Abstract:

In Australia, barriers to learning for visually impaired children present themselves through the vast distances needed to Travel to services in the city, or for those professionals to reach families in the home. In addition to this geographic barrier parents are expected to deliver much of this educational material with long breaks between professional interventions. Because of this reliance on the parent to become adept in the delivery of specialised educational materials, lack of confidence, non-finite loss and grief and other psychological factors can impact on the success of this delivery.

The Little Grub Reading Kit is an empowering, new, purpose built kit for visually impaired children. The kit has been carefully designed to break down these psychological barriers, as well as physical barriers that exist in sub standard existing kit forms.
Through this comprehensive design process of four years of design through making, the kit encompasses traditional and contemporary forms of reading in a customisable single design.

This paper deals with the design process that is focussed on breaking down these barriers, as well as the newly formed collaboration with the national Body for educational material for the blind in Italy (Federazione Nazionale delle Istituzioni pro Ciechi). The paper will also outline the upcoming research trip to Italy as part of a festival for the blind, where the exciting prospect of sharing ideas and advancing the Little Grub Reading Kit into the future exits.

Keywords:

Visually, impaired.