Gabe was six months old when he started to have seizures. His parents, Zoe and Adam, learned he’d most likely suffered a brain injury before birth, which left him with complex needs. He was a year old when Zoe noticed his eyes weren’t tracking and he was diagnosed with cortical vision impairment.
Vision Australia started visiting Gabe at home. Zoe and Adam had been told Gabe wouldn’t walk or talk, but we placed no limits on what he could achieve.
Ai May, who is a Vision Australia physiotherapist, helped Gabe start crawling without even meeting him. ‘It was amazing,’ says Zoe. ‘We had online sessions where she coached me to provide the support Gabe needed. We feel so fortunate to have a specialist like Ai May in our lives.’
Then, last year, at Gabe’s first block of intensive physiotherapy he took his first steps. ‘We wouldn’t be where we are now without Vision Australia,’ says Zoe. ‘It makes me sad to think of children who aren’t getting this support.’
That’s what our services and specialists are for. To help a child like Gabe overcome the significant challenges they face. To develop the skills they need for everyday life, and build up their confidence to find their way in the world and be whatever they want to be.
The NDIS plays a big role in our work, but each year we still need to find more than $2.5 million to make sure children who are blind or have low vision get the support they deserve. Your gifts can ensure we can provide our services to even more children, helping them reach their full potential. For children like Gabe, the confidence gained has been life-changing.
Please will you help us reach them?
