Vision Australia’s LEAP Up program is designed to help young Australians who are blind or with low vision navigate the path into tertiary education.
It is tailored to each individual client, making sure to focus on areas that they specifically need assistance with. This can be anything from helping them boost their confidence socially, to helping them navigate the often hectic challenges that come from studying at the tertiary level.
Cody Butler LEAP Up participant in 2022, and he has since started volunteering at Vision Australia while pursuing further education. He believes the skills he gained through LEAP Up were fundamental to his ongoing success in both study and volunteering.
“Through the program I found that my technological skills have improved a lot,” Cody said.
“In my volunteering I do some work in Excel and also some brailling. I am going to start working with CMS (client management systems) very soon.”
“I also learnt how to navigate a university-esque hub and how to make my home setup easier for me to navigate.”
Cody is already a very outgoing person, but the LEAP Up program was still of use to prepare him for job interviews.
“We did some mock job interviews and I found the review session afterwards to be extremely helpful in pinpointing where I can improve how I present myself in that capacity.”
As for the future, Cody is looking to study music.
“I’ve played the piano since I was in grade two, and I took on the violin in high school. I also sing and have started taking guitar lessons.”
No matter where Cody ends up studying in the future, he attributes some of the success to the LEAP Up program.
“It’s a really good program to help people get started on the road to full or part time employment or university. It teaches the skills required and it’s also a good place to meet some new people with similar experiences to your own.”
If you would like to learn more about the LEAP Up program, call Vision Australia on 1300 74 84 66, or email us at [email protected].