Schools Awareness Workshops
Our Schools Awareness Workshops are designed to educate and inspire children across New Zealand schools about the challenges and experiences of people with low vision or blindness.
Inspiring Kiwi kids to see the world differently
We want New Zealand to be a place where blind, deafblind, and low vision Kiwis get to live the life they want.
The heart of our School’s Awareness Workshops is to show children how they can actively support people in their community living with vision loss.
Each workshop is led by a speaker with lived experience. They share their personal story of vision loss, including how and when it happened, the condition they live with, and what their vision is like today. Hearing first-hand experiences sparks children’s curiosity and gives them a chance to connect with someone whose life may be very different from their own.
Your students will learn about:
- The different eye conditions and how they impact people.
- How they can support people in their community with vision loss.
- Accessibility features in public spaces (like tactile dots and lines).
- How Guide Dogs support people who are blind or have low vision.
Aligning with the New Zealand Curriculum
Our Schools Awareness Workshops directly support the New Zealand Curriculum by weaving manaakitanga and lived experience into authentic learning opportunities:
- Relating to others — Connecting with people who have different life experiences.
- Participating and contributing — Considering how they can make shared spaces safer and more inclusive.
- Managing self — Reflecting on their own role in community safety.
- Thinking — Developing curiosity and critical thinking through real-world examples.
- Using language, symbols, and texts — Learning how features like tactile dots, lines, and the colour yellow communicate meaning.
