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From the land downunder—Take a look at Australian teacher education in vision impairment

Dr. Michael Steer, Senior Lecturer, Vision Impairment.

This brief article primarily results from the return visit of Dr. Phil Hatlen to Australia in early 1997 and provides an opportunity for its author to send greetings to COSB colleagues and friends from Australia—the Land Downunder. It presents information about Renwick College, a unique Australian program which prepares post-graduate educators of students with sensory disabilities. The College is administered by the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children and is affiliated with the University of Newcastle. The program is in its fifth year of operation and is situated in North Rocks, a Sydney suburb.

Introduction

Australia, as will be well-known to some readers of Howe's Now, is a commonwealth with six states: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South and Western Australia, Tasmania and two major territories; the Northern (NT) and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). Our population is approximately 17,000, over 75 percent of whom live along the eastern coast in large cities, for example, Sydney with approximately 4.5 million people and Melbourne with approximately 3 million. Geographically, Australia is only slightly smaller than the continental USA. Perhaps we might best be known to Howe's Now readers as the homeland of David Blyth, recent World Blind Union President who was described in the July 1996 issue of The World Blind, as "our tireless colleague, the sensitive and enterprising human being who has centered his life around the most disadvantaged."

The availability of services in Australia to people with sensory disabilities, and particularly vision impairment, varies enormously. Historically, each State has had its own organizations for people who are blind or vision impaired. In many instances these agencies have (and some still do) operated schools for blind children, workshops for sensorily disabled adults and, in some instances, have also provided accommodation services. Over the past several decades in a majority of our States, these services have expanded to include family support, counseling and advocacy for those not otherwise receiving support.

Professional training is also not uniform across the States and many Government-funded University programs were savagely cut in recent budgets. Most often, staff training is of the in-service variety provided by one or other of the major specialist organizations. Australia is not alone in this predicament. Reports from colleagues attending overseas conferences indicate a similar response to training needs elsewhere.

The Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children is one of Australia's longest established community service organizations, having been founded in 1860. The Institute was incorporated under its own Act of Parliament in 1905 and was located in inner Sydney until 1962, when the Deaf and Blind Children's Centre was opened at North Rocks, a suburb located to the north of Sydney's famous Harbour. More recently, the Institute has opened satellite educational centres in North Parramatta, Glenmore Park near Penrith and Tingira Heights near Newcastle to the North of Sydney. The Institute is Australia's major independent provider of special education services, delivering a wide array of educational services, programs , and supports to children who have significant vision and/or hearing loss, including children who have additional disabilities.

Renwick College is the Institute's centre for research and professional studies in the education of children with sensory disabilities. It is affiliated with the University of Newcastle. Situated in the extensive grounds of the Institute among several schools and educational services, the College offers students a unique opportunity for observation and practical experience.

Programs

A variety of post-graduate studies may be completed through the College. All degrees are awards of the University of Newcastle. This University is Australia's pre-eminent regional university. It began life as a college of the New South Wales University of Technology (which later became the University of New South Wales) and became autonomous in 1965. The University, which has campuses at Newcastle and Ourimban on the State's Central Coast, has approximately 18,000 students in 11 faculties. The College was established in 1992 and is named after the Honourable Sir Arthur Renwick who was the Institute's second President and served from 1881 to 1908. A medical practitioner who entered politics following his election first as an Member of the Legislative Assembly, our State parliament's Lower House then as an Member of the Legislative Council (State Senate), Sir Arthur was also Medical Superintendent of Sydney Hospital and for a period and also Vice-Chancellor of Sydney University, our country's oldest and arguably its most prestigious university. His descendants still reside in the State. Renwick students enroll through the University and must meet the University's criteria for admission and progression. Appropriately qualified students (generally qualified teachers with four years of successful undergraduate education) can apply for the following awards:

All courses focus upon the production of skilled post-graduates in the areas of deafness and hearing impairment and blindness and vision impairment. There are currently plans to extend College offerings into the area of multisensory disability and in particular to offer intensive week-long 'Winter Schools' in dual-sensory impairment. (The Australian winter of course, coincides with the Northern hemisphere's summer).

In 1996 the College produced its first two Master of Educational Studies graduates, while some 20 students worked towards completion of their Masters of Special Education. In 1997, 13 students have graduated, at the University's colorful graduation ceremony, with the Master of Special Education (Sensory Disability) degree and overall enrollment has climbed to 31 full and part-time students, two of whom are working towards their doctorates in Special Education. It is anticipated that a further three students will enroll in the Ph.D. program in the ensuing year.

Research

Research is conducted with funds provided through the Japan-Australia Friendship Fund and a Fellowship initiated by the philanthropic Ratcliffe Endowment. During 1996, Professor Tim Hartshorne, Chair in the Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan held the College's Visiting Research Fellowship and during his tenure, completed a research project which investigated ways in which the development of children with sensory disabilities is affected by the relationship between family and school. Also during 1996, Ms. Gillian Gale of the Northern Territory's Department of Education held the Ratcliffe Fellowship. In collaboration with Dr. Pat Kelly, at that time the Institute's Lecturer in the education of children with vision impairments, Ms Gale commenced compilation of Australia's first textbook on the education of children with impaired vision. The text will be published by the Institute in mid-late 1997.

During 1996, the College commenced a significant research project aimed at development of a CD-ROM version of the Auslan Dictionary which had been earlier authored by Dr. Trevor Johnston. Dr. Johnston was appointed a Visiting Research Fellow, with Adam Schembri and Robert Adam as Research Associates. The CD-ROM version of the Dictionary will have the great advantage of presenting on a video screen, a videoclip of each Auslan sign. This is a significant advance on the limitations imposed by the printed sign language dictionary. The project will also see the publication of a new print version of the dictionary with a greatly expanded the range of signs. In recognition of his important contribution, Dr. Johnston was recently awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Macquarie University, a prestigious university located in Sydney's Northern suburbs.

The College, at the instigation of the Institute is currently collaborating with the Royal Blind Society, the State's major service provider to blind and vision impaired adults, on a major needs analysis of service provision to children who are blind or vision impaired. In addition to specially funded projects and research undertaken as part of post-graduate studies, a number of fellowships and scholarships are periodically available for study, research or applied projects.

In addition to its award and non-award courses, the College offers an extensive Continuing Education Program of conferences, seminars and workshops for teachers, therapists, related professionals and family members concerned with the education of children with sensory disabilities. The program features leading national and international authorities in the field. A notable event during October 1996 was the second annual conference for Itinerant Teachers of the Deaf. The conference was held at the College and drew over 120 teachers and associated professionals from all over Australia.

Typically, Continuing Education programs are independent of the College's award-bearing courses. However, it is possible for non-award students to enroll in single subjects within the Master of Special Education (Sensory Disability) course as part of the Continuing Education program.

Library facilities

The College Library is a highly specialized and purpose-built resource centre which provides an efficient information service to support the Institute's needs as well as the College's research and post-graduate teaching programs. The Library is linked to the University of Newcastle system and accesses a range of on-line services including AARNet (INTERNET for research students), such statistical packages as SAS and SPSS, indexes and abstracts as well as research data bases. On-site resources include CD-ROM data bases, audio visuals, specialized periodicals, newsletters and monographs as well as computer terminals for individual use. The results of research and other projects are available through the Renwick College Monograph Series, Occasional Papers and a range of other publications produced by North Rocks Press. There is a commitment to providing a high-quality client-centered service to all registered resource centre users.

Computing services

The College makes extensive use of computers for research, teaching and the production of alternative format publications. Almost all personal computers located in the College are connected to a local area network (LAN), which is in turn connected to the University Information Network (UIN) via an IDSN link. The University information service is in turn connected to the Australian Academic and Research Network (AARNet) and through that to worldwide internet (WWW). There are more than 20 work stations within the College and more than 2000 work stations on the UIN network.

Student accommodation

King House, the Institute's residential wing, offers a limited number of well-equipped rooms for student use during their course of study at the College. Facilities include a laundry, fully equipped kitchen and comfortable living areas. The Institute occupies a 40 acre site in a quiet well-established suburban setting close to a major shopping centre. It is situated approximately 35 minutes drive from Sydney's city centre within spacious grounds with playing fields, tennis courts and a swimming pool.

Summary

In partnership with the University of Newcastle, Renwick College is committed to the continuous review and improvement of high quality teaching, learning opportunities, research and professionally-related community service in the area of Special Education for students with sensory disabilities. It is basic to College philosophy that all individuals in Australia have an inherent right of access to appropriate and high quality educational programs, services and supports. It is the aim of both Institute and College to strongly contribute to an assurance of high quality educational opportunity for people with sensory disabilities. The College is particularly interested at this time in expanding its offerings into the field of teacher preparation in the area of multi-sensory and dual-sensory disability.

Contact: Phone (02) 9872 0303
Fax (02) 9873 1614
email: rcms@cc.newcastle.edu.au

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