Do you remember your first day, your first week and your first year at university or TAFE?
Remember all the skills you needed to develop to rise to the challenges of tertiary education?
That transition period is daunting for everyone. For someone who is blind or low vision, that uncertainness could be compounded tenfold.
You’re entering a time and place that is unfamiliar to you, your interactions will almost exclusively be with new people you’ve never met before.
Vision Australia's LEAP Up: Transition to Tertiary is designed to develop awareness of the skills required for a young person to be tertiary-ready and to help them succeed in whatever field they want to pursue. What makes the program unique is that each participant’s experience is tailored to them specifically, working with them on areas where they think they can most improve.
Vision Australia CEO Ron Hooton reflects on his experience with one of the previous years intake.
"LEAP Up engages our youth clients at a critical time in their lives. The transition from school to tertiary study is huge, and the stakes are high. Only 24% of the blindness and low vision community wanting a full-time job have a full-time job, and almost all have a tertiary qualification. During the first meeting in one specific year, I found eager but slightly reserved teenagers wondering what was next. Three weeks later, when I spoke with them again, they were engaged, friendly, confident and delighted to have experienced tertiary education in a safe environment. There is no doubt that this program works brilliantly for our clients!"
The LEAP Up program is now accepting applicants for its 2023 intake. If you feel this program could be beneficial for you or someone you know, we’d love to hear from you! Click here for more information including how to register.