Opinions & Letters
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Opinions
Welcome to the new opinion and letters pages. These pages are a regular feature of Outlook following your responses to our reader survey.
We welcome letters and feedback on any of the articles or issues presented in the magazine. Please send your letters to the Editor, Outlook, Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind, Private Bag 99941, Newmarket, Auckland. Or email: comms
When I left school there didn't seem to be much support for us, as I remember. I was lucky that my father was in a position to swing me a job where he worked, so I didn't have to go looking. Mechanical engineering was also what I liked doing. Now my eldest daughter, who is vision impaired, is getting toward school leaving age. I have been trying to get her ready by encouraging her to take the subjects that will lead her into a course that will then lead to employment. The teachers at the school don't seem to be too worried that she is taking subjects they weren't totally sure she can cope with at tertiary level and on into the workplace.
It is my belief that our children deserve a better break at a career than we got during our time at school. I would think the Foundation has to take a proactive part in making sure that our kids and their teachers get the support to build their school courses around their strengths that will take them on into productive work ethics. I believe this should start with an assessment by the Foundation's newly formed vocational placement co-ordinators as early as the third form, as they have to start shaping their path to the future from there. I know of at least one school in the country that has had a careers evening for their third form students to help them see just what is available out there. I would like to think this is the norm, but I think as vision-impaired students they will need special assistance to execute most jobs they choose, so their needs should be ascertained, support and aids required should be looked at and suitable training in the use of these made available.
Of course there is the usual, "we haven't enough resources to do this", but I think it is time the government stepped up to the mark and met the shortfall to make this all possible. We all know it's better to have a productive person rather than another benefit to have to support.
Rob de Cent
Rob lives in Marton. He attended Homai College and has three daughters, two of whom share his hereditary eye condition of mystagmis. (Please see page 7 for more about Rob)
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Letters
Congratulations to Jane Mehaffy from Upper Hutt who recently entered and won second prizes in the Dickinson Literary Award 2004 (Adult poem, serious and adult poem, humour) run by the Royal Blind Foundation Queensland. Jane's winning entries were;
Autumn to Winter
Hennaed leaves acknowledge the eye
As they flash among the natural hues
Revelling in their temporary glory
Before baldness mars their beauty.
White is the fog as you peer ahead
Though you never seem to reach it
While the grass glistens its wintergreen.
Confused Walking!
Do I say 'hello'
Or was a cell phone being spoken to?
Was it a person I nudged
Or did I just apologise to a rubbish bin?
Was that an obstacle I avoided
Or did I just high step a shadow?
Do I wave
Or was that toot meant for someone else?
A routine stroll to the train.
From the Wairarapa Community Committee
The photo was taken of the late Mrs Connie Gaudin and Will (William) McKinstry earlier this year on the occasion of their birthdays, which were the same day.
We feel that it was rather unique that Connie (then our community's oldest member at 100 years) and Will (our youngest member at three years) should share the same birthday!
Connie has since passed away and they had not met prior to this photo being taken, but we feel that it clearly shows that the sharing of love has no boundaries of age or disability.