By ANEEKA SIMONIS
A MAJOR educational deficit was answered last week when Berwick opened the state’s only specialist centre for blind and visually impaired students.
“This opens a whole new world of opportunity for blind and vision impaired children across Victoria,” said Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt who attended the opening on Friday 18 September.
“While there are six schools for deaf and hearing impaired students in Melbourne and a number of specialist schools for students with other disabilities, blind or vision impaired students have been without a school since the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind closed in 2009.”
The Insight Specialist Primary School, which has been six years in the making, provides tailor education for students aged four to 14 years.
Currently, the school located at Monash University’s Berwick campus has eight children but numbers are due to rise as the school reaches out to students in suburban and country areas.
“Part of the mission is to create a viable specialist primary school that then goes out to the outer areas of Melbourne and country and delivers on a permanent basis in partnership with mainstream schools,” said Alan Lachman, an Insight parent and founder of the school.
“The mobile classroom is part of that reaching out. A number of mobile classrooms will be delivered another later this year, to reach out to families.”
Permanently blind in her left eye, seven-year-old Natalie Vondrejc from Mooroolbark said her favourite activity at Insight was to “cook cakes,” as well as learn to read and write.
Natalie’s mother, Margot Vondrejc said at her mainstream school, Natalie is “way behind” and is pleased the smaller, specialist environment will provider her one-on-one help.
In his public address, Mr Lachman said the school hopes to help improve employment rates for adults with a visual impairment.
“When the employment rate for blind and visually impaired adults reaches 80 per cent, more than doubling of today’s abysmal rate, then Insight will have done its job.”
The school has a range of tactile-focussed rooms including the Independent Living Skills room which teaches students things they wouldn’t have the opportunity to learn at mainstream schools such as how to cut up their food and arrange it on their plate.
“Specialised learning will empower them to participate fully… see a career and pursue the dreams they have for their life ahead.” Federal Minister for Latrobe Jason Wood MP said.
Insight Education Centre was part of state Premier Denis Napthine’s election commitment for 2010.
In 2011-12 the state’s Coalition delivered on the promise by providing $2.14 million to build the school in addition to the $1.5 million contributed by the Federal Government.
