National Braille Week National Braille Week 2001 Victorian Activities
Wednesday 3 – Friday 5 October RVIB on Display Highpoint Shopping Centre Saturday 6 – Sunday 7 October RVIB on Display Chadstone Shopping Centre Community awareness display introducing shoppers to the work of RVIB and the role that braille plays in the lives of people who are blind. The display has an interactive tactile farmyard for children to explore and speakers who are blind or vision impaired will be on hand to braille children’s names and teach them how braille works. Shoppers are encouraged to buy an RVIB Braille bee, stress ball or showbag or enter our special Braille Week Raffle Monday 8 October National Braille Week Launch Sydney          National Media have been invited to join the National Braille Week alliance in launching the first National Braille Week. The launch will feature the presentation of the Braille Week Video Newsreel and will introduce key Braille Week personalities and spokespeople including; Deputy Disability Discrimination Commissioner for the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, Graeme Innes and Nick Gleeson who was the first Australian who is blind to climb Mt Kilimanjaro in Africa.   Monday 8 October 7.30am – 11am       Busy Bees Postcard Distribution Flinders St Railway Station Melbourne Central Railway Station                                      To increase community awareness of the aims of Braille Week, staff and volunteers from RVIB will hand out Competition postcards and Newsletters to train travelers. Tuesday 9 October 10.30am Dine in the Dark       Belgian Beer Café Bluestone Official state launch of Braille Week. Media and supporters are invited to ‘Dine in the Dark’ at Belgian Beer Café Bluestone. Guests will be shown a menu in Braille and will be invited to dine on a light brunch whilst blindfolded. The Event is intended to give those involved a glimpse of what it is like to have no vision, and to understand the everyday challenges faced by people who are blind or vision impaired.   Thursday 11 October World Sight Day Vision Screenings in Melbourne Mall Within 20 years 800,000 Australians will have impaired vision – but 70% of these cases could be prevented. From 10am – 4pm RVIB Orthoptists and Optometrists from the Victorian College of Optometry will be running free vision testing in the Melbourne Mall to encourage Victorians not to ‘Lose sight of their Vision’. Friday 12 October 11am It all makes ‘Sense” Royal Botanical Gardens Herb Garden Children from the RVIB School will visit the Royal Botanical Herb Garden and demonstrate how they use senses other than sight to explore and identify plants. The children will participate in the education program run by the Botanical Gardens and will make their own Pot Pouri to take home with them. To join in on any of these events, or for further information contact: Jo Ann Matthews Community Development Coordinator Phone: 9522 5299 or 0419 766 956 Email: matthjo@rvib.org.au
	National Braille Week 2001