Hastings Point resident Bev Larson, who lost her sight two years ago in March, hopes that last week’s visit to the Tweed from Gulliver the giant model guide dog,, will encourage local people experiencing vision loss to seek help early, to stay mobile and independent.
Bev said she has been well supported by the Guide Dogs NSW/ACT since losing her sight. She said she tried a lot of visual aids before applying for a guide dog and being paired up with Henry in November. Bev was one of a number of Tweed Coasters on hand to talk to the public as part of Gulliver’s stopover in Tweed
last week.
Joining Bev and Henry at the display were Suzie Hudson
and Cooper.
While she only has 1.5 per cent remaining vision due to central retinal dystrophy and a combination of short sightedness and cataracts, Suzie only sought help from Guide Dogs NSW/ACT four-and-a-half years ago, thinking that she had to be completely blind to be eligible for the organisation’s services.
Despite the misperception, Suzie says the desire to reclaim her independence saw her contact Guide Dogs NSW/ACT, as she was getting around with a great deal of difficulty and having to rely on friends and family. Initially she received training in how to use a long “guide” cane, before being matched four years ago with her guide dog Cooper, who has opened up a whole new world of freedom for her.
“To seek your independence enables you to participate in the community,” she says.
Suzie is also passionate about breaking down the barriers around disabilities and will soon be a counsellor for people with disabilities, having almost completed a Bachelor of Social Science at Southern Cross University on the Riverside Campus.
“Just because you have a vision condition doesn’t mean you have to stop living life,” Suzie said.
Gulliver’s stop in Tweed Heads is part of a two-week tour across the mid-north and north coast regions of NSW raising awareness of the free mobility services Guide Dogs NSW/ACT provides in regional areas.
It also aims to highlight that seeking help early can reduce the risk of falls, accidents and depression, often associated with vision loss.
A Guide Dogs NSW/ACT study this year revealed 55 per cent of respondents said they would wait at least until their vision impairment had progressed and they were finding it difficult to get around, or could even do nothing, before seeking help from organisations like Guide Dogs.
“The survey also showed that many people don’t realise that we provide services for those who are starting to lose their vision,” said Jeremy Hill, Regional Manager for Guide Dogs across Northern NSW. “Our free services are for people with all sorts of vision loss, whether it be from a disease or an injury, to get about their daily lives safely and confidently.
“The incidence of vision loss is increasing, with more than a third of people with impaired vision living in regional areas,” said Mr Hill. “Our tour aims to inform local communities that it is easy to access free mobility services. Guide Dogs NSW/ACT has offices in Coffs Harbour and Lismore with 10 instructors servicing the mid-north and north coast regions.
“Last year we collectively travelled almost 220,000kms to provide over 4500 hours of one-on-one tailored mobility training, be that for a baby needing to develop movement, a teenager learning a new route to school with his cane or a helping an elderly person get around their nursing home.”
Services include training in how to use guide canes, electronic aids and guide dogs.
More than 40 per cent of the 200,000 people in NSW and the ACT over 40 who experience vision loss have a non-correctable condition that might limit their mobility, with this number set to increase by 40 per cent by 2020.
For more information about local services, contact Guide Dogs in Lismore on 02 6621 8475, or visit www.guidedogs.com.au,
www.facebook.com/guide doggulliver, or Twitter @guidedogsnswact.
