December 6 – Vision Australia, Part Two

About ten years ago when I was in Sydney, I visited the Enfield head Office of Vision Australia. I remember being very impressed by the recording studio and the children`s area, so when Rolf asked if there was anything in particular I would like to see on this visit, you can guess my answer. I was quite disappointed when he told me that the recording studio had been moved to Melbourne.  Both the recording and distribution of audio books had been moved to the one central location.  Perhaps a visit to the Melbourne office will need to be on the itinerary of my next Australian visit.

However, we were able to see the children`s area and as luck would have it, it was not in use on the afternoon of my visit so I was able to explore the interior more thoroughly. Rolf kept Echo on the outside of the gate. He said that Echo would have had even more fun than the children had he been allowed to go inside.

I had fun too. One of my first discoveries was the pathway of floor tiles with different textures and colours. I tested these with my cane and also got down on my hands and knees to feel the differences. There were multiple toys, a slide, a small climbing apparatus and a tunnel.

One of the areas that really caught my attention was a rack of different kinds of gate latches. Behind each latch was a compartment with a small toy inside. What a great tactile teaching tool!  The whole centre was an area of tactile fun and sensory stimulation.

As we moved further down the hallway, Rolf opened another door to a storage room. This room contained more toys and equipment. The items in the children’s area were rotated regularly so that it stayed new and exciting for its young users.  As we continued to discuss the role of children’s services, Rolf informed me that the youngest client to come in to the Enfield office was only fourteen days old.  I guess that it is never too soon to start with an early intervention program.

Following are two pictures. The first shows me kneeling beside the coloured tactile tiles. The second shows me in front of some of the other play equipment.