Give children with vision loss a better new year
The thrill of becoming a parent for the first time is one you don’t forget! That feeling of joy, and fear, all rolled into one?
Then, if you can imagine, just a few days later, at a check-up, you learn your child is facing significant health challenges. How would you feel as your world is turned upside down?
Then it all begins. Suddenly, rather than being at home as a family, you have to spend 20 days and nights in hospital, learning that your child has been diagnosed with a rare and incurable eye condition that will quickly take most of her sight, and by the age of 20, probably all of it?
“We just didn’t know. We thought every child must go through this experience…then as time passed, we understood more about her challenge.”
Amaaya – which means Night Rain in Arabic – was initially diagnosed at age 10 days with sight issues. She was not tracking movement. It took nearly 18 months to confirm a diagnosis of Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis CBR1, a condition that creates heavy scarring of the retina, creating significant sight loss.
Amaaya, and her family, faced daily challenges.
We are there to support Amaaya and her family live their best lives.
A gift will enable RSB to continue to support children like Amaaya and assist them lead full and independent lives through offering the skills, equipment, and technologies they will need.
“Everyday things can be hard. The school we attend doesn’t really cater for children like Amaaya, so we are constantly needing to remind them and work with them to ensure she gets the support and education she needs.”
Will you help give people like Amaaya the chance at a better life through accessing the many services RSB provide such as:
- Braille learning – giving children like Amaaya the joy of reading
- Assistive technology – offering learning independence, audio supports and the ability to access information
- Counselling – support families adapt to their child’s sight loss
- Orientation and mobility – helping people find their way around their homes, their schools, workplaces, and their community; and,
- Guide Dogs – offering the vision impaired independent mobility
While clinical trials offer some future hope, there is no current cure for people like Amaaya.
Everyday our team of experts teach children like Amaaya how to use a range of aids and techniques to perform everyday activities, like learning, going out, using public transport, shopping, and playing with friends.
“Everyday things can be hard. The school we attend doesn’t really cater for children like Amaaya, so we are constantly needing to remind them and work with them to ensure she gets the support and education she needs”
Your gift can assist RSB to continue to provide those services.
Eventually, children like Amaaya may need an RSB Guide Dog. Guide dogs restore the confidence, independence and quality of life often lost by people without vision. But it takes up to 2 years and over $50,000 to train an RSB Guide Dog.
Your gift can help us breed and train a puppy into a Guide Dog,
If you believe that children living with low vision, or no sight should be able to live independently, then please make a donation to RSB’s essential services.
You can also donate by calling us on 1800 644 577 or click here.
On behalf of everyone at the RSB, thank you for your support.
