Guiding Hand for Vision Impaired Youth

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 14, Issue 660, 29 October 1996, Page 7

Guiding Hand for Vision Impaired Youth

Black water rafting and cooking the dinner might seem an unlikely mix, but they 're key components in a transition programme for young people with a vision impairment. Called "The Kickstart Experience", and part of the Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind's education services, the scheme aims to provide the opportunity and skills for young adults to move towards independent living within the community. This year seven Kickstart residents aged between 17 and 21 have been "going it alone", sharing a house on the Homai Vision Education Centre campus in south Auckland. "Most of them have been in mainstream situations up until now, and for the first time in their lives they're living together with several other people with the same disability. They can't depend on anyone else, so they just have to get on with it," says Kickstart co-ordinator Jenny Ayden. Two Foundation instructors teach the group everything from cooking and cleaning to budgeting. The residents are also encouraged to attend part- time polytechnic courses in areas of interest like computing, agriculture and catering. "Everything we do is giving the residents the opportunity to learn confidence, gain self-esteem, accept and meet challenges, look after themselves physically and set personal goals. The programme is very much guided by what the individual wants to know about," adds Jenny. She and her two instructors oversee the programme on weekdays from 8.00am to 5.00pm, but evenings and

weekends the residents are left to their own devices. Recreation activities organised include BMX biking, tramping, kayaking and sailing. The intake comes from throughout the country, and residents can stay a year before moving on to a flatting situation and a job, or pursuing tertiary education. Twenty-year old Jenny Rickit says she's learnt a lot from her Kickstart experience this year. "You really have to work as a team in the flatting situation. I've definitely become a lot more independent, because I had no other choice. You're totally responsible for whatever happens to you," says Jenny who will be well-prepared for hostel life when she undertakes a Bachelor of Arts at Victoria University next year.