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Empowering our youngest advocates.
The barriers facing people with low vision or blindness are still very prevalent in society and are one of the issues that we aim to tackle through our advocacy work at Guide Dogs NSW/ACT.
Guide Dogs Lived Experience Presenter, Karlee presents to school students a few times each week about normalising people with low vision or blindness in their communities. Karlee has been eloquently speaking for Guide Dogs since January 2023 and can get on stage and present for hours about Guide Dogs and how people can advocate alongside the low vision and blind community.
Guide Dogs NSW/ACT Student Education Program.
Karlee’s part of a group of Lived Experience Presenters that speak at primary and high schools, daycares and after school hours groups around NSW and the ACT. The presenters have educated around 3,500 students so far, from ages six right through to 18-year-olds. Speaking about everything from explaining the difference between low vision and blindness, to providing insight into the ways people navigate their communities, and finishing with Guide Dog access rights and etiquette. The students come away with a lot more knowledge about people with disabilities and how they can advocate alongside them in their local areas, especially if they’ve never met someone who is blind or has low vision.
All the presenters, including Karlee, are extremely passionate about what they do, and this rings true in the immediate shift in students’ perspectives after each presentation. Orientation and Mobility Specialist, Kylie commented, “the kids were super engaged the whole time, and I could see how interested they were in what Karlee had to say and how deeply they were thinking about it, by their questioning.” After one of the presentations, a child felt confident enough to bring their cane to school and asked their mum straight away to put it in their bag when they got home. Karlee and the other presenters are breaking down the barriers for our littlest people with low vision or blindness.
Using her own experience to educate children.
Delving into more complex topics like the social model of disability, and explaining what fairness and equity involves for people with disabilities, including people with low vision or blindness and Guide Dog Handlers, are some of the things Karlee discusses at high schools around the state. These topics are her favourite things to present on. “The big message for me would be that people who are blind or have low vision are still just as capable as people without a disability,” Karlee says. She communicates this to the students and teachers at every school, using her own experiences out in public.
“One of the misconceptions or stereotypes that I find day to day is people think I’m incapable of doing daily tasks. It’s the barriers in society with a lack of accessibility that makes things challenging for us, rather than the disability.”
Today’s students are tomorrow’s change makers, so learning about inclusion and advocacy for people who have low vision or blindness is crucial to strive towards a world in which everyone can participate equally.
To find out more about our Student Education Program and to enquire about one of our presenters coming to your school, reach out to our team at speakers@guidedogs.com.au.
