critical Life Skills
The nine critical life skills taught are:
1. Compensatory access: Strategies and equipment that can be used to compensate for not having full vision.
2. Orientation and mobility: Strategies and equipment to navigate, move through the world, and problem solve in the moment to aid true independence.
3. Assistive technology: Understanding how to use technology to read, write, and achieve the same life outcomes as those with full sight.
4. Independent living skills: Ways to perform tasks people do frequently, even daily, to take care of themselves and others, and to meet the demands of everyday life.
5. Sensory efficiency: Developing a personal, individual understanding of how to use all senses to interact well in everyday life, no matter the situation.
6. Social interaction: Understanding the skills needed to interact with others, to build and maintain relationships when non-verbal visual communication cannot be relied on.
7. Career education: Building the knowledge and skills needed to take on all life roles and duties in the future, such as being a friend, an employee, a parent.
8. Self determination: Enabling active participation in healthy physical activity, hobbies and, creative pursuits to relax and enjoy free time by themselves or with others.
9. Recreation and leisure skills: Instilling the skills, knowledge, and necessary self-confidence to make good choices and inspire children who are blind or have low vision to believe they can live the life they choose.
To find out more, visit visionaustralia.org.
