VISION Australia\u2019s Ballarat office has received a $30,000 donation from a charitable trust.<\/p>\n
The money will be used to prepare seeing eye dogs and support their use within the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will allow us to provide equipment, provide training, expand the program, be able to provide more puppies into the environment up here in Ballarat, and hopefully be able to provide more seeing eye dogs,\u201d said Kate Turner, puppy development trainer with Vision Australia.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Currently] there is a wait list of up to two years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Turner said that along with seeing eye dogs, Vision Australia provided a range of crucial services for vision impaired and blind people that helped them achieve equality in access within the community.<\/p>\n
They include employment consultants, kids\u2019 services, occupational therapy and orientation and mobility programs Ash Finn has been working with Vision Australia for much of her life and said the origination has made a real difference.<\/p>\n
\u201cVision have been pretty much like my second family,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve learnt a lot from Vision and it\u2019s given me different perspectives on interacting in the community and general independence.<\/p>\n
\u201cI come down here to do pottery and that\u2019s bolstered one of my hobbies and given me a social environment. It\u2019s good to interact with people who are in a similar situation to me, i.e. have eye problems, and can relate some of the things I have to go through.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her seeing eye dog, Quinney, is second animal she\u2019s received from Vision Australia and he\u2019s a big part of her independence and quality of life.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe gives me a lot more freedom,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t have to rely on a cane or a sighted guide quite as much, especially in difficult environments he makes it easier to negotiate, he\u2019s good company and he\u2019s a good icebreaker as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
The donation came from Dorothy Downey Charitable Trust and is on top of $45,000 in previous contributions.<\/p>\n
Administrated by BJT Legal, senor council at the firm Andrew Byrne said the late Ms Downey left instructions to allocate money to a number of unspecified organisations.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe left on trusts to enable us to decide appropriate charities within the Ballarat area,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Like] Ballarat Health Services and other charities that certainly help people.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said simply said she like to make sure that both animal welfare and vision impaired people\u2026 are properly provided for.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
VISION Australia\u2019s Ballarat office has received a $30,000 donation from a charitable trust. The money will be used to prepare seeing eye dogs and support their use within the community. \u201cIt will allow us to provide equipment, provide training, expand the program, be able to provide more puppies into the environment up here in Ballarat, […]<\/p>\n