Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
Upcoming Conferences and CPD opportunities:
- International O&M Online Symposium: 26-28 January, 2022. Read more at the IOMOS website.
- 11th National Deafblind Conference: 30 June – 1 July, 2022, in Perth, Western Australia. Read more at the conference website.
- The OMAA Online Symposium: hosted two weeks ago, the symposium was a wonderfully interesting and engaging event. The presentation recordings will soon be available to registered attendees – keep an eye out for further updates!
If you’re looking for other CPD opportunities, remember to check the OMAA website for suggestions.
Are you hosting or attending an upcoming CPD event? Would you like to be able to earn points towards ACVREP recertification at the same time? Click here to find out how you can register your event.
Job Vacancies
Have you looked at the Job Vacancies page on the OMAA website recently? You’ll find position vacancies listed for various agencies and locations across Australasia so remember to check it regularly.
Opportunity – Casting Call
The OMAA has been contacted by Mitchell Casting who are currently conducting a search for a Netflix TV Series for the role of a teenage girl who is blind. They are looking for females between 12 – 23yrs, who are based in Australia or New Zealand. No acting experience necessary! However, they are focusing on candidates who are blind or low vision in their search. This series is currently slated to shoot in Europe 2022, and candidates must speak fluent English. Check out their flyer for more details. Please share with your relevant contacts and networks.
Access and Technology news
- Some changes have recently been made to Sunu Band features. The Sonar Texture detects the changes in an object’s hardness and provides haptic textures to distinguish between soft, medium and hard, making it easier to differentiate between objects. A new gestures feature allows you to navigate through the features more easily. And Maps is now easier to use. Simply point your Sunu Band or phone in any direction and get real-time information of the names of streets or places in the direction you are pointing.
- An informative article about iOS 15 accessibility updates for users who are blind and deafblind.
- An Australian bionic eye project has secured $2 million in funding from the Federal Government. Read more about the project at the ARIA Research website.
- An article by a leading vitreoretinal surgeon outlining how Australia is building its capability to develop and use gene therapies, giving hope to people with inherited retinal diseases and conditions such as dry AMD.
- Currently only available in USA, a great new feature for foodies in the Be My Eyes app.
Resources
APH have released a new book called Babies with CVI: Nurturing Visual Abilities and Development in Early Childhood. The book includes best practices in treatment of CVI for children from birth to 3 years old, as well as specific strategies and activity suggestions that families and professionals can use to meet the unique learning needs of a child with CVI. Purchase the book here and listen to the APH Change Makers podcast to learn more about this book.
Other news
- The Indigenous Eye Health measures 2021 report shows progress towards improving the eye health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
- The second National Eye Health survey has been announced and will examine nearly 5000 Indigenous and non-Aboriginal Australians over two years.
- A survey into employer attitudes which was commissioned by Vision Australia found discrimination and outdated perceptions towards Australian workers with low vision.
- WhiteStickFest is an online collaboration of music artists raising awareness of International White Cane Day on 15 October 2021. Watch the online concert and read more about the line-up on the WhiteStickFest website.
- In the US, McDonalds are enhancing their self-service kiosks for better accessibility for people with vision impairment.
- A Braille fence in Naples describes the view for blind tourists.
- And finally, a wonderful article about an innovative school in Germany that created a city for the blind.
Thanks for reading to the end of the blog! A very happy International White Cane Day to all our members for Friday 15th October :)
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