The Bulletin Inside This Issue -...

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StatewideVisionResourceCentrePOBox201Nunawading3131(03)[email protected]

TheBulletinNumber14,Friday1September2017

InsideThisIssueHere'swhatyou'llfind:

• PD:DialogueintheDark,NDISOnlineResources,VictorReaderTutorial#7,AlbinismConferenceReport

• Technology:BrailleNoteQ&As,BrailleProficiencyTest,HandyShortcutsforSafari• SportandActivities:SwimmingCarnival2017,HowtoBraillePlayingCards,BrailleTrailand

SensoryGardenWebsitesaroundtheWorld,VictorianBlindCricketEvents• FromtheField:VAFurtherEducationBursaryNowOpen,MaryanneDiamond&Marrakesh

Treaty,AccessibleTourisminIndia• News:DiaryDates,SupportSkillsTryDay,StudentNews

CheckTheBulletinarchiveforbackissues!

DatesforYourDiaryHere'swhat'scomingup:

• DotPower:12September• SSPCricketDay:22September• SupportSkillsTryDay:17November• SVRCExpo:28November• SVRCChristmasMorningTea:6December

SeetheSVRCwebsiteformoreinformationandonlineregistration.

VisionAustraliaFurtherEducationBursaryProgramfor2018isOpenSource:http://www.visionaustralia.org/learn-more/learning-to-live-independently/further-education-support/vision-australia-further-education-bursary

Eachyear,VisionAustraliaawardsFurtherEducationBursariestoaselectnumberofstudentswhoareblindorhavelowvision.

Thebursariesprovideadaptivetechnologytohelpthestudentsfullyparticipateandsucceedintheirchosenstudies.Assistivetechnologycaneliminatebarrierstoeducationandenhanceaccesstoinformation.

Itenablesstudentstoreadcoursematerial,conductresearchandimprovetheirstudentlife.

Todate,thisprogramhasprovidedsupportforover330students.

Applicationsarenowopenwitheligibilitycriteriaandcontactdetailsforfurtherinformationavailableatthelinkabove.

DotPower:12September2017WhatwillthepostmanbringtoDotPower?Makesureweknowthatyouarecomingsothatyoucanjoininthefun!Phone98410242.

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DialogueintheDark:Changingattitudesoneshoppingcentreatatime!!FromMarionBlazé

ImetwithPeterCollins,OperationsManagerforDialogueintheDarkthismorningandwehadaveryinterestingdiscussionabouthowDiDiscausingattitudechangeswhereveritissetup.DiDopenedinMelbourne(Docklands)inJunethisyear,thefirstinAustralia,andalreadyshopkeepersinHarbourTownhavechangedthewaytheythinkabouthavingcustomerswhoareblind.DiDhasemployed14peoplewhoareblindasguides,someofwhomareex-studentsofVTs&SVRC,andtheyallfrequenttheshopsintheprecinctduringtheirbreaks.PeterwassayinghowthisisoneoftheaimsofDiDandthatoverseas,whereit’sbeensetupforyearsinsomecities,thechangehasspreadthroughoutthewholecity.Peoplearetalkingabout,askingquestionsabout,beingcuriousaboutandinterestedinvisionimpairment.HealsosaidthattheothercitiesarenowfindingitmoredifficulttoemployblindguidesforDiD,becauseblindpeoplearefindingiteasiertogetemploymentelsewhere,perhapsdueinparttothisattitudechange.SoPeter’saimistochangetheattitudeswithinHarbourTown,thentheCBD,thenthewholeofMelbourneandVictoria,byspreadingthewordandgettingasmanypeopletoexperienceDiDashecan.

DialogueintheDarkOpportunitiesforTeachersandStudentsTheDepartmentofEducationisoffering1000complimentaryticketstoteacherstoattendDiD.ThisofferisonlyopenuntilFebruary2018,soifyouhaven’tbeen,contactSVRCfordetails.IfyoualsodoashortonlinelearningpackagefromSVRC,wewillprovideyouwithacertificateasevidenceforyourVITregistrationSpecialNeedslearning.

HaveyouthoughtabouttakingawholeclassofstudentstoDiD?Oneofourstudentswhoisblindwentwithherwholeclass,whichopenedupdiscussionsabouthowshemanagesandhowtheyfoundtheexperience(seeissue13).

MaryanneDiamondandtheMarrakeshTreatySource:https://www.australianunity.com.au/assisted-living/whats-on/flourish/right-to-read(withthankstoLeonaHollowayandABAFacebook)

DorothyCookwrites:"TheestablishmentoftheMarrakeshTreaty,asitbecameknown,waslonganddifficult.Thebureaucraticprocessbeganin2009andforsevenyearsMaryannehadtosummoneveryatomoftenacity,intellectandpatiencetoconvince186countriestomodifyiron-cladcopyrightlawsandallowblindpeoplethesamerightassightedpeople–therighttoread.Correspondingly,togetaneducation,perhapsevenajob.

TheTreatywasadoptedinMarrakeshinMorocco,on27June,2013,butneeded20countriestoratifyitbeforeitbecomelawon30September,2016.Twenty-fivecountriesarenowmembersoftheMarrakeshTreatyAssembly.TheTreaty'createsamandatorysetofprinciplesthatallowvisuallyimpaired,blindandprint-disabledpeopletoaccesspublishedworks...ManyviewtheMarrakeshTreatyasthebiggestbreakthroughforblindpeoplesincebraillewasinventedearlyinthe19thcentury."

UEBProficiencyTestReminder Registrationforthe2017TransTasmanCertificateofProficiencyinUnifiedEnglishBraillecloseonFriday8September.Detailsareavailableat:http://brailleaustralia.org/unified-english-braille/trans-tasman-certificate-of-proficiency-in-unified-english-braille/.

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VictorReaderTutorial#7Tutorial7inourVictorReaderStreamseriesisnowlive–GarrydemonstrateshowtousewifiontheVictorReaderStream–NewGeneration.

You'llfinditonourYouTubeChannel:Tutorial7:UsingWifiontheVictorReaderStreamNewGeneration

NDIS:OnlineResourcesSource:BCA

TheRaisingChildrenNetworkandtheNationalDisabilityInsuranceAgency(NDIA)havepartneredtoproducefreeonlinevideosandarticlestohelpparentsbecome"NDISReady".

Thenewresourcescovermanycommonqueries,including:

• whatistheNDIS• howparentscanaccesstheNDIS• howtogoaboutchoosingservices• earlyintervention• transitioningfromBetterStartandHelpingChildrenWithAutismtotheNDIS

Visit:raisingchildren.net.au/ndis

Q&A:MovingfromOneFiletoAnotherontheBrailleNoteApexQuestion:MystudentisfindingmovingfromonefiletoanotherontheBNtimeconsuming.Sheisclosingdownonefiletogotoanother.Theexampleshegavewasduringatestwhereshecanusehernotes.Shesavesthenotesinonefilebutthenwhensheneedstorefertothemshehastoclosethetestfiletogettotheinformation

Answer:Yes,thereisaquickerway...ToflickbetweentwodocumentsontheBrailleNoteApex,followthesesteps1.Openthefirstdocument2.PressSpace+dots12563.Navigatetotheseconddocumentthatyou'dlikeopen4.PressingSpace+dots1256willtoggleyoubetweentheopendocuments.Quick!Effective!

Q&A:LinkingBrailleNoteApextoStaffComputersQuestion:WearehavingtroubleconnectingtheBrailleNotetocomputersatschooltoviewtheBrailleNoteoutputinprintwhilethestudentisworking.WehavedownloadedKeyViewbutitdoesn'tappeartobecompatiblewithWindows10.Whatcanwedo?

Answer:ThesimplestoptionistopluginaVGAmonitor.AlesssimplesolutionwouldbetoinstallVNCviewonaniPad(orother,includingtheteacher'slaptop)anduseWi-Fitosend.TheschoolfirewallsmightcausedifficultywiththeBrailleNotesending–thishappensinmanyschools–andthework-aroundwouldbetosetupahotspotfordata.

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HowtoBraillePlayingCardsSource:http://www.pathstoliteracy.org/strategies/how-braille-playing-cardsbyPennyRosenblum16Jul2017(withthankstoLeonaHollowayandABAFacebook)

Pennywrites,"Thisisagreatactivityforsomeonelearningtouseaslateandstylus!It’sfunctional,andthenyoucanplayagame!"

1. Getadeckofplayingcards2. Eachcardusestwocells.Therearenonumeric

orgrade1indicatorsused.3. Putthecardinyourslateandstylusorbrailler

andbraillethetopleftcorner.Takeitoutandflipitaroundandreinsertandbraillethetopleftcorner.Inbothcasesbrailleonthe“picture”sideofthecard.Thisway,nomatterwhichwaytheuserholdsthecard,thebraillewillbelegibleinthetopleftcorner.

4. Usetheselettersforthesuits: c=♣clubs h=♥hearts d=♦diamonds s=♠spades5. Usethesenumbers/lettersforeachcard: 1=ace x=10 j=jack q=queen k=king Thenumbers2through9representthenumberedcards.6. Inbraillingthecardsbelow,youwouldusethefollowing:

Aceofclubs:1c

7ofdiamonds:7d

Kingofspades:ks

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2017SupportSkillsTryDayFromGarryStinchcombe,SupportSkillsProgramCoordinator

When:November17th2017,9:30amto1:15pm

Where:SVRCDonvale370SpringvaleRdDonvaleintheGroundoftheHeatherwoodSchool

Eligibility:StudentswhowillbebetweenGrade4andYear10in2018,enrolledinaVictorianschoolandhavebeentoEVAC.

Whattodo:GototheSVRCwebsiteandunderEducationProgramslocatetheSupportSkillsinformation.FillintheonlineformtoregisterfortheTryDay.

Closingdate:MondayNovember132017

Forfurtherinformation,pleasecontactGarryStinchcombe,SupportSkillsProgramCoordinatoron(03)98410242oremail:[email protected]

NewWebsiteListsBrailleTrailsandSensoryGardensAroundtheWorldThanksagaintoOzbrl.

Anewwebsitelistsbrailletrailsandsensorygardensaroundtheworld.Brailletrailsandsensorygardensaredefinedasfollows:

BrailleTrail:anaturetrailwithbrailleinformationalsignageandphysicalaidesthatallowpeoplewithvisionimpairmentstoexperiencethetrailunassisted.Brailletrailsusuallyincludeaguideropeorrailspeoplewithvisionimpairmentstoholdandfollowalongaguidedogfriendlypath,withBrailleinformationalsignageaboutthenaturalsurroundingsandstationstoexperiencephysicaltrailfeaturesplacedatkeypointsalongtheguiderope.Sometrailshavetactilewalkwaystoprovidedirection,othershaveaudiocomponentssuchasguidedaudiotoursorsmartphoneaccess,andmanyhavefeaturesmakingthemwheelchair-accessible.

SensoryGarden:designedtoprovidetactileexperiencesthroughtheusageofspecificplantsinaspeciallydesignedlayouttocreateopportunitiesandaccommodationsforpeoplewithvisionimpairmentsandotherswithdisabilitiestoenjoythetouch,soundsandscentsoftheoutdoors.Sensorygardensutilizearomaticandtexturalplants,andoftenhavebrailleinformationalsignage,guideropesorrails,audiofeatures,andtactilepathwaysforpeoplewithvisionimpairmentstowalkalongthepathsunassisted.Manysensorygardenshavewheelchair-accessiblewalkwaysandraisedgardenbeds.

TherearecurrentlyonlytwoentriesforAustralia:AbrailletrailinBrisbaneandasensorygardeninWodonga.Descriptionsandphotographsofadditionalgardensareinvited.

Visit:NatureforAllWebsitewww.naturefortheblind.comandFacebookpage:https://www.facebook.com/naturefortheblind/.

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21HandyShortcutsforSafariMatthewElliotsuggestsyoucanbecomea"SafariSvengali"anda"superiorSafarisurfer"byemployingsomeofthesekeyboardshortcutsonyourApplecomputer.

Tabandwindowmanagement

1.Openlinkinnewtab

Somelinksarecodedtoopeninthecurrenttabwhileothersopeninanewtab.Totakecontrolofthisbehavior,pressCommandwhenyouclickalinktostayonyourcurrentpagewhileopeningthelinkinanewtabinthebackground.Likewise,useCommand-Shift-clicktoopenlinkinnewtabandswitchtoit.

2.Jumptonextorprevioustab

UseCommand-Shift-rightarrowtojumponetabtotherightanduseCommand-Shift-leftarrowtojumponetabtotheleft.Alternatively,youcanuseControl-TabtomovetotherightandControl-Shift-Tabtomovetotheleft

3.Jumptospecifictab

Tojumptoaspecifictabofthemanyyouhaveopen,pressCommandandanynumberkeybetween1and9.Command-1jumpsyoutoyourfirst(left-most)tab.Command-5,forexample,jumpsyoutothefifthtabfromtheleft.

4.Bringbackclosedtab

YouprobablyuseCommand-Ttoopenanewtab,butdidyouknowthatCommand-Zopensyourpreviouslyclosedtab.Undothatlasttabclosure!UnlikeChromeandFirefoxthatrememberyourlast10closedtabs,Safaribringsbackonlyyourlastclosedtabwiththisshortcut.Forotherclosedtabs,you'llneedtofindtheminSafari'sHistory.

5.Dragtabs

Safariisquiteflexiblewhenitcomestomovingyourtabsaround.Youcanclickanddragatabtomoveittoanotherspotamongyourrowopentabsinthecurrentwindow.Youcanalsodragataboutofthecurrentwindowandstartanewwindowordragitfromonewindowtoanotherwindow.

6.Mforminimize

HitCommand-Mtominimizeyourcurrentwindow.

7.Closecurrenttaborwindow

ThisshortcutsavesyoufromneedingtoclickthelittleXtocloseatab.Instead,useCommand-Wtocloseyourcurrenttab.TocloseyourcurrentSafariwindow,useCommand-Shift-W.

8.Closealltabsbutcurrenttab

Afteranexplosionoftabs,youcanclosealltabsbutthecurrenttab(andanypinnedtabs)byhittingCommand-Option-W.

9.EnterReadingMode

HitCommand-Shift-RtoenableSafari'sreadingmodetogetaclean,clutter-freeversionofthepageyouareviewing.

10.AddtoReadingList

HitCommand-Shift-DtoaddthecurrentpagetoyourReadingListsoyoucanreturntoitlater.

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11.OpentheSidebar

HitCommand-Shift-LtoopenSafari'sSidebartoseeyourBookmarks,ReadingList,Sharedlinks.HitthekeyboardshortcutagaintoclosetheSidebar.

12.Gofullscreen

HitCommand-Control-Ftomoveinandoutoffullscreenmode.

13.Private,keepout

HitCommand-Shift-NtoopenaPrivateBrowsingwindow.

14.Mutenoisytab

LikeChrome,Safaridisplaysaspeakericononanytabthatisplayingaudio.UnlikewithChrome,withSafariyoucanclickonthespeakericontomutethetab.YoucanalsoclickthebluespeakericonintheURLbartomutealltabs.

Pagenavigation

15.Forwardandback

YoucangobackapageonyourcurrenttabbyhittingCommand-leftarrow.Tomoveforwardapage,useCommand-rightarrow.

16.Pageupanddown

Whenyouareviewingapage(andnotfillingoutaform,usingGoogleDocsorotherwiseengagingyourcursorinSafari),hitthespacebartopagedownonapageandShift-spacebartopageup.

17.Toporbottom

HitCommand-uparrowtoreturntothetopofthewebpageyouareviewingandCommand-downarrowtogototheverybottomofthepage.

18.Stopapagefromloading

Ifapageistakingtoolongtoload,hittheEscapekeytostopitfromloading.Toreloadthepage,hitCommand-R.

19.Zoomcontrols

Ifyouhavetroublereadingasmallfontonapage,hitCommand-Shift-[equalssign]tozoomin.Tozoomout,useCommand-Shift-[minussign]tozoomout.Toreturntothedefaultzoomlevel,hitCommand-Shift-0(zero).

20.URLbar

HitCommand-LtotakecontrolofURLbar.

21.Findbar

UseCommand-FtoopentheFindbartosearchfortextonthecurrentpage.WhensearchingfortextwiththeFindbar,hitReturntogotothenextinstanceofyoursearchtermonthepageanduseShift-Returntogotothepreviousinstance.

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AlbinismFellowshipofAustraliaConference–"CelebratingAlbinism"FromSandraGeorge,President,AlbinismFellowshipofAustralia

AverybigthankyoutothestaffofSVRCformakingamajorcontributiontotheAlbinismConference2weeksago.Twohundredandthirtyeightpeoplewereinvolvedatvariousstageswithanattendanceof69ontheFridayafternoonandover200oneachweekendday.Thisincludedthemanyvolunteerstorunthefourchildren'sprograms(RMITstudentteachersfromtheEarlyChildhoodProgram/EducationFacultyandVisionAustraliaOT's,O&M'sandvolunteers).

OurkeynotespeakerwasKarenWolffefromTexaswhowasinspirationalasshespokeaboutchallengingchildren,raisingexpectationsandpreparingthemforcareers.Sheworkedwithapanelofadultswithalbinismtoexplorewhatmadethemandtheircareersasuccessandspoketoadultsaboutdevelopingorchangingcareers.AndrewFullerspokeaboutpracticesthatbuildresilienceandmedicalspecialistsexploredthestructuresandfunctionsinalbinismandthesurgicalandotherinterventionscurrentlyused.TheSVRCteamofDebDavidson,AnnetteGodfrey-MageeandGlenMorrowpresentedsessionscoveringaccessandinclusion,classroomstrategies,makingtherighttechnologychoicesandthestepstoindependence(skillsetstoachieveatdifferentstagesofschooling).Adultswithalbinismjoinedpanelsoncareers,sportandtravel,whileothersrecountedpersonalstoriesofallthatcancelebratedaboutalbinism.

MarionBlazémannedtheSVRCstandwithsupportfromtheothers,providinginformationandadvicetobothparentsandteachers.Withtheadditionofstudentteachers,wehadatotalof46educatorsattendingwhonowhaveagreaterunderstandingofalbinismandhavemadeconnectionswithbothparentsandchildren.TheFridaywassetasideasanintroductiontoalbinismwithspecialpresentationsforeducatorsandnewparents.Itwasheartwarmingtohavetheeducatorsgiveuptheirtimetojoinus,especiallythosewhoalsoattendedontheweekend.Ithasalsoassistedparentstounderstandtheroleandperspectiveofteachers,whichcanonlyleadtomeaningfulpartnershipstosupportchildren.

Finallythecontributionbychildrenofallageswasamazing.Lucy,KonnaandSammiformedtheYouthPaneltotalkabouttheirjourneysofaranddreamsforthefuture,withallperformingduringtheconcertandevenjoiningthebandontheSaturdaynight.TheGoalBallAssociationhosted32childrenontheSaturdayafternoontoexpendabitofenergyand22oftheolderoneswent10pinbowling,accompaniedbyParalympianChadPerrisontheSunday.AnyonewhohastaughtanyoneofthesechildrenshouldbeproudastheyworkedtogetherintheCreche,LowerPrimary,JuniororYouthprograms,demonstratingtheir"cando"attitudeandthattheirlowvisionisnotgoingtoholdthemback.TheAlbinismFellowshipofAustraliagreatlyvaluestheinformalpartnershipthatwehavewiththeSVRCandmanyVisitingTeachers!Thankseveryone!

Photo(right)showssomeoftheattendees.

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VictorianBlindCricketAssociationUpcomingOpportunitiesFromRodPritchard,President,VictorianBlindCricketAssociation

VisionImpairedCricketSchoolsProgramWhen:Friday22September

Where:RearofVisionAustralia,454GlenferrieRoadKooyong

Thereisstilltimetoregisterforthe2017VisionImpairedCricketSchoolsProgramme.Thisprogrammeprovidesanintroductiontovisionimpairedcricketandisopentoallprimaryandsecondaryagestudentsbothmaleandfemale.Itprovidesauniqueopportunityforstudentstolearnarangeofskillsincludingorientationandmobilityandworkingwithinateamenvironmentaswellasbeingabletosocializewiththeirvisionimpairedpeers.Italsoprovidesanimportantopportunityforparentsandcarerstonetworkandexchangeexperiencesinasupportedenvironment.

ForacopyoftheregistrationformpleasecontactRod:0401718926/[email protected]

RegistrationscloseFriday15thSeptember2017.

MiloIn2CricketWhen:Saturday14thOctober2017toSaturday16thDecember2017andSaturday27thJanuary2018toSaturday3rdMarch2018

Time:10:30amtoNoon

Where:VBCAGroundsKooyong

MiloIn2CricketprogramisforbothmaleandfemaleprimaryandsecondarystudentsandisthesameMiloprogram(withappropriatemodifications)thatiscurrentlyavailabletoallfullysightedyoungsters.

AllAgeMixedGenderCompetitionCricketWhen:Saturday7thOctober2017toSaturday16thDecember2017andSaturday27thJanuary2018toSunday11thMarch2018

Time:1:00pmto5:15pm

Where:VBCAGroundsKooyong

CricketontheMCGWhen:Dateandtimestobeconfirmed

Where:MelbourneCricketGround

UsuallyinNovemberduringthelunchbreakofashieldmatch–CricketontheMCGisforallmaleandfemaleprimaryandsecondarystudentswhoareblindorhavelowvision.

FormoreactivitiesofferedbyVBCAvisit:http://www.vbca.org.au

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AccessibleTourisminIndiaSource:TheIndianExpress(withthankstotheAccessibleGraphicsFacebookpage)

Braillesignageisbeinginstalledat50monumentsintheIndianstateofGujaratinanefforttomakethesesitesmoreaccessibletopeoplewithvisionimpairments.Thebraillesignagewillexplainthehistoricalandculturalsignificanceofthemonuments.Itishopedthatminiaturesofmonuments,tactilemapsandaudiodescriptionwillalsobemadeavailable.

Ed:lookingforwardtoVictoriaadoptingasimilarpolicy!

FeedbackfromtheSwimmingCarnivalOneofthe"helpers"atourrecentSwimmingCarnivalwhichwasheldattheGenazzanoPoolprovidedthefollowingfeedback:

"Itwasmyfirstswimmingcarnivalanditwasfabulousreallycompetitiveandmixedwithlotsoffun.ItwasalovelyatmosphereandIwasimpressedwiththestudents'efforts–theyjustswamtheirheartsout.

Inoticedoneyoungsterwhowasveryanxiousatthestartoftheday.Anolderstudentwasinvitedtomentorherforawhile.Thisworkedreallywellandsoontheyoungstudentwasfine!Shewasalsothrilledwiththeribbons.

Marion’sunderwaterdivingworkedreallywellandIthinkthedivebombingwasalotoffun.Welltimedandwellrunswimmingcompetitionandafabulousvenue."

Here'ssomemorefeedback,thistimefromaparent:

"Thankyoutoyouandeveryoneinvolvedintheswimmingcarnivalthisyear.Itwasahugeefforttoputthedaytogetheranditwasahugesuccess.Itwaslovelytoseethechildrencompetingandhavingsomuchfun.Yes,wewoulddefinitelysupporttheswimmingcarnivalnextyear!

ThankyouagaintoeveryoneattheSVRCforallthetimeandeffortittooktoorganisethecarnival.YoureallydosuchanamazingjobandthekidsaresoluckytohavetheSVRCsupportingthem."

StudentNewsTuong,whowasoneofourearlyDotPowerstudents,hasbeendoingwellsincereturningtoVietnamseveralyearsago.AccordingtotheprincipalofhisformerVictorianprimaryschool,whorecentlyvisitedhim,Tuonghasspentthelast18monthsbuildingfencesinhisruralvillagebutplanstoreturntoschoolnextyearwhenheis13.

FinallyAndthe2000threquestformaterialsinalternativeformatwasmadeby…DRUM-ROLLandmoreDRUM-ROLL…SharonSaunders!!!!THECROWDGOESMAD!!!!!Sharonwinsanaudiocopyof"BreathingUnderWater"bySophieHardcastle,kindlydonatedbyBolindaAudio.

ANDHAPPYSPRINGtoall!

DebLewis(Ed)

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