When, at 23, Joanne Webber was told she had a rare eye condition, she received lots of support. She was diagnosed for free at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital and was helped by the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind.
“I met with mentors of similar age to me and met people with the same eye condition,” she says. “At university I got access to a computer with a screen reader and audio books. I had a complete introduction on how to live with a vision impairment.”
Ms Webber thought this response must be normal for young people with disabilities. So when she started working with young people with learning disabilities such as dyslexia, she was shocked to realise their needs were not recognised and there was almost no support. “It really disturbed me,” she says. “Only 3.5 per cent of people are blind but more than 10 per cent of the population have learning disabilities.”
View Article (off-site)- Topics:
- Adaptive aids, Education, Inclusion and access
- Author:
- Denise Ryan
- Source:
- The Age
- Date published:
- Mon 23rd Apr, 2012