Publications

Winter 2009

A quarterly publication of current information about RIDBC

In this ISSUE:

From where I sit
Erica splashes out for RIDBC
Kiara’s next big step
Mr Rydge farewells RIDBC’s Board after 30 years
RIDBC helps Jesse’s family communicate
You can make a difference

Front photo caption: Playing with Play-Doh is an activity enjoyed by most children. For a blind child like Kiara, making her fingers stronger will help when she learns to use a brailler.

1. From where I sit

Instinctively and with the best of intent, parents of blind children can be drawn into helping too much. Aiming to protect their child from harm, they risk shielding them from useful learning experiences. Being overprotective can create dependency.

Until they become aware of what is entailed, parents of deaf children may be inclined to help too little. Hours of practice are needed on listening, discriminating speech sounds and reinforcing language. Lots of parental involvement is essential.

That’s why, at the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children (RIDBC), so much time and effort are devoted to parents – informing, guiding, and supporting them. Skillful and knowledgeable parents help their children enormously – in the right ways and amounts.

We all need help and support. RIDBC needs yours.

John Berryman
Chief Executive

2. Erica splashes out for RIDBC

Living in Quirindi, a town five hours drive north-west of Sydney, Erica knows how difficult it can be finding help for a child with vision impairment.

Erica’s two-year-old son, Mason, was born with low vision. But thanks to the RIDBC Teleschool service, Erica and her family are receiving support from the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children (RIDBC).

Using special videoconferencing equipment installed by RIDBC in the family home, Mason and his family have regular lessons with Kristen Hill, a specialist RIDBC Teacher/Consultant based in Sydney.

“The RIDBC Teleschool service has saved us hours of travel time and has meant that Mason can be seen weekly instead of monthly, which would be the case if we had to travel to Sydney,” Erica said.

Erica and her family are so appreciative of this service that they recently organised a local version of the RIDBC Splash for Cash – RIDBC’s major fundraising swimathon held in Sydney each year.

Erica’s event not only raised more than $5,000 for RIDBC Teleschool but also brought former Olympic swimmer, Brooke Hanson OAM, to town for the day’s events – a swim clinic, a BBQ and the swimathon.

“We decided to run the event, as we wanted to ensure that families such as ours, who might otherwise have to go without, have an option,” Erica said.

Erica is not only proud of the event’s financial success, but she also hopes the publicity it received will spread the word about RIDBC to others. “Half the battle is getting people the help they need. As a parent, you don’t often get all the information. They often send you home to pick up the pieces, often so overwhelmed and not knowing where to start,” Erica said.

“That’s why I like to share the help RIDBC has given us.”

Photo caption: Former Olympian Brooke Hanson shares her medals with RIDBC Teleschool student Mason and his mum Erica. Photo courtesy of the Northern Daily Leader.

3. Kiara’s next big step

When Kiara was only two months old, doctors confirmed what her mother Elisabeth was already suspecting – Kiara was going blind.

“My father and Kiara were playing with a toy but he thought she was looking past it, not at it,” Elisabeth recalls. “We tried to get Kiara to follow objects with her eyes but she wasn’t tracking them at all. I think it confirmed what I already suspected but didn’t want to admit,” she said.

Tests later revealed that Elisabeth had contracted Cytomegalovirus (CMV) during her pregnancy. (In utero CMV is a known cause of vision impairment in babies). Other tests showed that Kiara may have had some peripheral vision for her first few months. But whatever sight she may have had deteriorated rapidly. Kiara soon had no sight at all.

Research into early intervention, and RIDBC’s own experience, show that the earlier a blind child receives help, the better their outcomes will be. The RIDBC Early Learning Program began working with Kiara when she was only seven months old.

Svetlana Golubchik, an RIDBC Therapist/Consultant, conducts home visits to Kiara and Elisabeth. Svetlana has shown Elisabeth how best to help Kiara learn the things that come naturally to sighted children – rolling over, sitting up, taking the first tentative steps, and interacting with other people.

More recently, Svetlana has been preparing Kiara for the intense learning that braille requires.

“We’ve worked a lot on hand strength using the brailler, puzzles that require intricate finger movements, and even activities like Play-Doh and other tactile games,” Svetlana said.

Now four, Kiara has also started attending the RIDBC VisionEd Preschool. “She loves it,” Elisabeth said. “She comes home and doesn’t stop talking about her day. I’m so glad we decided to send her there.”

School will be Kiara’s next step – a big step for every child. But already there are signs that Kiara will have a bright future at school. “Kiara is very interested in language and that is really positive. She asks a lot of questions and is very aware of the world around her,” Svetlana said. “I think she’ll do really well at school. She just keeps developing all the time.”

Photo caption: Using a special tactile book that RIDBC has prepared for her, Kiara enjoys a story with her mum Elisabeth and RIDBC Therapist/Consultant Svetlana.

4. Mr Rydge farewells RIDBC’s Board after 30 years

After more than 30 years as a member of the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children’s Board of Directors, including 14 as its President, Mr Norman B Rydge AM,OBE, is signing off.

Mr Rydge will step down both as a Director and as President of the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children (RIDBC) at the close of the 2009 Annual General Meeting.

While Mr Rydge is sad that his official duties at RIDBC are nearly over, he is leaving with a great sense of fulfilment.

“I have gained enormous satisfaction, joy and fulfilment from my close involvement with RIDBC over such a long period,” Mr Rydge said.

“I am gratified also by the fact that, today, RIDBC is serving many more children and families than ever before. We are doing so in more diverse and individually ‘tailored’ ways, and in many more locations.”

Mr Rydge joined RIDBC’s Board in 1977, and undertook various Board roles before being elected President in 1995. His extensive experience in business, in fields as diverse as media, hospitality, entertainment and investment has made him a huge asset to RIDBC over these years. He has also been a very generous donor.

Mr Rydge attributes the success of RIDBC to an effective Board, highly professional and experienced staff, and loyal and generous supporters. Meeting people involved with RIDBC has, he says, greatly enriched his experience.

“During my time on the Board, I have been touched by so many instances of generosity from supporters and volunteers, both financially and personally,” Mr Rydge said.

“I would like to thank all of them for the steadfast support they have provided to RIDBC.”

Even after stepping down, Mr Rydge will remain closely interested in the affairs of RIDBC and will continue to witness the growth and innovation that has brought him such joy over the years.

“It has been marvellous to watch the continual improvements in the quality and effectiveness in teaching techniques and technology for deaf children and blind children during this period,” Mr Rydge said.

“These have resulted in children having much better opportunities, at school and beyond, than when I joined the Board in 1977.”

Photo caption: Mr Rydge enjoys a game with Luke who has vision impairment. With RIDBC’s assistance and ongoing support from his family, Luke is now doing well at a mainstream school.

5. RIDBC helps Jesse’s family communicate

Communicating with a child who is deaf is a challenge faced daily by many parents like Matthew and Sarah.

Their four-year-old son, Jesse, is deaf, and as he develops his Australian Sign Language (Auslan) skills, so do Matthew and Sarah.

Different to spoken or written English, Auslan is a complex, visual language which uses signs, facial expressions, and spatial position to convey meaning.

To help families like Jesse’s, the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children (RIDBC) recently developed a new portable, iPod-based Auslan teaching resource called the RIDBC Auslan Tutor.

“As parents, and being new to Auslan, we’ve tried many different resources, but the RIDBC Auslan Tutor would have to be the number one,” Sarah said.

The RIDBC Auslan Tutor is a software program which can be downloaded onto an Apple iPod Touch portable music player or an Apple iPhone mobile phone. Parents can then use this device to view videos of words or sentences being demonstrated in Auslan.

“I can use the Tutor to view not just the sign for a word but how that word is used in a grammatically correct Auslan sentence. Having a brain tuned into speaking English, this can be one of the hardest parts of Auslan to develop,” Sarah said.

The portability of the RIDBC Auslan Tutor also ensures that parents like Sarah can take advantage of any opportunity to help their children learn anywhere, anytime.

“If Jesse points to something while we’re shopping, we can pull out the Tutor and explain to him in Auslan what the object is. Without it, we would have had to wait until we got home to use the far less portable Auslan dictionary. By then the moment would have passed,” she said.

The Tutor is not just for parents but is easily used by anyone who has regular contact with someone who is deaf.

“Our eldest son Jack, who is six and a half, now uses it to help him ‘talk’ to Jesse, and our friends and family all want to get one,” Sarah said.

“The RIDBC Auslan Tutor makes it look very easy to sign and communicate which makes me feel confident that when I sign, my son understands what I’m saying.”

Photo caption: The Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children’s Services, The Hon Bill Shorten MP, who launched the RIDBC Auslan Tutor, with Jesse and mum Sarah.

6. You can make a difference!

You can make a lasting difference to the lives of deaf or blind children through a bequest. For more information please phone (02) 9871 1233 or visit our website at www.ridbc.org.au.

Every year, thousands of people help the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children (RIDBC) to make a difference in children’s lives.

Here are some ways you can help:

Make a tax deductible* donation
Many people and businesses give monetary support to RIDBC each year as their way of helping children who are deaf or blind. To make a donation phone
1800 043 411 or visit www.ridbc.org.au/donate.

Participate in a fundraising event
Everything from opera evenings to swimathons. To find out the latest fundraising activities, please phone Kaye Bailey on (02) 9871 1233.

Leave a bequest or legacy
Leaving a gift in your will can help educate deaf children or blind children during their important learning years. For further information, please contact Robyn Clarke on (02) 9871 1233.

Become a volunteer
A team of volunteers supports our staff in areas as diverse as proof reading braille, helping in classrooms, or even gardening. For further information please contact Diana Piper on
(02) 9871 1233.

Buy a Rainbow Lottery ticket
our lottery is held three times a year and offers over $20,000 worth of prizes. To purchase a ticket, phone 1800 043 411.

Buy our merchandise
RIDBC has an extensive range of merchandise available for purchase. To request a catalogue, call 1800 111 474 or visit www.ridbc.org.au/shop.

* To claim your tax deduction in this financial year, please make sure we receive your generous gift by 30 June 2009.

Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children