Occupational Therapy

What is the Guide Dogs NSW/ACT Occupational Therapy Service?

Guide Dogs NSW/ACT’s Occupational Therapy provides guidance for adults and school-aged children with low vision or blindness to participate fully in everyday activities around the home.

Our Occupational Therapists specialise in working with people with low vision or blindness to help them complete everyday activities independently, confidently and safely.

They can support you to achieve your goals by developing new skills, exploring alternative ways to do things, recommending changes to the home environment and more.

What goals can Occupational Therapy for low vision or blindness help me achieve?

Our Guide Dogs Occupational Therapists can work with you to achieve goals related to:

• Meal preparation and cooking: Everything involved in preparing and cooking food, such as chopping ingredients, using appliances and checking expiration dates.
• Self-care: Daily activities that help you stay independent and active in daily life, such as putting on make-up, identifying toiletries or coordinating outfits.
• Maintaining your household: Everyday activities like cleaning, shopping and more.
• Leisure: Activities you do for relaxation and enjoyment, including listening to audiobooks and gardening.
• Home set-up: Exploring ways to maximise your safety at home, such as improving lighting or using smart home devices.

What to expect from an Occupational Therapy Assessment.

Guide Dogs NSW/ACT Occupational Therapists are specialists in supporting people who are blind or have low vision to build confidence and independence in daily living. During your occupational therapy assessment, your OT will take the time to understand your needs, goals and daily routines. They will:

• Learn about your vision and how it affects your everyday life.
• Discuss the daily living tasks you would like support with.
• Observe how you currently complete activities such as meal preparation, organising your home or finding everyday items.
• Work with you to identify goals that are important to you.
• Demonstrate equipment and assistive devices that may make everyday tasks easier, such as liquid level indicators or talking clocks.
• Assess your home environment and recommend practical changes, such as improving lighting or creating more accessible storage systems.
• Teach skills and strategies to help you complete daily tasks more safely, easily and confidently.
• Connect you with other blindness and low vision support services that may be helpful.

Flexible Support Options.

Guide Dogs NSW/ACT Occupational Therapists can support you in the way that works best for you. Appointments are available at home, in the community, over the phone or via video call. Whether you're looking to build confidence in the kitchen, improve your daily living skills or find practical ways to manage everyday tasks, occupational therapy can help you develop strategies that support greater independence.

Who can help me set up contrast, lighting, and labelling in my home?

Occupational Therapists (OTs) can help you create a safer, more accessible home environment as your vision changes.

Through personalised assessment and practical advice, they can recommend strategies, home modifications and low vision aids to help you complete everyday tasks with greater confidence and independence. An OT may support you to:

• Use contrast and labelling systems to make household items, appliances and personal belongings easier to identify.
• Improve home accessibility by recommending practical changes to your living environment.
• Enhance lighting throughout your home, including task lighting for activities such as reading, cooking and hobbies.
• Explore equipment options such as desk lamps, floor lamps and portable personal lights to support daily activities.
• Develop strategies to make everyday tasks safer and easier to manage.

If reading labels, instructions or other printed information becomes difficult, your OT may also recommend an assessment with a low vision orthoptist. Orthoptists specialise in low vision care and can assess your vision, recommend optical aids and low vision devices, and provide strategies to help you make the most of your remaining vision.

By working alongside you, Occupational Therapists and low vision specialists can help you maintain independence, improve safety at home and continue participating in the activities that matter most.

How Occupational Therapists can assist in the kitchen and daily living skills.

Occupational Therapists (OTs) can provide practical training to help people who are blind or have low vision build confidence and independence in everyday activities. This may include learning how to safely prepare meals, locate ingredients and kitchen equipment, use appliances with tactile markings, and apply strategies to stay safe in the kitchen.

OTs can also assist with a range of daily living skills, such as organising and locating clothing and household items, setting up the home environment for easier access, and developing personalised techniques to complete everyday tasks independently.

Through personalised assessment and training, OTs help individuals develop practical skills that support safety, confidence, and participation in daily life.

What funding options are available for Occupational Therapy for blindness or low vision?

Occupational Therapists can support you to perform all kinds of practical everyday tasks.

Guide Dogs is a registered NDIS provider and My Aged Care provider. This means many people can access Orientation and Mobility services through their NDIS plan or Aged Care Funding.

There are also a range of other funding schemes that may help contribute to the cost of services, and our Client Services Team can support you to work through your funding options when you enquire. We understand that some people who need our services may not be eligible for government funding. If you have low vision or blindness and can't access external funding, we'll support you to achieve your goals using funding from generous community donations.

Do you provide services for children with low vision or blindness?

• Early childhood occupational therapy services are available for children from six years of age.
• We believe the best outcomes for children come from working together. Our collaborative approach involves not just the child, but also key people in their life such as family members, carers, educators, and other professionals, who act as primary therapeutic supports to help achieve lasting outcomes.
• We begin by understanding how your child navigates daily life and the role their support network plays. From there, we work with you to create a plan with meaningful goals tailored to your child’s strengths and needs.
• Together with the child and their broader support network, we explore practical strategies that build independence, safety, and active participation in everyday life. Our goal is to support your child’s growth and development into adulthood.