About The Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children

Through education, we seek to close the gap between the life experiences of children with hearing or vision impairment, and those without.

RIDBC is motivated by:

A recognition that all children, irrespective of disability, deserve to receive education, training and other services which will enable them to develop their skills and capabilities to the fullest.
A quest for quality in the education of children with special needs which arise from impaired vision and/or hearing.
The knowledge that a child's parents are the major influences and primary educators in the child's life and may need advice, information and support in fulfilling those roles.
A desire to advance practice in the field of the education of children with hearing and/or vision impairment.
A belief that educational practice needs continuous evaluation and an underpinning through research.
An understanding that teacher effectiveness can be enhanced by professional development.
Faith in community support and the concern and generosity of people.

To provide high quality, innovative education to children with impaired vision and/or hearing.
To offer choices and options in educational approaches and settings.
To commence the educational process as soon as the diagnosis of significant hearing or vision impairment has been made.
To provide children’s audiological services, including diagnostic audiology.
To assist parents and families in catering to the special needs of the child.
To engage in research, information dissemination, professional development and staff training relevant to the education of children with significant vision and/or hearing impairment.
To have sufficient resources to enable the pursuit of these objectives.

To conduct early education programs in family homes, centres, preschools and by remote delivery.
To conduct special schools and to support the education of children in regular schools.
To conduct, in conjunction with a university, a centre for research and professional development, and to publish and disseminate research papers, conduct conferences and seminars and participate in national and international forums.
To provide ancillary services that are integral to the educational process.
To effect continuous improvement in educational service provision through program evaluation, external review and assessment, monitoring of consumer satisfaction and staff development.
To ensure adequate resources are available to support the above activities through fundraising, government funding, investment income and volunteer support, and to make the most cost-effective use of those resources.

Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children