Blind Week 28 October - 3 November 2008 media pack
- Welcome to Blind Week 08
- What does the RNZFB do and why should I donate?
- All about Blind Week
- All about RNZFB members
- Membership breakdown by age
- Te Reo and braille go hand-in-hand
- What’s with the white cane?
- Computer skills save Greg’s career
- Ruby the blind bookworm
Read the Blind Week 2008 media pack online by following the links above, or download the media pack as a PDF or a Microsoft Word file
Blind Week 2008 media pack (PDF, 541kB)
Blind Week 2008 media pack (Word, 290kB)
Welcome to Blind Week 08
24 September 2008
Blind Week is fast approaching, and we need to raise over $1.1 million. That way, we can continue to provide essential services to blind, deafblind and vision-impaired New Zealanders.
You can make a difference by helping us put word out about who our members are, what it’s like to be blind, and what kinds of services the Foundation offers.
In return, we can offer you:
- Engaging, fresh stories with a local angle
- Interviews with members from all walks of life
- Real-life stories about inspirational volunteers
- High resolution, quality images of members, volunteers and simulations of how different eye conditions affect what you see
In this media pack, you’ll find:
- The Foundation at a glance – useful facts about the Foundation and its membership
- Profiles on just four of our 11,700 members:
- a computer whiz
- a Māori braille reader
- a bookworm
- a new convert to the white cane
For more information or to register your interest contact:
Caitlin Sinclair, RNZFB Communications Coordinator, tel 09 355 6884, mob 021 802 095, email csinclair
Teuila Field, RNZFB Communications Coordinator, tel 09 355 6906, mob 021 810 003, email tfield
What does the RNZFB do and why should I donate?
- The RNZFB gives blind, deafblind and vision-impaired people the skills to do everyday things, like getting from home to work, cooking dinner or surfing the net.
- Only one-third of the Foundation’s $26 million operating budget comes from Government sources, so members rely on public support for the other $17.3 million.
All about Blind Week
- Blind Week 2008 is on from 28 October to 3 November.
-
Volunteers in fluorescent orange vests with Blind Week collection buckets will be out on the streets from Friday 31 October to Sunday 2 November.
- People can also text BLIND to 469 to donate $3, or phone 0900 4 BLIND (0900 425 463) to make an automatic $20 donation.
- During Blind Week, the RNZFB wants you to ‘See The Difference You
Make’ to the lives of blind, deafblind and vision-impaired Kiwis when
you donate.
All about RNZFB members
- The RNZFB has approximately 11,700 members across New Zealand.
- Every year, nearly 1,200 New Zealanders become RNZFB members after experiencing serious sight loss.
- The most common eye condition that RNZFB members have is age-related macular degeneration (42%) followed by glaucoma, retinitis pigmentosa, cataracts and diabetic retinopathy.
- Over half of the Foundation’s members are aged over 80.
Membership breakdown by age
- 0 – 20 years: 7%
- 20 – 39 years: 9%
- 40 – 64 years: 16%
- 65 –79 years: 16%
- 80+ years: 52%
Te Reo and braille go hand-in-hand
“I wanted to learn braille because I wanted to learn how to read music and you have to have a certain standard of braille before you learn braille music.”
“The other good thing about braille is being able to access written stuff, especially now that I’m working in an environment where we do a lot of work with Te Reo. You don’t always know how Māori words are spelt because it’s phonetic, so braille helps to read how a word’s spelt properly and where the macrons are.”
“Braille’s also helping with my Masters. When I type parts of my thesis, I can read it using the pop-up braille display on my computer to make sure it’s spelt properly. If I didn’t know braille, I wouldn’t be able to check the spelling.”
“I like braille! Especially now that there are Māori texts in braille.”
What’s with the white cane?
“I was a bit reluctant at first, because there’s a real knack to it. It’s hard on your shoulders and you have to get used to walking on your own without looking down.”
“Now though, I’ve got a lot more confidence. Last month, I caught
the bus for the first time on my own,
before going to meet with my instructor for a coffee.
It was like passing school cert!”
“I don’t always need my cane, but it’s good to have the skills to use it. I still have some tunnel vision, but my sight might get worse. If it does, I’m prepared.”
Computer skills save Greg’s career
“At first, I didn’t know what to expect – it was the first time I’d ever met other blind people! But the course was brilliant. I learned how to touch type, and use programmes like Microsoft Word and Outlook.”
“My new skills meant I could take on a computer-based customer service role within the same company I’d worked at before I went blind.”
“The course was also a chance to make new friends. This encouraged me to go out more, and get involved in sports clubs again.”
“Foundation courses like these are a great stepping stone for anyone looking to find employment – they open doors, helping you to communicate with the world.”
Ruby the blind bookworm
Ruby Graves, 85, lives in Invercargill and loves to read. She talks about what the Foundation’s talking book service means to her.
“I think talking books are wonderful – life would be very miserable without them.”
“I’ve always been a reader and I think if you’ve always been a reader you’re like a dog without a sneeze if you can’t read.”
“I used to be a nurse and when I went home in the holidays my mother used to say, ‘Now get your bits and pieces together and never mind about that book!’ But the book always came first.”
“I get a variety of talking books. I like a good novel, but I read magazines as well.”
“Books are something you can get lost in and I’m getting to the stage now where I should be ringing someone but I’m too immersed in a book!”