Vision Australia
Encyclopedia
Vision Australia is a not-for-profit organisation and Australia
's largest provider of services for people with blindness
and low vision
.
Vision Australia aims to achieve this by creating a community partnership of knowledge, skills and expertise to enrich the participation in life of people who are blind or have low vision and their families.
At the time Bills needed to be passed through the parliaments of Victoria
and New South Wales
for this to occur.
In 2006 the organisation was further expanded with the merger of the Royal Blind Foundation Queensland. This merger gave it complete reach across the eastern states of Australia.
In February 2008 it was announced that the Seeing Eye Dogs Australia (SEDA) would also merge with Vision Australia by the end of June 2008.
The inclusion of guide dog
services will mean that for the first time in the history of the blindness community of Australia, one national organisation will be able to provide all the services required by the blindness and low vision community.
Given this long history, Vision Australia has a very extensive heritage collection including many objects and images pertaining to the story and history of the blindness community in Australia.
is the organisations leading fundraising and awareness campaign and is one of the most loved of Australian Christmas traditions. Dating back to 1938, it is held on Christmas Eve at the Sidney Myer
Music Bowl in Melbourne
and reaches a television audience of more than 2 million Australians each year.
All proceeds from this event go towards Vision Australia's Children's Services.
Over the years there have been many Australian favourites who have performed at this event including Rolf Harris
, Hugh Jackman
, Tina Arena
, John Farnham
, Debra Byrne
, Olivia Newton-John
, Lee Kernaghan
, Judith Durham
, Marina Prior
, Denis Walter
, Douglas Heywood, Silvie Paladino
, Hi-5, Humphrey B Bear, Anthony Callea
and of course long-time host Ray Martin
.
Other supporters of this icnoic event include Myer
, Nine Network
, 3AW
, Magic 1278 and The Herald Sun.
stands for Digital Accessible Information System. It is a format based on the W3C defined SGML applications XHTML 1.0 and SMIL 1.0. Using this framework, a talking book format is presented that enables navigation within a sequential and hierarchical structure consisting of (marked-up) text synchronized with audio.
Vision Australia is currently in the process of digitising and updating its entire library catalogue to the DAISY format for the benefit of its clients. Vision Australia is listed as a member of the DAISY Consortium.
One of the issues associated with digitising the existing library is managing the massive amounts of computer storage that it will require. At present Vision Australia has a 40-terabyte library that can be scaled to 100 terabytes. Ultimately the organization's goal is to have its library available as online downloads for its community.
(or E-voting) at the Victoria State Elections in 2007. For the first time in Australian history, people who were blind were able to vote in secrecy and independently. The Victorian Electoral Commission's e-voting system was set up in response to submissions for electoral reform by Vision Australia and Blind Citizens Australia.
Vision Australia has signed Memorandums of Understanding with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind
(Canada) and the Royal National Institute of Blind People (UK).
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's largest provider of services for people with blindness
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
and low vision
Low vision
Low vision is a subspecialty within the professions of optometry and ophthalmology dealing with individuals who have reduced vision even when using the best possible spectacle or contact lens correction available. It can be a result of either congenital disease Low vision is a subspecialty within...
.
Vision and Mission
Vision Australia describes itself as a living partnership between people who are blind, sighted or have low vision, messed up, and who are united by the passion that in the future people who are blind or have low vision will have access to and fully participate in every part of life they choose.Vision Australia aims to achieve this by creating a community partnership of knowledge, skills and expertise to enrich the participation in life of people who are blind or have low vision and their families.
Background
Vision Australia was created in 2004 through the merger of 4 smaller blindness organisations: the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind (RVIB), Vision Australia Foundation (VAF), The Royal Blind Society (RBS), The National Information Library Service (NILS).At the time Bills needed to be passed through the parliaments of Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
and New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
for this to occur.
In 2006 the organisation was further expanded with the merger of the Royal Blind Foundation Queensland. This merger gave it complete reach across the eastern states of Australia.
In February 2008 it was announced that the Seeing Eye Dogs Australia (SEDA) would also merge with Vision Australia by the end of June 2008.
The inclusion of guide dog
Guide dog
Guide dogs are assistance dogs trained to lead blind and visually impaired people around obstacles.Although the dogs can be trained to navigate various obstacles, they are partially color blind and are not capable of interpreting street signs...
services will mean that for the first time in the history of the blindness community of Australia, one national organisation will be able to provide all the services required by the blindness and low vision community.
Services
The following blindness and low vision services are listed on the Vision Australia website:- Access Advice
- Accessible Information Solutions
- Audio Description ServicesAudio descriptionAudio description refers to an additional narration track for blind and visually impaired consumers of visual media...
- Audio PublishingBooks for the BlindBooks for the Blind also referred to as Talking Books is a program in the United States which provides audio recordings of books in a proprietary cassette tape format, along with a cassette player supporting that format, free of charge to people who are blind or visually impaired...
- Children's Services
- Community Education
- Deafblind Services
- Employment Services (Vision Australia is listed as an official JobAccess Supplier)
- Equipment Solutions
- Further EducationFurther educationFurther education is a term mainly used in connection with education in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is post-compulsory education , that is distinct from the education offered in universities...
BursariesBursaryA bursary is strictly an office for a bursar and his or her staff in a school or college.In modern English usage, the term has become synonymous with "bursary award", a monetary award made by an institution to an individual or a group to assist the development of their education.According to The... - Independent Living ServicesIndependent livingIndependent living, as seen by its advocates, is a philosophy, a way of looking at disability and society, and a worldwide movement of people with disabilities working for self-determination, self-respect and equal opportunities...
- Information Library Service
- Low Vision ServicesLow visionLow vision is a subspecialty within the professions of optometry and ophthalmology dealing with individuals who have reduced vision even when using the best possible spectacle or contact lens correction available. It can be a result of either congenital disease Low vision is a subspecialty within...
- Policy and Advocacy
- Recreation Services
- Technology and Training Solutions
- Vision Australia RadioVision Australia RadioVision Australia Radio is a network of eight radio stations in Victoria and southern New South Wales owned by Vision Australia. The stations broadcast a range of programs, generally consisting of readings of newspapers and magazines for people unable to read print media...
History and Heritage Collection
The organisations that merged to form Vision Australia have a long and proud history of providing services to the blindness and low vision community in Australia. The history of Vision Australia’s founding organisations go back over 140 years to the late 1800s and cover much of the struggle for better rights and services for Australia's blind and low vision community.Given this long history, Vision Australia has a very extensive heritage collection including many objects and images pertaining to the story and history of the blindness community in Australia.
Vision Australia's Carols by Candlelight
Vision Australia's Carols by CandlelightCarols by Candlelight
Carols by Candlelight is an Australian Christmas tradition that originated in southeastern Australia in the 19th century and was popularised in Melbourne in the 1930s. The tradition has since spread around the world. It involves people gathering, usually outdoors in a park, to sing carols by...
is the organisations leading fundraising and awareness campaign and is one of the most loved of Australian Christmas traditions. Dating back to 1938, it is held on Christmas Eve at the Sidney Myer
Sidney Myer
Sidney Baevski Myer was a Russian Australian businessman and philanthropist, best known for creating Myer, Australia's largest chain of department stores.-Early life:...
Music Bowl in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and reaches a television audience of more than 2 million Australians each year.
All proceeds from this event go towards Vision Australia's Children's Services.
Over the years there have been many Australian favourites who have performed at this event including Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris, CBE, AM is an Australian musician, singer-songwriter, composer, painter and television personality.Born in Perth, Western Australia, Harris was a champion swimmer before studying art. He moved to England in 1952, where he started to appear on television programmes on which he drew the...
, Hugh Jackman
Hugh Jackman
Hugh Michael Jackman is an Australian actor and producer who is involved in film, musical theatre, and television.Jackman has won international recognition for his roles in major films, notably as action/superhero, period and romance characters...
, Tina Arena
Tina Arena
Filippina Lydia "Tina" Arena is an Australian singer, songwriter and musical theatre actress. She has won several awards, most notably 6 ARIA Awards and in both 1996 and 2000 she received the World Music Award for the world's best selling Australian artist...
, John Farnham
John Farnham
John Peter Farnham, AO, formerly billed as Johnny Farnham , is an English-born Australian pop singer. He was a teen pop idol from 1964 to 1979, and has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer. His career has mostly been as a solo artist although he briefly replaced Glenn Shorrock as...
, Debra Byrne
Debra Byrne
-Career:Byrne made her television debut on Brian and the Juniors, an early predecessor of Young Talent Time, which was hosted by a young Brian Naylor. She stayed with the show for 12 months. In 1971 she was cast as one of the original six Young Talent Time cast members...
, Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
, Lee Kernaghan
Lee Kernaghan
Lee Kernaghan OAM is an Australian country music singer and songwriter. He was the 2008 Australian of the Year.-Honours:Kernaghan received the Order of Australia Medal in 2004....
, Judith Durham
Judith Durham
Judith Durham, OAM is an Australian jazz singer and musician who became the lead vocalist for the Australian popular folk music group The Seekers in 1963. She left the group in mid-1968 to pursue her solo career...
, Marina Prior
Marina Prior
Marina Prior is an Australian singer and actress.- Early life :When she was a young child her parents returned to Australia and she grew up in Melbourne, attending Syndal South Primary School and Korowa Anglican Girls' School...
, Denis Walter
Denis Walter
Denis Walter is an Australian media personality and singer.Throughout his music career Walter has recorded 14 albums. For many years until his resignation in November 2008 to join Melbourne radio 3AW full-time, Walter was the host of the evening news in the regional areas of Victoria for WIN TV...
, Douglas Heywood, Silvie Paladino
Silvie Paladino
Silvie Paladino is an Australian singer. She began singing at the age of 9, learning at an inner-Melbourne music school. From an early age won several major singing competitions, including the Italian Song Festival and the grand final of Channel Ten's Young Talent Time.-Career:During 1989, Silvie...
, Hi-5, Humphrey B Bear, Anthony Callea
Anthony Callea
Anthony Cosmo Callea is an Australian singer-songwriter who rose to prominence in the 2004 season of Australian Idol when he became runner up. He was signed to Sony Music Australia until 2009 and is now an independent artist...
and of course long-time host Ray Martin
Ray Martin (television presenter)
Raymond George "Ray" Martin AM is an Australian television journalist. He is best known for his various on-air roles on Channel Nine from 1978 to 2008. In 2011 he returned to 60 Minutes....
.
Other supporters of this icnoic event include Myer
Myer
Myer is Australia's largest department store chain, retailing a broad range of merchandise including women's, men's and children's clothing, footwear and accessories; cosmetics and fragrance; homewares; electrical; furniture and bedding; toys; books and stationery; food and confectionery; and...
, Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
, 3AW
3AW
3AW is a talkback radio station in Melbourne, Australia on 693 kHz AM. It began transmission on 22 February 1932 as Melbourne's fifth commercial radio station.-History:...
, Magic 1278 and The Herald Sun.
DAISY
DAISYDaisy
-Names:* Asteraceae or Compositae, known as the aster, daisy, or sunflower family* 'Common Daisy'** Bellis perennis or** Leucanthemum vulgare* Daisy , a feminine given name, commonly thought to be derived from the name of the flower-Places:...
stands for Digital Accessible Information System. It is a format based on the W3C defined SGML applications XHTML 1.0 and SMIL 1.0. Using this framework, a talking book format is presented that enables navigation within a sequential and hierarchical structure consisting of (marked-up) text synchronized with audio.
Vision Australia is currently in the process of digitising and updating its entire library catalogue to the DAISY format for the benefit of its clients. Vision Australia is listed as a member of the DAISY Consortium.
One of the issues associated with digitising the existing library is managing the massive amounts of computer storage that it will require. At present Vision Australia has a 40-terabyte library that can be scaled to 100 terabytes. Ultimately the organization's goal is to have its library available as online downloads for its community.
E-Voting
A great win for Vision Australia's Policy and Advocacy department was the introduction of Electronic votingElectronic voting
Electronic voting is a term encompassing several different types of voting, embracing both electronic means of casting a vote and electronic means of counting votes....
(or E-voting) at the Victoria State Elections in 2007. For the first time in Australian history, people who were blind were able to vote in secrecy and independently. The Victorian Electoral Commission's e-voting system was set up in response to submissions for electoral reform by Vision Australia and Blind Citizens Australia.
Australian Charities Fund
Vision Australia is listed in the Australian Charities Fund and an overview of their organisation and services is provided there.Partnerships and Memberships
Vision Australia's Information Library Service is listed in the National Library of Australia Catalogue. Vision Australia is also a member of Vision 2020 and the DAISY Consortium.Vision Australia has signed Memorandums of Understanding with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind
Canadian National Institute for the Blind
CNIB is a volunteer agency and charitable organization dedicated to assisting Canadians who are blind or living with vision loss, and to provide information about vision health for all Canadians...
(Canada) and the Royal National Institute of Blind People (UK).