by Sarah Mitchell from Blind Low Vision NZ
Sarah is the head of employment and youth transition for Blind Low Vision NZ. They offer services to families with a teenager looking to leave school and enter the workforce or undertake further training. Sarah’s session from conference was extremely well received, and she has provided some more written information for us to share below.
If you want to further information, you can email Sarah on smitchell@blindlowvision.org.nz
At Blind Low Vision, service delivery is tailored specifically to the needs of each individual client, depending on their personal aspirations and needs.
Summary of services offered by BLVNZ:
- Orientation and mobility
- Guide dog services
- Employment and career pathways
- ACATS – accessible communications and adaptive technology services
- Adaptive daily living skills
- Accessible formatting
- Library services
- Counselling
- Sports and leisure
Entering Tertiary study
For any BLENNZ student’s considering tertiary study as the next step after high school, it is critical for them to do their research into not only which course is going to fulfil their professional aspirations but also which learning provider will best meet their individual learning needs.
Once the student has narrowed down their options, it is important for them to meet with the disability service office at each learning provider, as they will be able to explain their offering and will be a great source of support and advice throughout their study.
Blind Low Vision are here to assist with this journey as well. Once the student has accepted their course placement and accommodation, this is when Blind Low Vision can start to provide orientation and mobility training, as we do have a bit of a waiting list, it is worth booking in for early in the new year, the allocated O and M instructor will be able to provide specifics of timeframes and the same would apply for Adaptive Daily Living skills and ACATS support. This part of the process is managed by the clients allocated PSP.
Oppenheim Trust
- Applications for the Oppenheim Trust are currently open through until early January 2025, This funding opportunity is available for clients (partial and full), who will be enrolled in tertiary study in 2025. This Trust is available to assist with the cost of course fees only – please find link below for criteria and further details.
- We would encourage potential recipients to apply as soon as possible, so as not to miss out
- Ensure the application is completed in its entirety and that all requested supporting documentation is provided, incomplete applications may not be considered
- Oppenheim Trust application and information
MSD Training and Support Funds. Support Funds was established to assist people with disabilities or health conditions to take up open employment or self-employment. The purpose of Support Funds is to help people with disabilities or health conditions in open employment by assisting with the additional costs incurred as a direct consequence of their disability or health condition, when undertaking the same employment or training as a person without a disability or health condition.
There are two types of Support Funds:
- Job Support helps people to meet disability costs when in employment or self-employment.
- Training Support helps people to meet disability costs when participating in work related training, or tertiary education.
To be eligible for Support Funds, clients must meet MSD’s eligibility criteria (outlined on the Support Funds web page and application forms), plus have a disability or health condition that has lasted or is likely to last longer than six months.
To apply for Support Funds, client’s need to complete either a Training or Job Support application and send it, with supporting documentation to Support_Funds@msd.govt.nz.
For further Information, Email: Support_Funds@msd.govt.nz | Phone: 0800 551 001 | Web: Job and Training Support Funds – Work and Income
Workbridge. Blind Low Vision do not place clients into employment; however we provide all the support behind the scenes to get our clients confident and work ready. Workbridge are the leading specialist supported employment agency in New Zealand, which connects hundreds of disable job seekers with jobs in all industries every year. Workbridge are located throughout New Zealand and you will need to make an appointment with a case worker in the first instance to get registered. You can contact Workbridge on 0508 858 858 or go to their website for more information
Workbridge Supported Employment
Gallop Clifton Strength Finder. The purpose of this programme is to help support our clients to better understand potential career pathways and their individual strengths. The most common question asked by BLVNZ clients, when working with the Work Ready team is “what can I do as a blind person”.
The Gallop Clifton Strength Finder tool works in a way which removes the negative factors which are often a focus for vision loss person’s and reframes the individuals thinking to appreciate and focus on what they can do. The personalized one-on-one coaching sessions mesh the top five strengths of an individual together to provide a solid understanding of potential career options they may be naturally suited to pursue.
The BLVNZ work Ready team will work alongside each individual to get them work or study ready by providing additional support to enhance the findings of the Gallop Clifton Strength Finder, this may include individual mentoring, professional development training, CV and interview preparation.
There are three parts to this professional development tool:
- online Strength Finder assessment
- 90 minutes one-on-one in person coaching session with a Strength Finder Master Coach
- 60 minute Zoom session to look at values and potential career options – this final session brings it all together
In order to complete the Gallop Clifton Strength Finder programme, participants will need to be sent an access code to register online.
Once the online assessment has been completed, the participant will then be contacted directly by the master coach to arrange the (where possible) in person one-on-one 90-minute coaching session. The third and final part of the strength finder process is a one hour zoom session where the master coach will help unpack the participants values and strengths with a view to exploring what areas of employment might be a natural fit.
Link to Work Ready Professional Development recordings
The monthly BLVNZ professional development webinars cover a variety of topics, from CV writing and interview skills to resilience and adaptive technology options. These are held on the second Tuesday of every month from 10.00am to 11.00am. The 2025 Work Ready professional development webinars will commence on Tuesday 11 March 2025 at 10.00am, watch out for more details in the monthly Korero newsletter. Link: https://blindlowvision.org.nz/our-services/employment-and-youth-transition/work-ready-webinar-recordings/
