Autumn 2013:

RIDBC Darwin opens

Simra loves learning with music at RIDBC

Long-time supporter wins Rainbow Lottery

Ivan is excited to be starting ‘big school’ at RIDBC Garfi eld Barwick School this year

Ivan is excited to be starting ‘big school’Ivan, who is fi ve, was born with signifi cant hearing loss. Receiving his second cochlear implant when he was four and a half, he is now gaining confi dence building his listening and language skills with support from RIDBC.

Ivan fi rst enrolled in the RIDBC Early Learning Program (Hearing Impairment) when he was just a few months old.

“It was great to get so much expert information,” said Ivan’s mother, Vlatka. “The fortnightly parent-infant early learning group also allowed me to socialise with other parents going through similar experiences, which was really important to me.”

Ivan was then enrolled at RIDBC Rockie Woofi t Preschool, which tailors its program to support children with hearing loss alongside children from the local community.

“Ivan speaks Croatian at home, and English at school. As children with hearing loss need intensive support to develop one language, the fact that Ivan is learning two languages is impressive,” said RIDBC Teacher of the Deaf, Denise Tilley.

“We worked with Ivan around his areas of interest – like geography and sharks – to encourage language acquisition. We also focused on preparing Ivan for school, ensuring he had the vocabulary required for Kindergarten. We set up a ‘school zone’ where he could use dramatic play to familiarise himself with the new environment.”

Ivan is now enrolled at RIDBC Garfi eld Barwick School,

RIDBC Darwin was offi cially opened in late 2012 by Northern Territory Deputy Chief Minister, The Hon Robyn Lambley. The centre is allowing RIDBC to deliver face-to-face services to families in the region for the fi rst time.

Through RIDBC Teleschool, RIDBC has been successfully delivering remote services into the Northern Territory for many years, using high-quality videoconferencing technology to access families in their homes. The new centre allows RIDBC to deliver a ‘blended service’, bolstering its remote service delivery with face-to-face support.

“Children with hearing or vision loss require consistent, quality, early intervention to achieve their best outcomes. Through

regional centres such as RIDBC Darwin, we seek to continue to expand the suite of RIDBC services provided to families through a blend of regular videoconference and face-to-face support for intervention and assessment,” said RIDBC Chief Executive, Chris Rehn.

“A physical presence in Darwin allows RIDBC to form partnerships with local service providers to further explore the needs of local families, including Indigenous Australians.”

For Aaron and Jo, who live in Humpty Doo, NT, RIDBC Teleschool has already provided much-needed support for their six year old son, Logan. Logan has hearing loss and is learning to listen and speak with two cochlear implants.

“Jo and Logan stayed in Sydney for almost three months through Logan’s fi rst cochlear implantation and habilitation,” said Aaron. “Without the ongoing support and expertise of RIDBC Teleschool in our home, we would have had no alternative but to move the family to Sydney.

“With the new Darwin centre we are delighted to be able to have face-to-face sessions in addition to our weekly videoconference sessions. The centre also provides a place where we will have the opportunity to meet with other families who share similar challenges. Logan now has age appropriate language and attends our local school – I’m so grateful for the support RIDBC has given my family.”

RIDBC Chief Executive, Chris Rehn, with Jo and Aaron and their son, Logan, at the RIDBC Darwin launch

Jump in and swim to raise funds for RIDBC at the annual Splash for Cash swimathon

23 March 2013 Splash for Cash Sydney

24 March 2013 Splash for Cash Hunter

For more information about these events, or how to organise your own ‘Splash Out’, call Kaye Bailey (02) 9872 0329

Don’t forget you can support RIDBC by selecting us as your chosen charity for any of the below events:

17 March The Sun Herald Surf Swim (Dee Why Beach)

7 April Newcastle Herald Hill 2 Harbour Challenge

19 May Sydney Half Marathon

For more information on how to participate in events and fundraise for RIDBC visit www.ridbc.org.au/events

which caters for children from Kindergarten to Year 6 who are learning to listen and speak with a cochlear implant or hearing aid. The school transitions students into a mainstream setting by Year 6.

“Ivan is so excited to be at ‘big school’ – he has had his

RIDBC opens new centre in DarwinRIDBC has launched a new centre in Darwin to provide local services for children with vision or hearing loss. The centre will enhance RIDBC’s assistance to families in the Top End, building on the support already provided by RIDBC Teleschool.

uniform ready since last year! I feel really confi dent about his future – RIDBC staff have been so fantastic. I know Ivan is getting the best possible start to life. I really cannot praise RIDBC enough,” said Vlatka.

Upcoming 2013 events

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Simra, who was born blind, has a syndrome which causes her to have low muscle tone. Enrolling at RIDBC when she was just three months old, Simra has just started at RIDBC Alice Betteridge School this year.

A child with vision loss must learn to feel, touch and hold objects. Developing tactile and hearing skills is critical and Simra and her family spent a lot of time working on this in her early therapy sessions at RIDBC.

RIDBC VisionEd Preschool is a reverse integration preschool purpose built for children with vision loss where children from the community also attend. At the preschool Simra used music to help her learn.

“I was extremely surprised when the phone rang telling me I had won. I was absolutely delighted and rang my husband, Bruce, straight away,” said Sally.

The Knights have been renovating their house and will put the money towards fi nishing off the new roof.

“Simra absolutely loves music,” said RIDBC VisionEd Preschool Director, Kathryn Bowie.

“We use songs to help develop an awareness of her environment. Songs with repetition help Simra learn language, and lyrics which ask her to ‘touch your head’ or ‘stamp your foot’, have helped her develop the spatial awareness that is essential for her physical independence. Now when someone says, ‘something is coming up on the left’, Simra will know what to look out for.”

Simra is also learning braille.

“We gave Simra access to lots of tactile books so she could understand how pictures

“The money will be a real boost in getting it all fi nished,” said Sally.

“It was such a coincidence that my daughter, Caitlin, had just fi nished a week’s community outreach placement at RIDBC Alice Betteridge School, which she loved. She’d really like

contribute to a story. Simra also began ‘scribbling’ on a braille machine. Just like a sighted child will scribble with a pen, this is the stage a child who is blind goes through before they begin to learn letters. Now Simra can recognise her name in braille!” said Kathryn.

Simra’s mother, Fatima, is happy Simra will continue her schooling at RIDBC.

“We’d be lost without RIDBC! The service has been so fantastic – so personalised and supportive. RIDBC is giving my daughter every opportunity to succeed,” said Fatima.

to pursue a career in special education.”

RIDBC Rainbow Lottery began in 1986 and has raised over $73 million for RIDBC. To fi nd out more visit www.ridbc.org.au/lottery or call (02) 9872 0313 for further enquiries.

Simra is learning through music and songsFour year old Simra, who is blind, loves music. Songs with repetition help her learn and build the confi dence she needs to engage with the world around her.

RIDBC supporter rewarded in Rainbow Lottery winSally Knight won fi rst prize in the quarterly draw of the RIDBC Rainbow Lottery. Sally has been a supporter of the Lottery since 1994. Like many of those who buy tickets, her desire was not to win, but to support RIDBC’s services for children with vision or hearing loss.

To all who helped to give us a beautiful and informative day last week, thank you very much for every minute– Olivia, a 2012 luncheon attendee

For more information contact RIDBC Bequest Team Leader, Alan Lidbetter, on (02) 9872 0206.

From the Chief ExecutiveA look at Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children (RIDBC) this quarter

RIDBC VisionEd Preschool Director, Kathryn Bowie, with Simra and her mother, Fatima, reading one of Simra’s favourite tactile books, That’s my bear

30 corporate volunteers from Vodafone lend a hand at RIDBC Rockie Woofi t Preschool as part of an end of year activities day

(l-r) Jessica, Caitlin, Sally and Bruce Knight visit RIDBC to collect their prize and to see fi rsthand how their support is helping children

The year is truly underway and there have been some exciting developments. I am delighted to announce the RIDBC Cochlear Implantation

Service commenced in January. We are proud to say RIDBC now offers a truly comprehensive service for people with hearing loss. I look forward to updating you with more detail in the next edition of The RIDBC Quarterly.

A generous $250,000 grant from Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation has allowed us to introduce ‘blended services’ in the Hunter, Central Coast and North Coast regions. Combining videoconference with face-to-face education

and therapy, this approach is enhancing the support available for families across Australia, and ensures more families receive quality care from RIDBC in the future.

In December, RIDBC launched RIDBC Teleschool: Guiding Principles in Telepractice. This book, authored by RIDBC’s Jan North and Melissa McCarthy, provides an excellent guide for organisations wishing to use videoconferencing and other resources to deliver services. We were delighted to have the Hon Stephen Conroy, Minister for Communication, Broadband and Digital Economy, launch this important book.

I was pleased to be able to thank our many wonderful volunteers at the end of

2012 at the annual Volunteer Luncheon. RIDBC is extremely grateful to over 1000 dedicated volunteers who assist us in so many diverse ways. Often the unsung heroes, we just couldn’t afford to provide our services without them.

The start of a new year is always exciting, particularly for the children going off to big school! Within this edition you’ll read about Ivan, who graduated from RIDBC Rockie Woofi t Preschool and is now attending RIDBC Garfi eld Barwick School. We wish Ivan, and all the other children starting school, the very best for the year ahead.

Chris RehnRIDBC Chief ExecutiveChris Rehn

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Complete and mail to: Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children, Locked Bag 94, Parramatta NSW 2124

2012 Hunter Baillie luncheon a great successRIDBC’s Hunter Baillie luncheon is held each year to thank those generous people leaving a bequest to RIDBC in their will.

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