Noah Stanton’s lived experience is serving as motivation for a career in occupational therapy and the chance to help those who need it.
Noah lives with cone rod dystrophy and high myopia, classing him as legally blind.
The 18-year-old from Loftus will soon start studying at the Australia Catholic University’s Strathfield campus with the aim of becoming a qualified occupational therapist.
“I’m starting a Bachelor of Social Work this year and then after a year my goal is to transfer to study occupational therapy,” Noah said.
“People often ask why I want to study occupational therapy. I know what it’s like to need help and how much it sucks not to get it, so I want to be able to help people when they need it. That’s my motivation.”
Helping Noah achieve his career goals is a Vision Australia Further Education Bursary.
Thanks to the bursary, Noah’s received a suite of assistive technology, including a laptop, talking tape measure, a Sunu Band and a smartphone, to support his studies.
“The bursary will definitely make life a bit easier. I’m looking forward to uni, but I was a little bit worried about being able to see content and also navigate campus.
“The laptop means I’ll be able to access lectures and that sort of thing online and the phone is to let me record practical demonstrations that I’d have trouble seeing otherwise.
“Low light really effects my vision and I often use a torch to help me navigate, so the Sunu Band will be really good in helping me find my way around campus.”
Caption: Noah's dream is a career as an occupational therapist.
Noah is one of more than 450 students who are blind or have low vision who have benefitted from the bursary program since it began in 1996.
As an occupational therapist, Noah could one day be helping others like him to benefit form the sort of equipment the bursary has provided him.
“I have a bit to do with occupational therapists and a lot of it’s been about assessing my needs and then looking at what bits of equipment could help me.
“The right help and equipment can really make a huge difference. It might not sound like much, but one of the biggest things that has helped me is an occupational therapist recommending an app called Tripview that shows train time tables.
“I’ve never been able to read a time table and it’s just taken so much stress out of trying to catch the train.”
Applications for the 2023 Vision Australia Further Education Bursary program will open in late 2022. Find out more about the bursary program today.