Stories about children: RIDBC children story

	Reaching rural families now 09/07/2010 Kristian was just four weeks old when he and his family were flown to Sydney from Maude, NSW and told that Kristian was profoundly deaf. Having a child diagnosed with hearing impairment is difficult enough. However, living in a small town with only 30 residents on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River, 780 km southwest of Sydney, posed additional challenges for Kristian’s parents, Mark and Kathryn.

	Happy birthday Elodie! 09/07/2010 The Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children (RIDBC) is not the only one celebrating a birthday – this month RIDBC student Elodie, who is blind and has additional needs, turns seven. For Elodie’s parents, this milestone is a reminder of just how far their little girl has come.

	Travis is overcoming multiple challenges 05/05/2010 With Travis, Amanda had an easy pregnancy and a short labour. So she and her husband Tony were particularly shocked when their newborn son was diagnosed early with both hearing and vision impairment.

	Six year old Natalija ready to take on Australia's top job 27/04/2010 Natalija became blind at six months. Now six years old, she’s attending a mainstream school and embracing all that life has to offer.

	RIDBC the springboard for Henry's success 25/01/2010 Australia is a world leader at integrating children with vision impairment into mainstream schools. Henry Macphillamy is living proof of the value of integration, and what the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children (RIDBC) can do to help.

	Grace has the best of both worlds 25/01/2010 When parents, Kellie and Patrick, found out their 12-week-old daughter, Grace, had Albinism – they were shocked

	RIDBC Teleschool brings support to rural families 27/10/2009 Three-year-old Jacob was diagnosed with severe vision impairment the day after he was born. His mum Vanessa understands how isolating and challenging it can be for regional families.

	For some children, learning is not as easy as ABC... 123... 27/10/2009 At the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children in North Rocks, there’s a remarkable school. And a no-less remarkable group of children, teachers, therapists and support staff.

	Bettina keeps on achieving 27/10/2009 Bettina, a popular Year Five student at RIDBC Garfield Barwick School, is best described by her teachers as a ‘sponge to learning’ despite her profound hearing impairment.

	Taking RIDBC to Jesse's lounge room 29/07/2009 Three year old Jesse, who is deaf, lives more than 3,000 kilometers away from the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children (RIDBC). But with the touch of a remote, Jesse and his family receive regular support from RIDBC’s specialist staff via the RIDBC Teleschool.

	Kiara's Next Big Step 04/05/2009 When Kiara was only two months old, doctors confirmed what her mother Elisabeth was already suspecting – Kiara was going blind.

	Ariana 25/02/2009 Blindness comes in many forms, brought about by many reasons. Different classifications describe differing degrees of available vision. But for one-year-old Ariana blindness is complete darkness.

	The Laptop of Braille Writers 24/11/2008 When it comes to teaching, the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children (RIDBC) uses some fascinating technology – including the Mountbatten Brailler.

	A young boy with a great start 24/11/2008 In August this year, eight-month-old Cody became one of the youngest children in Australia to undergo cochlear implant surgery to both ears.

	School's out for Andrew 24/11/2008 Studying for the HSC is tough for any student. For Andrew there was an additional challenge – being blind. Just to be on a par with his classmates, Andrew needed to work extra hard – and receive some specialised assistance.

	Teleschool brings out the best in Charlie 24/11/2008 Tamworth boy Charlie was only two and a half when he was diagnosed with the eye condition Rod-Cone Dystrophy. At the time, his family didn’t know where to turn. Charlie’s family soon contacted the RIDBC Teleschool, and have not looked back since.

	Hard work pays off for Aly 18/08/2008 Four-year-old Aly took a big step forward recently when she stood up in front of her class at the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children’s (RIDBC) Rockie Woofit Preschool.

	Chrissy 05/05/2008 “Chrissy is tough and a real fighter.” These are not the words a mum would normally use to describe her gorgeous little four year old, but then Chrissy is not your average little girl.

	Annie's list of words 05/02/2008 Like most kids, nine-year-old Annie has a weekly list of words that sits on her desk. There is one noticeable difference – Annie's list of words is in Braille as Annie is blind.

	Chelsea 19/10/2007 At the end of each day, four-year-old Chelsea loves snuggling up for story time with her mum and dad, Lynda and Wayne, and little brother Jack, 20 months. Chelsea has been blind since birth, so all of her story books have been brailled by RIDBC.

	A special bond 03/09/2007 Four year old Thomas and his 11 month old sister Annabelle share a special bond.

	Ben's come a long, long way 22/05/2007 We first met Ben in Abilities 2004, along with his parents Mathew and Elizabeth. At the time his dad told us, “When Ben was 3 months old, we learned he had no useable sight at all.”

	Bella loves to talk! 23/04/2007 When people meet Bella, who is nearly four years old, many comment on her eagerness to chat. “We've had so many remarks from people about how good Bella's speech is. We just assume they mean because she is deaf,” says Bella's mum, Laidy. “But no, many are amazed when we tell them that she has a profound hearing loss.”

	Amazing Grace 23/02/2007 As four-year old Grace looks up from her favourite puzzle, she listens closely to every word that's being said about her. She loves the attention. This in itself is a miracle because, when she was 12 months old, Grace was diagnosed as being profoundly deaf in both ears.

	Moana's story 28/11/2006 Moana seems like any other four year old - dancing furiously one minute, next playing the family piano, then running around outside with other children. The difference is, Moana is blind.

	A determined little boy 25/09/2006 Most parents wouldn't think twice about their child speaking, but when three-year-old Ethan, of Cooma, asked a two-word question recently, his mum Megan was overjoyed.

	Mikayla has an appetite for learning 06/09/2006 Just over 15 months ago, Mikayla had surgery to give her a cochlear implant. A hearing aid was fitted in her other ear. Today, with the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children's help and her insatiable appetite for learning, she is rapidly catching up.

	Max Is Pretty Swish 07/08/2006 As two-year-old Max chatters away whilst playing with his toys, most people would never guess that he's deaf.

	Shayli Meets Children Like Her 31/07/2006 Teisha Robinson thinks that the whole of Thursday Island probably knows about the recent conference she and husband Sean attended in Sydney.

	Luke Gets His Message Across 31/07/2006 At the end of a really long day in Sydney recently, five-year-old Luke from Leeton pointed to a picture of home.

	Determined In and Out of the Pool 27/03/2006 Eighteen-year-old Matthew Levy recently broke the Australian record for 400m freestyle for elite athletes with a disability.

	Oscar's story 24/03/2006 If Lisa hadn't found the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children, she thinks she'd still be home crying

	A remarkable little boy 29/11/2005 Connor's Mum received the kind of news that no mother is prepared for - her baby son was blind.

	A 'SWISH' start 16/08/2005 A “SWISH” baby is one of the first generation of NSW children to be picked up with hearing impairment at birth

	Look at him now 24/05/2005 When supporters of RIDBC read Brendan's story in Autumn 2002, they met a little boy with a fighting spirit.

	Dale spells dinosaur 23/05/2005 Dale is deaf and has severe cerebral palsy. Only 4 years ago he couldn't speak, sign or even point at a picture. Recently, his teacher asked him to spell the word dinosaur. His response was: “T-y-r-a-n-n-o-s-a-u-r-u-s-R-e-x”.

	Tom and Bradley love school 19/04/2005 Sadly, many children who are deaf or blind also live with other disabilities, including intellectual impairment, cerebral palsy and other serious physical impairments.

	Connor's story 5/11/2003 Have you ever thought about how you would eat if you were born blind? This is just one of the many challenges that four-year-old Connor faces every day.

	Dale's story 30/08/2003 Most of us take reading for granted, but for six-year-old Dale, it's almost miraculous.

	Glenmore Park helps Lauren 19/06/2003 When Lauren, from Erskine Park, first arrived at the Glenmore Park Early Childhood Centre at age two-and-a-half, she could only speak six words.

	Rosie's story 19/03/2003 Although doctors suspected a problem when Rosie was born, it wasn't until she was four months old that Rosie's blindness was diagnosed, and then a few weeks later it became clear that she also had hearing impairment.

	Andrew on the road to success 20/01/2003 Like many 18 year-olds, Andrew Park, of Campbelltown, plans to go to university this year. But for Andrew, this road has been especially long, with its fair share of challenges. Andrew has significant hearing impairment.

	Hearing awareness high on the agenda for Edward 8/12/2004 Seventeen-year-old Edward Hilliar speaks so well that it occasionally causes him complications.

	Outback delivery 5/10/2004 When you live in outback NSW, opportunities to meet specialists in deafblindness are few and far between.

	Local boy re-writing the books 7/07/2004 When Andrew Head doesn't like the way an author finishes a novel, he re-writes the ending.

	Ben is developing in 'leaps and bounds' 15/06/2004 Two-year-old Ben of Annangrove is “a real little boy”, according to his parents, Mathew & Elizabeth. One of his favourite activities is ‘bounding' on the trampoline.

	Callum's story 5/05/2004 When her fifth child was diagnosed with severe hearing impairment, Karen was not sure that she would be able to cope.

	April's story 14/04/2004 April, who has impaired hearing, is partially sighted, and has a moderate intellectual disability, graduated from the Alice Betteridge School in 2003.

	Nicola's story 29/03/2004 In the past, parents of children with special needs who live hundreds of kilometres from the nearest major city often found it difficult to obtain appropriate education services for their children. Now, distance does not have to be such a barrier with the Institute's Remote Homestart program.

	Khan's story 22/02/2005 Going to school is a big step for any child, but Khan will face special challenges because he is blind.

Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children

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