Multicultural Services

 

The RSB is committed to making its services accessible to clients from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

A number of strategies are implemented to ensure that all vision impaired individuals receive equal access to RSB’s services and information.

 

RESOURCES:

To date, various resources (such as Understanding Eye Conditions) have been translated in 7 languages: Arabic, Greek, Italian, Polish, Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese. To access the resources available in languages other than English, please contact Vicki Ziatas on (08) 8232 2444 or vziatas@rsb.org.au.

 

PROGRAMS:

The Multicultural Services Team, develops culturally and linguistically appropriate Low Vision Awareness Courses to meet the needs of our vision impaired individuals and their families from ethnic backgrounds. To date, we have offered the Low Vision Awareness Courses to the Italian, Greek, Polish & Spanish communities. The Low Vision Awareness Courses gives people coming to terms with vision loss, the opportunity to learn about strategies to deal with vision impairrment  and meet with others in a similar situation.

 

The sessions are held over six weeks and cover the following areas:

Learning about eye conditions with an Ophthalmologist

Discussion of daily living problems with an Occupational Therapist

Alternatives to print

Mobility and independent travel

Adaptive technology

Grief and loss

 

The Low Vision Awareness Courses are continually offered as demand increases.

 

Ethno-specific Community Support Groups for vision impaired individuals are currently meeting on a monthly basis. Support groups provide our vision impaired individuals and their families an opportunity to discuss low vision experiences in a caring and supportive environment. Often guest speakers are invited to provide information on topics of interest such as diabetes, arthritis etc as well as planning day trips.

 

Details for each group are:

 

Greek Community Support Group – meets on the 2nd Thursday of the month at Knapman House, 230 Pirie Street, Adelaide, 10.00am to 12.00pm

 

Italian Community Support Group – meets on the 1st Monday of the month at Betania Christina Centre, 245 Angas Street, Adelaide, 10.00am to 12.00pm

 

Polish Community Support Group – meets on the 2nd Monday at Knapman House, 230 Pirie Street, Adelaide, 10.30am to 12.30pm

 

Spanish Community Support Group – meets on the 2nd Wednesday of the month at Knapman House, 230 Pirie Street, Adelaide, 10.00am to 12.00pm

 

For further information or to obtain a program, please call the RSB on 8232 2444 and ask for the Multicultural Services Team.

 

The Multicultural Services Team aims to ensure that RSB staff are aware of South Australia’s cultural diversity and provides staff with access to information and arranges events that promotes and embraces multiculturalism. For example, each year, the RSB organises an event to promote Harmony Day (21 March). In 2007, the Multicultural Services Team, organised a morning tea for staff at the Gilles Plains site and presented information on cultural diversity and how RSB recognises and is committed to ensuring that clients from all backgrounds have equal access to services.

 

The RSB demonstrates its commitment in delivering culturally & linguistically appropriate services, and provides training to staff on how to work and access interpreters. The use of interpreters is of no cost to the client. The use of interpreters ensures successful communication and staff utilise interpreters for on-site visits as well as for telephone contact.

 

PROMOTIONS

The Multicultural Services Team aims to be the key consultative and advocacy body regarding vision loss issues for ethnic communities. The Multicultural Services Team promotes the RSB through active networking and educating a wide range of individuals.

 

The Multicultural Services Team delivers Information Sessions on RSB’s services as a means to increase awareness and access to RSB’s services. Information sessions can cater for community groups or can be adapted to meet the professional needs of Community Workers assisting vision impaired individuals.

 

Seminars for community members as well as for professionals are offered in conjunction with other mainstream service providers to inform and educate the community on the availability of services and programs.

 

 

Contact: Vicki Ziatas, Multicultural Liaison Officer
(08) 8232 2444 or vziatas@rsb.org.au

 

If you wish to speak to us in your own language, please phone the Telephone Interpreter Service on 13 14 50 and ask the interpreter to ring the RSB on 8232 2444.

 

 

Brochures available in other languages online

Due to font restrictions, these brochures are only available here in PDF format. If you require an alternative format, please contact Vicki Ziatas on (08) 8232 2444.