Sandy Harris had little idea what to expect when she first started volunteering at Vision Australia Radio (VAR), but she has proved to be a quick learner.
Since walking into VAR less than two years ago with no knowledge about how a radio station works, Sandy is now a regular behind the microphone and at the editing panel as she helps produce and host numerous shows from the Adelaide studio each week.
“About 18 months ago I was looking for somewhere to volunteer and Vision Australia Radio looked interesting,” Sandy said.
“I knew nothing at all about radio but I thought I would give it a go, but if you had told me I would be doing a radio show in 18 months I definitely wouldn’t have believed it.”
Sandy has gone on to do more than just a radio show and she is now considered a “triple threat” at VAR, as she is now capable of editing, operating the control panel as well as hosting pre-recorded and live programmes.
“I didn’t understand the various roles when I started so I just thought that I would try everything. Learning how to edit the shows and operate the panels was really interesting, but I really enjoyed doing the readings,” she said.
“I started out just doing the pre-recorded readings of newspapers, but then a slot for a live show opened up and I suggested doing something based on the Reader’s Digest. For the last few months I’ve now been doing a live show each week reading the different parts of each edition.”
Though Sandy said she thought the idea of volunteering at VAR was “interesting”, she also said there was some personal inspiration that pushed her in that direction.
“Later in her life my mum had stroke which impacted her vision and she could no longer read,” she said.
“I’ve always really enjoyed reading and after that I thought about what it would be like if I could no longer do it and the idea of helping people in that situation was something that had been in my mind.”
While she enjoys the fact she is able to support people from the blind and low vision community to access material such as newspapers and magazines, Sandy said she belives she benefits from being a VAR volunteer almost as much as the listeners.
“The whole experience has really helped me be a lot more confident and assertive about myself.
“When I look back at my time at VAR I’m still a little surprised about the journey I’ve taken from when I started to where I am now. It’s really been an amazing experience and I’ve enjoyed every part of it.
Interested in volunteering at Vision Australia? To find out more head to our website or contact us on 1300 84 74 66 or at [email protected].