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Specialist teachers working with blind students have been hailed in a report which reveals they have helped increase the chronological reading age of students by up to three years in 12 months.
However, the Education Review Office also says that 10 of 12 centres housing teachers supporting blind and low-vision students around the country need major refurbishment or relocation. It describes conditions at the Homai campus in Manurewa as "poor".
The details are part of a report on the Blind and Low Vision Education Network New Zealand, the second report since the network was set up in 2005.
It came amid a push to increase assistance for blind and low-vision students and followed a Government pledge in this year's Budget to redirect $6.1 million over four years of existing operating funding to boost the number of specialist staff in the area.
Acting principal Jane Wells said staff had worked hard in the past three years to set up the network, which includes the Homai campus and the 12 visual resource centres, largely used as a base from where teachers trained in Braille go out to work with pupils in mainstream schools.
She said 41 per cent of student Braille users in conventional literacy programmes were reading at or above their chronological age and 63 per cent had increased their reading age by 1 to 3 years last year.
"What we aim for is for them to make the same gains as their regular, sighted peers," said Ms Wells.
Parents of Vision Impaired executive officer Paul Manning said the report showed the professionalism of the teachers under high workloads and poor working conditions.
He hoped the recommendations of a Parliamentary Select Committee report recommending the Homai campus upgrade and repair was given urgent priority would not be ignored by the new Government.
Blind and Low Vision Education Network board of trustees chairman Ross Wilson said a formula was being worked out on how much space was required.
THRIVING WITH SOME HELP
For 13-year-old Natalie Te Paa, life at Belmont Intermediate on the North Shore is "awesome".
She enthuses over her teacher Jennifer McWilliam, classmates and friends, proclaiming each of them in turn as brilliant.
Natalie's parents were told she was blind when she was just 3-months-old. She came third in the school's "idol" competition this year with a song she composed about native birds and her love for the environment.
She is getting above-average marks in literacy and is keeping pace in other subject areas. She has a teacher aid in subjects such as science, five hours a week of a specialist teacher under the Ongoing and Reviewable Resourcing Scheme (ORRS) and five hours with one of the Bind and Low Vision Education Network's resource teacher vision.
"Natalie's been very, very lucky - but because I fought for it basically," says Natalie's mother Melanie Te Paa.
She ensures she knows exactly what help her daughter is entitled to and keeps tabs to check she gets it.
Natalie has been visiting Takapuna Grammar School ahead of starting there next year in a bid to become familiar with the new environment.
