In Canberra, Vision Australia is blessed to have the support of a small but dedicated and professional band of local volunteers. Their commitment allows us to reach a wider part of the community than we would otherwise have the resources to support.
Every month, you will find Barbara and Theresia helping out in our children's group, while Pearl is a great help on the front desk.
Volunteers such as Viveca and Stephen assist people who are blind or have low vision access their community by supporting them in their homes and helping them attend social and medical appointments. Volunteers will also soon be assisting at our Low Vision Clinic to make people attending feel more comfortable and at home.
Our audio described theatre program is an innovative initiative that allows people who are blind or have low vision to attend mainstream cultural events. For many years, this dedicated team has given up their weeknights and Saturday afternoons so that their fellow Canberrans can fully enjoy the experience of live theatre.
We are now training a very keen group of about ten new audio describers to extend this program. Excitingly, this program may soon be able to describe a program of children's plays so that they can learn about and experience live drama.
This team of professional audio describers also gives us the potential of developing a recreational program whereby people with low vision may be able to attend some of the many cultural events that regularly come to the Nation's capital. We envisage that these professionally trained volunteers will make fantastic tour guides, and that their high quality description skills will bring these events to life.
Blindness can be a source of loneliness and isolation. This social exclusion can also be exacerbated through geographical isolation. For many years, teams of volunteers in Cooma and Narooma have created a 'Talking Newspaper' for members of the community with a print disability.
Although mainstream news and events can be heard on commercial networks and publications, local news and events are often missed. In a small rural community, keeping up with the 'local gossip' is fundamental to keeping in touch with the rest of the community.
At Christmas, about 40 volunteers come together to help with the annual Myer Gift Wrap. To help fund our important children's program, these volunteers join in the spirit of Christmas by busily wrapping hundreds of Christmas presents of all shapes and sizes. Nationwide, this fund raising program raises nearly $100,000.
Volunteers also give us the possibility of developing new initiatives. The Collection Dog program is a major source of revenue for Seeing Eye Dogs Australia (SEDA). It costs more than $30,000 to train each Seeing Eye Dog and as SEDA receives no funding from the government, this program provides a significant funding boost.
These dogs provide independence, dignity and mobility to hundreds of people who are blind or with low vision. Steven Cuthbert, the local Coordinator of Volunteers, can personally testify to how much a dog guide can change someone's life.
"Alfie gives me the independence and confidence to do the everyday things that most people take for granted," Steven said. "I am so glad to be able to be part of the Collection Dog program and help other people to have the same chance I have." Volunteers will play an important role in the success of this initiative.
As you can see, volunteers are essential in Vision Australia supporting local Canberrans who are blind or have low vision.