Levi Taylor is ready for his first semester at university, with a Vision Australia Further Education Bursary helping to reduce the stress of studying.
Levi, 18, is set to commence at the University of Queensland this month, studying for a double degree consisting of a bachelor of business management majoring in marketing and a bachelor of arts majoring in writing.
Legally blind, Levi has received a suite of assistive technology thanks to the bursary, including a laptop, monitor and screen-reading and magnification software, to support him to access and complete course work.
“The laptop I can take to lectures and then I can come back to my room and then I can go back to my room and do research and assignments with a screen that’s big enough to let me access everything,” Levi said.
“The bursary has been really great, both financially but also in terms of reducing the stress of starting uni. It means I know I’ve got the equipment I need and I’m ready to go when I get there,” he said.
Caption: Levi Taylor is ready for his first semester at uni.
Levi has lived with his vision condition since birth, meaning using technology to access learning materials is nothing new to him, but he’s excited about what uni and moving to Brisbane to study has to hold.
“Because of my vision I can’t really read my own writing or see class notes, so I’ve been learning digitally since year one. I’ve used a collection of different technology through school and I’ve found what works best is a laptop in class and then a larger screen that I can use at home.
“The move to Brisbane is exciting. It’s great for me because it means I’ll have access to public transport, which I’ve never really had before, and make it easier for me to get around.
“My parents have been really good at getting me out and doing things. I’ve gone to lots of camps and things like that where I’ve had to make friends and learn to find my way around and I that’s been great in preparing me. I’m a little bit nervous, but I’m really looking forward to it all.”
While life in Brisbane and at uni will likely bring some new experiences for Levi, he knows where he wants his studies to take him.
“Ideally I’d love to be a novelist and be writing and selling my own books. I know that’s a bit of a difficult goal to achieve these days with books going out of fashion a little bit.
“That’s where I hope the business and marketing sides of my degrees will help and give me a few more career options as well.”
Since 1996, the Vision Australia Further Education Bursary program has supported more than 450 students whoa re blind or have low vision to succeed in their studies. Find out more about the program at visionaustralia.org.