February 18, 2025 • 28 mins
This week there's a few things happening around Vision Australia as the Vision Australia Graduate Program is now open for applications until March 31, Sam speaks to equity and inclusion advisor Rachael Ramsdale to find out more.
Then we hear from Vision Australia Library manager Sarah Bloedorn, who's back with us to chat about some upcoming events at the library plus some new releases members can look forward to.
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Episode Transcript
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S1 (00:13):
From Vision Australia. This is talking vision. And now here's
your host, Sam Colley.
S2 (00:23):
Hello, everyone. It's great to be here with you. And
for the next half hour, we talk matters of blindness
and low vision.
S3 (00:30):
We're really kind of hands on helping them along the way.
And that also includes the external placements of a workplace.
Assessment would be done with that organisation as well. And
we'd ensure that they were set up at that organisation
as much the best equipment that they need and that
kind of thing. And we're always still in contact with
them and here for them because, as I said, they're
still an employee of ours. And yeah, we want to
(00:51):
make sure that they have the best experience both here
and at that external placement.
S2 (00:56):
Welcome to the program. This week, the Vision Australia graduate
program has just opened up for applications to start mid-year
to have a chat with us, we're going to be
hearing from Rachel Ramsdale, who gives us the lowdown on
the details. And that interview is coming up very shortly,
(01:19):
so make sure to stick around. And then after you
hear from Rachel, we get a library update with manager
of the Vision Australia Library, Sarah Bladon, to give us
a bit of an overview of the events and some
new releases coming to the library, and we finish up
(01:39):
with a little bit of news and information. I hope
you enjoy this week's episode of Talking Vision. Each year,
Vision Australia searches nationwide for talented graduates who are blind
or have low vision, offering an opportunity for them to
(02:00):
step confidently into their chosen field. An exciting news! Applications
are now open for this year's program, which will be
kicking off mid-year, and to have a chat with me
all about the program. It's my great pleasure to welcome
Vision Australia equity and inclusion advisor Rachel Ramsdale. Rachel, welcome
(02:27):
to Talking Vision. Thank you very much for joining me today.
S3 (02:30):
Thanks for having me.
S2 (02:32):
Now, Rachel, we're here to chat a bit about the
Vision Australia graduate program today. So what is the program
for people out there?
S3 (02:42):
Yeah, so the Career Start program, which we've now actually
changed it to be called Vision Australia graduate program. Just
so people don't get confused seeing the different titles lying around.
So yeah, it's really just it's a really supportive, empowering pathway,
I guess, to develop skills and launch your career. So
it's a 12 month paid program for For graduates. And
(03:03):
in that 12 months, we do try and find a
13 week external placement at another organisation just to get
a bit more, you know, skills and contacts and that
kind of thing. It's a great program in the program
that the graduates will have a senior mentor and a
buddy that will be a part of the program that
they can contact. And those both those people will be
(03:24):
also be blind and low vision, you know, and that
will be in addition to obviously, their team manager, their
colleagues that they work with every day, and us in
the graduate program team that kind of oversee the program.
So that's the basic idea.
S2 (03:38):
And I can speak to the effectiveness of the graduate
program I went through. When it was called Career Start
back in 2019. It was a lot of fun, got
a lot out of it. So I do highly recommend
it to anyone out there who is thinking about it.
Definitely have a go. It's a lot of fun. I
was involved in Now I'm the communications and radio sides
(04:03):
of things that vision Australia. But what other departments can
people get involved with at Vision Australia across? Well, the
whole country really. It's not just Kooyong, it's, you know,
Parramatta corporate centres all around the country. What sort of
centres is it offered at every centre and every department?
S3 (04:25):
Yeah. So we're very kind of flexible I guess at vision.
So we have a lot of office locations. So we
just um we do also work hybrid as well. So
there is office work but also working from home. So
we just need someone to be just in a commutable
distance to a Vision Australia office location somewhere, so that
they can have some days in the office where they
(04:46):
connect in with a team, you know, they're not always
on their own. So yeah. So that's pretty you know,
there's kind of a lot of options out there. We
have had some grubs in Queensland, some in New South Wales,
some in Victoria. We've even had one up in the
Northern Territory before. So yeah. And look, it's just really
what kind of fits well and where that grad career
(05:06):
path is. So, you know, we've got lots of different
areas like marketing, communications, fundraising, as you said, radio, the
volunteering people and culture, human resources kind of area information technology.
So there's a lot of different areas that we can
delve into in that space.
S2 (05:25):
So many different areas for sure. So it's um, you know,
a lot of options out there for people now, um,
in terms of who is eligible to take part in
the program, what are the criteria there?
S3 (05:40):
Yeah. So obviously it's for blind and low vision candidates.
And you would need to have done some studies. So
you would need to have a qualification and completed a
qualification at a diploma level or higher within the last
four years and be available to work 12 months, which
would be at this stage from this July to the
following June, and you'd need to be an Australian citizen
(06:03):
or permanent resident. And I think they're probably the main,
main ones. Yeah.
S2 (06:09):
Now, Ray, it's interesting that the timeline has changed slightly.
People may be familiar with the program starting a bit
earlier in the year around March April. What was the
thought process behind pushing it back a little bit to July?
S3 (06:27):
That's a good question. I've only just come on board
in the program in the last 12 or so months.
I'm not sure why they pushed it out. It might
have been, I don't know, financial year sort of thing.
I'm not totally sure. Um, but yeah, at the moment, yeah, yeah.
S2 (06:43):
I think one of the things is that I think
it does line up better with the placement, because with
the program starting in March, you'd start in December when
things are kind of winding down a bit for the
for the year and people are heading off to the Christmas.
Summer break and I think you do get a bit
(07:03):
more out of things if you. Move that to March
or March April and you're sort of in the swing
of things. And you get a bit of a continuous
kind of thing. So I think there's a bit of
a thought process there. I think that might have something
to do with it as well. I think that's a
really good idea in that sense. So on that topic,
(07:25):
what sort of placements and what sort of areas and
organisations have people in the past headed along to? Is
there a certain group of things? What's the process like
for people out there in case they're wondering?
S3 (07:40):
Yeah. So we the team that sort of look after
the program, we do all that contacting and you know,
we speak to the graduate and we kind of get
an idea of what it is they're looking for and
what they're wanting and what their thoughts are on it
as well. So we keep them updated, the whole sort
of process. and we just sort of contact organizations and
explain the program and just try and get some interest.
(08:01):
And the good thing is, is that The Graduate is
still a Vision Australia employee through that time. So it's
still paid by Vision Australia. The other organization doesn't have
to pay for anything. And we've had some really good
organizations that have taken on grads. Um, we've had we've had, um,
Ernst and Young, uh.
S2 (08:20):
Employment.
S3 (08:21):
Yeah. Wise employment.
S2 (08:22):
Yeah. That's where I had it a long time for
a few little while.
S3 (08:25):
Yeah. At the moment we've got the Endeavour Foundation that
some of our grads currently that are in the program
at the moment are going off to shortly. So yeah,
it's been really good actually. And we've had some really
good organisations come on board and take on grads and um,
and it's great that external placement because it really gives
them added skills, a different environment that I guess that's
(08:46):
different to the Vision Australia, who might know a bit
more about blind and low vision people and other organisations
that might not. It's getting them out there into that environment,
giving them more connections, meeting more people. And sometimes we've
had grads that actually really excel in those environments, and
the organizations actually keep them on after the program in employment.
(09:07):
So that's been really great.
S2 (09:09):
Certainly has been. And it's really interesting, that point you
make about giving that exposure to other organizations, meeting up
with people who are blind or have low vision, who
previously may not have employed somebody who is blind or
has low vision. And, you know, there's been really interesting
discussions and, you know, little meetings and seminars and things
(09:33):
that Vision Australia has been really good at running, where
they come out and explain things to these new employers and,
you know, go through it isn't expensive to hire somebody
who is blind or has low vision. There's a lot
of misconceptions out there that this is really helping to dispel,
which is also a fantastic byproduct of it. Now, in
(09:57):
terms of helping people settle in and helping them acclimatize
and get their head around work full time, this might
be their first full time job ever and have a
bit of trepidation about the sort of technology they might
have access to. The great thing with this program is
they get a workplace assessment, don't they, when they come in.
(10:21):
And Vision Australia sort of helps them in that way.
S3 (10:25):
Yeah, absolutely. Yep. When they come on board, we ensure
a workplace assessment is done and any equipment that will
benefit them and help them is ordered and that gets
all set up with them. You know, we're always in
contact with them along the way. There's a lot of
people involved and we ensure that's all running great. And
even after that workplace assessment, you know, we always are
(10:45):
quite clear with the graduates that we're here for them
no matter what. To contact us if they're having any
issues with that equipment or training, anything that they need.
We're really kind of hands on helping them along the way.
And that also includes the external placement. So a workplace
assessment would be done with that organization as well. Um,
and we'd ensure that they were set up at that
(11:06):
organization as much the best equipment that they need and
that kind of thing. And we're always still in contact
with them and here for them, because as I said,
they're still an employee of ours. And yeah, we want
to make sure that they have the best experience both
here and at that external placement.
S2 (11:21):
Certainly. And in terms of, you know, some of the
technology and assistive bits and pieces that people have access to,
sometimes this is not only me, but other people I've
spoken to. They come in and they think, oh, wow,
you know, there's this new thing that I didn't know about.
There's this software and it makes my life so much easier.
(11:43):
I wish I knew about it earlier, and I guess
there's raising awareness of the software and the technologies that
are out there, not only for them, but other employers
who were talking about before, who don't have as many
people from the blind and low vision community employed there. And,
you know, they always are quite surprised and think, oh, wow,
(12:03):
that's that's really cool. I didn't know about that. So
that's also a really interesting aspect of that side of things.
But in terms of how to get involved and how
to apply for a spot in the Vision Australia graduate program,
what is the best way for people to do that?
S3 (12:27):
Yeah. So on our website there's information about the graduate program,
if anyone wanted some more information. So it's great to
look there. The job ad we usually roughly around February
go out with the job ad which we currently have.
One next intake is live now. So you know, look
on your CV ethical jobs, on our careers page, on
(12:48):
our website, with our job listings. It's there. So you
just sort of go to the job ad and you
go through the application process there. So it will tell
you what to do on the job application. If there's
any questions, queries, clarification needed or you just simply can't
find the job ad, you can email careers. Org and
(13:09):
someone will get back to you, or they'll forward it
on to myself and I will get back to you.
So yeah.
S2 (13:14):
Perfect. That's Careers at Vision Australia. For all your questions
regarding the Vision Australia graduate program. I've been speaking today
with Rachel Ramsdell, Equity and inclusion advisor from Vision Australia,
about the upcoming Vision Australia graduate program kicking off mid-year. Rachel,
(13:41):
thank you so much for your time today. It was
great to catch up and chat all about the graduate program.
S3 (13:47):
Yeah, thank you for having me. It was great chatting.
S2 (13:55):
I'm Sam Kelly and you're listening to Talking Vision on
Vision Australia Radio, Associated Stations of Reading Radio and the
Community Radio Network. I hope you enjoyed that conversation with
Rach there. If you missed any part of that conversation
or you'd love to hear it again. Talking vision is
(14:17):
available on the Vision Australia Radio website at. That's VA radio,
or you can find the program on the podcast app
of your choice or through the Vision Australia library. A
few weeks ago, you heard from Maureen from the library,
(14:37):
telling us a little bit about the upcoming events at
the Vision Australia Library in 2025. Well, the time has
come again for another library update, this time with the
manager of the Vision Australia library, Sarah Bloedorn, who I'm
(14:57):
very pleased to be joined by right now. Sarah, welcome
back to Talking Vision. Great to have you.
S4 (15:04):
Thanks for having me.
S2 (15:06):
Now today we're here as always to have a bit
of a chat about the library. So let's start off
with some exciting events that are coming up.
S4 (15:16):
Yeah, absolutely. I feel like every year we have more
events and we've got lots of new things happening this year.
So really excited about what the year will hold. And
we certainly we have events for people who just love
to read. And we also have events for those that
might want to have a little try at writing something themselves.
So kind of hope that everybody will find something they'd
like to do with the library in 2025. Our first
(15:39):
one is a new program for this year. It's called
Book Chat with the Vision Australia Library. So each quarter,
we're going to hear our talented librarians provide a review
of newly released books. I think I'm doing the February 1st,
so I don't know how talented I will be. So
it's an hour long session which will feature, um, recommendations
(15:59):
from our librarians. I don't know about you, Sam, when
you read, I love if somebody loved a book and
they tell me to read it, I'm so grateful because.
S2 (16:06):
Oh, absolutely.
S4 (16:07):
Yeah. If it's someone you know and you know that
you like what they read, it's always going to be
a good pick. So that's what we hope to do
for everyone to be able to share those. But also
we love to open it up and make it interactive.
So at the second part of the event or of
the hour, you'll have an opportunity to talk about what
you've been reading. Um, so whatever that might be, you
don't have to stick to a genre or talk about
(16:27):
a popular book. It can just be what what you've
picked up. Maybe you're reading it for the 10th time.
Maybe it's something you've just enjoyed. We also love to
hear about the books you haven't enjoyed because that's always
interesting too. And the great thing about a book chat
is that we often will disagree on whether we like
a book or not. So this is a free online event.
So wherever you are in are in Australia, please feel
free to join. It's at 1 p.m. our first one
(16:49):
is this Thursday, the 20th of February. But don't worry
if that's too soon, because you can catch us every
quarter and join in for our book chat. And then
we have another great program for readers. So this is
where you get to get a bit up close and
personal with one of your favourite authors. So each quarter
again we're going to invite one of our amazing authors
(17:10):
might be an Australian or an international author. Our first
one is on the 24th of March, 1230 to 130,
and it's with New Zealand author Jacqueline Bublitz. So she's
quite an incredible author. I don't know if you've heard
of her, Sam. Um, she her debut novel, which is
a crime thriller, Before You Knew My Name, has gone
on to be one of the best selling books of
(17:32):
the last few years. She's an absolute firecracker, and she's
recently released her second novel. So Jacqueline will be coming along,
and she'll talk a little bit about how she writes
and her and her processes, etc. but the really exciting
bit about this is that Jacqueline is going to do
a reading from her newest release novel, which is called
(17:52):
Leave the Girl Behind. For about 20 minutes. And I
don't know about you, Sam, but I love being read to.
There's something.
S2 (17:57):
So. Oh, absolutely.
S4 (17:59):
About it?
S2 (17:59):
Yeah. For sure.
S4 (18:00):
Absolutely. And, you know, to hear it from the author
is so special. And then there's also an opportunity to
ask Jacqueline questions. So if you want to know about
her books, if you want to get some plot points,
or maybe you want to know about what it's like
to write a novel, she will be available to answer questions.
So we're really excited about that one. And then the
third one I wanted to mention is a course for
our writers or hoping to be writers. Um, so it's
(18:23):
called Let's Get Creative with Writing Fiction. Now it's just
a short course, but I'll just note that throughout the
year we have so many writing courses. So if you
come along to this one and you're completely inspired, please
sign up for another one. There's no limit on how
many you do. And of course, with all things with
the library, there's no cost at all to you. So
please feel free to join up. They're also all online,
(18:44):
and the reason we do that, it means that if
you're in Perth or if you're in South Australia or Tasmania,
you can join in and not miss out on all
the amazing programs. So this program is with Andrea Rowe,
who is an amazing author. So we invite our budding
writers to join us on a journey of creating fiction.
In this course, you will learn how to develop your
(19:06):
own personal writer's toolbox, and it's a fantastic opportunity to
equip yourself with the tools to embark on your own
creative writing journey. So it's actually a four week program.
It kicks off in March, but it will go over
four weeks, an hour and a half each time. So
lovely to take that time out of your day, if
you can, to commit to doing something. Maybe that's on
your 2025 New Year's resolutions.
S2 (19:29):
Well, there's a lot of fantastic events there, and as
Sarah has mentioned, they're all free, and that's an amazing
aspect of them as always. But also, you know, that flexibility.
You can head along to the library or you can
join online. So lots of options out there for people.
(19:50):
And Sarah, we were talking about crime thrillers before. And
that's a sure thing really in the library. It's an
absolute winner. There's a lot of very popular crime, thriller
and mystery novels that people out there love to access
through the Vision Australia library. Let's have a bit of
(20:10):
a chat about some new releases that have come through,
not only in, you know, those mystery genres, but a
couple of other things as well.
S4 (20:19):
Absolutely. Yeah, it's exciting to think about what the writing
world will look like this year. As you've noted, crime
is always popular, so we're looking forward to new releases
from kind of our popular American crime authors like James
Patterson and Lee Childs. And we're also continuing to see
an absolute rise and celebration of Australian crime writers, which
I think is super exciting. So we have writers like
(20:42):
Jane Harper who writes like a rural noir. We also
have Chris Hammer, who's now become a real feature of
that genre in Australia, and Benjamin Stevenson, who is a
bit more of a funny, I guess. Yeah, a funny writer,
but again, very clever and great Australian stories. But there's
another genre that's really come to the fore, and I
would love to know if you've heard of this genre. Sam.
(21:02):
It's called romantic.
S2 (21:05):
I have heard of that. Yeah. Yeah, it's sort of
taking off. It's quite a bit of a new kind
of thing, which people are really enjoying. It's fantasy with
a bit of a romantic flavour, a bit of a
love interest, a bit of a, you know, couples going
on adventures and the relationship blossoming and or, you know,
(21:25):
things going rocky and it's yeah, it's really cool, really interesting.
S4 (21:29):
And it's just taken off. It's taken the world by storm.
So I thought I should talk about it and you've
nailed it. It's exactly that. So it's your romance story
set in a fantasy world. So it's kind of kind
of a bit of both. All the best of both worlds,
and it's one of those genres I think that really
appeals to both men and women, because the fantasy aspect
can be a little bit kind of Lord of the rings,
and people love the adventure, but it's lovely to have
(21:51):
a bit of romance too. So a couple of the
really big authors in that space, if you're interested in
reading this, Sarah J. Maas. So she has a series
which is just blown up. I believe there's quite a
number of them. I think it's over ten in her
series now. So if you want to start from the beginning,
that will keep you going for a while. And another
one is Laura Thalassa. So we've recently got her series in.
(22:12):
And again, it's kind of quite a large series. Um,
it should come with a warning that they can get
a little bit saucy. So that's, you know, up to
you if you enjoy that. But certainly it's kind of
what everybody's talking about and a lot of fun, ultimate escapism.
So that's another thing I think we'll see featuring heavily
this year.
S2 (22:28):
Now, Sarah, just finally, let's get some details about how
people can get in touch with the library if they
have any questions, recommendations, requests, anything like that?
S4 (22:41):
Yeah, absolutely. So I would send you to our website first.
That's where you're going to find all the information about
the events we have. As I mentioned, they're all free,
but they do require registration. So I would encourage you
to jump on to Vision Australia. You can see everything
upcoming things that I haven't mentioned that are kind of
further along in the year. Please register if any of
those have interested you. If you'd like to call and
(23:03):
speak to someone, please do. We open kind of business
hours Monday to Friday and the number to call is 1300Â 654Â 656.
I'll just say that one again. 1300Â 654Â 656. And the last
kind of best way to get in touch is through
our email. So that's Vision Australia at Vision Australia. So
(23:25):
please feel free to send us an email on any topic.
If you'd rather email about a book request or just
to have a chat with a librarian, we can also
organise a call back if you'd like to have it.
A more in depth chat about what you might like
to like to read next.
S2 (23:37):
And that email. Vision Australia. At Vision Australia, I've been
speaking today with Sarah Bloedorn, manager of the Vision Australia Library.
Here to chat with me about some upcoming events and
the latest releases from the library for people to look
(23:57):
forward to. Sarah, thank you so much as always for
catching up with me. It's been great to chat with you.
S4 (24:05):
Lovely. Thank you.
S2 (24:12):
This April joined Paralympians Katja Dedekind and Jess Gallagher for
100 K away. Walk, run, ride, roll or swim 100
your way your pace to support people of all ages
who are blind or have low vision. Every kilometre helps
raise vital funds for Vision Australia, empowering people to live
(24:35):
life on their own terms. Plus, you can win fun
rewards from books made by Fresco and Mary people. So
get moving and make a difference. Register now at 100
your way.org. That's 100 K your way.org. You can also
(24:55):
register your workplace 100 K. Your way is a fantastic
way to motivate staff, boost teamwork, and encourage a healthy,
active lifestyle, all while raising vital funds for an important cause.
100 K away invites individuals and teams to move 100
KS over the month of April. Run, jog, walk, ride,
(25:19):
roll or swim your way and make every kilometer count
by raising vital funds for Vision Australia. Activity is tracked online,
so it's perfect for hybrid workplaces and offers a fun,
accessible fitness challenge that benefits a great cause. Every dollar
raised will help empower Australians who are blind or have
(25:43):
low vision to move more freely in the community by
funding services such as occupational therapy and support. So register
your team today. Because last year, more than 900 generous
supporters across the country moved 116,000km and raised over $120,000
(26:07):
for Vision Australia. An incredible effort. So will you join
us in our fourth year to make this our biggest
event ever? If you sign up before the 31st of March,
you have the chance to win some fantastic rewards. And
there's also great team incentives and custom merchandise for our
top fundraisers. So you can move in style. If you'd
(26:32):
like to register today. Build your workplace team and get
set to join us in April for our best 100
cool way yet! And finally, you can also register your
school this April. Vision Australia is inviting schools to team
up and get active to join us for our fastest
growing national fundraising challenge 100 by challenging students, families and
(26:58):
faculty to move 100km in a month. Schools can keep
students active and off screens this April while promoting leadership,
teamwork and inclusion in the community. Every dollar raised will
support Australians of all ages who are blind or have
low vision to stay active and independent. This includes vital
(27:20):
student programs to support children and teens who are learning
to navigate life with low vision. So register your school
today at 100 your way. away.org. And that's all the
time we have for today. You've been listening to Talking Vision.
Talking vision is a Vision Australia radio production. Thanks to
(27:42):
all involved with putting the show together every week. And remember,
we love hearing from you. So please get in touch
anytime on our email at Talking Vision at. That's all.
One word at Vision Australia. But until next week it's
Sam Corley saying bye for now.
S1 (28:07):
You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during
business hours on one 384 746. That's one 384 746.
Or by visiting Vision Australia. That's Vision Australia.
From Vision Australia. This is talking vision. And now here's
your host, Sam Colley.
S2 (00:23):
Hello, everyone. It's great to be here with you. And
for the next half hour, we talk matters of blindness
and low vision.
S3 (00:30):
We're really kind of hands on helping them along the way.
And that also includes the external placements of a workplace.
Assessment would be done with that organisation as well. And
we'd ensure that they were set up at that organisation
as much the best equipment that they need and that
kind of thing. And we're always still in contact with
them and here for them because, as I said, they're
still an employee of ours. And yeah, we want to
(00:51):
make sure that they have the best experience both here
and at that external placement.
S2 (00:56):
Welcome to the program. This week, the Vision Australia graduate
program has just opened up for applications to start mid-year
to have a chat with us, we're going to be
hearing from Rachel Ramsdale, who gives us the lowdown on
the details. And that interview is coming up very shortly,
(01:19):
so make sure to stick around. And then after you
hear from Rachel, we get a library update with manager
of the Vision Australia Library, Sarah Bladon, to give us
a bit of an overview of the events and some
new releases coming to the library, and we finish up
(01:39):
with a little bit of news and information. I hope
you enjoy this week's episode of Talking Vision. Each year,
Vision Australia searches nationwide for talented graduates who are blind
or have low vision, offering an opportunity for them to
(02:00):
step confidently into their chosen field. An exciting news! Applications
are now open for this year's program, which will be
kicking off mid-year, and to have a chat with me
all about the program. It's my great pleasure to welcome
Vision Australia equity and inclusion advisor Rachel Ramsdale. Rachel, welcome
(02:27):
to Talking Vision. Thank you very much for joining me today.
S3 (02:30):
Thanks for having me.
S2 (02:32):
Now, Rachel, we're here to chat a bit about the
Vision Australia graduate program today. So what is the program
for people out there?
S3 (02:42):
Yeah, so the Career Start program, which we've now actually
changed it to be called Vision Australia graduate program. Just
so people don't get confused seeing the different titles lying around.
So yeah, it's really just it's a really supportive, empowering pathway,
I guess, to develop skills and launch your career. So
it's a 12 month paid program for For graduates. And
(03:03):
in that 12 months, we do try and find a
13 week external placement at another organisation just to get
a bit more, you know, skills and contacts and that
kind of thing. It's a great program in the program
that the graduates will have a senior mentor and a
buddy that will be a part of the program that
they can contact. And those both those people will be
(03:24):
also be blind and low vision, you know, and that
will be in addition to obviously, their team manager, their
colleagues that they work with every day, and us in
the graduate program team that kind of oversee the program.
So that's the basic idea.
S2 (03:38):
And I can speak to the effectiveness of the graduate
program I went through. When it was called Career Start
back in 2019. It was a lot of fun, got
a lot out of it. So I do highly recommend
it to anyone out there who is thinking about it.
Definitely have a go. It's a lot of fun. I
was involved in Now I'm the communications and radio sides
(04:03):
of things that vision Australia. But what other departments can
people get involved with at Vision Australia across? Well, the
whole country really. It's not just Kooyong, it's, you know,
Parramatta corporate centres all around the country. What sort of
centres is it offered at every centre and every department?
S3 (04:25):
Yeah. So we're very kind of flexible I guess at vision.
So we have a lot of office locations. So we
just um we do also work hybrid as well. So
there is office work but also working from home. So
we just need someone to be just in a commutable
distance to a Vision Australia office location somewhere, so that
they can have some days in the office where they
(04:46):
connect in with a team, you know, they're not always
on their own. So yeah. So that's pretty you know,
there's kind of a lot of options out there. We
have had some grubs in Queensland, some in New South Wales,
some in Victoria. We've even had one up in the
Northern Territory before. So yeah. And look, it's just really
what kind of fits well and where that grad career
(05:06):
path is. So, you know, we've got lots of different
areas like marketing, communications, fundraising, as you said, radio, the
volunteering people and culture, human resources kind of area information technology.
So there's a lot of different areas that we can
delve into in that space.
S2 (05:25):
So many different areas for sure. So it's um, you know,
a lot of options out there for people now, um,
in terms of who is eligible to take part in
the program, what are the criteria there?
S3 (05:40):
Yeah. So obviously it's for blind and low vision candidates.
And you would need to have done some studies. So
you would need to have a qualification and completed a
qualification at a diploma level or higher within the last
four years and be available to work 12 months, which
would be at this stage from this July to the
following June, and you'd need to be an Australian citizen
(06:03):
or permanent resident. And I think they're probably the main,
main ones. Yeah.
S2 (06:09):
Now, Ray, it's interesting that the timeline has changed slightly.
People may be familiar with the program starting a bit
earlier in the year around March April. What was the
thought process behind pushing it back a little bit to July?
S3 (06:27):
That's a good question. I've only just come on board
in the program in the last 12 or so months.
I'm not sure why they pushed it out. It might
have been, I don't know, financial year sort of thing.
I'm not totally sure. Um, but yeah, at the moment, yeah, yeah.
S2 (06:43):
I think one of the things is that I think
it does line up better with the placement, because with
the program starting in March, you'd start in December when
things are kind of winding down a bit for the
for the year and people are heading off to the Christmas.
Summer break and I think you do get a bit
(07:03):
more out of things if you. Move that to March
or March April and you're sort of in the swing
of things. And you get a bit of a continuous
kind of thing. So I think there's a bit of
a thought process there. I think that might have something
to do with it as well. I think that's a
really good idea in that sense. So on that topic,
(07:25):
what sort of placements and what sort of areas and
organisations have people in the past headed along to? Is
there a certain group of things? What's the process like
for people out there in case they're wondering?
S3 (07:40):
Yeah. So we the team that sort of look after
the program, we do all that contacting and you know,
we speak to the graduate and we kind of get
an idea of what it is they're looking for and
what they're wanting and what their thoughts are on it
as well. So we keep them updated, the whole sort
of process. and we just sort of contact organizations and
explain the program and just try and get some interest.
(08:01):
And the good thing is, is that The Graduate is
still a Vision Australia employee through that time. So it's
still paid by Vision Australia. The other organization doesn't have
to pay for anything. And we've had some really good
organizations that have taken on grads. Um, we've had we've had, um,
Ernst and Young, uh.
S2 (08:20):
Employment.
S3 (08:21):
Yeah. Wise employment.
S2 (08:22):
Yeah. That's where I had it a long time for
a few little while.
S3 (08:25):
Yeah. At the moment we've got the Endeavour Foundation that
some of our grads currently that are in the program
at the moment are going off to shortly. So yeah,
it's been really good actually. And we've had some really
good organisations come on board and take on grads and um,
and it's great that external placement because it really gives
them added skills, a different environment that I guess that's
(08:46):
different to the Vision Australia, who might know a bit
more about blind and low vision people and other organisations
that might not. It's getting them out there into that environment,
giving them more connections, meeting more people. And sometimes we've
had grads that actually really excel in those environments, and
the organizations actually keep them on after the program in employment.
(09:07):
So that's been really great.
S2 (09:09):
Certainly has been. And it's really interesting, that point you
make about giving that exposure to other organizations, meeting up
with people who are blind or have low vision, who
previously may not have employed somebody who is blind or
has low vision. And, you know, there's been really interesting
discussions and, you know, little meetings and seminars and things
(09:33):
that Vision Australia has been really good at running, where
they come out and explain things to these new employers and,
you know, go through it isn't expensive to hire somebody
who is blind or has low vision. There's a lot
of misconceptions out there that this is really helping to dispel,
which is also a fantastic byproduct of it. Now, in
(09:57):
terms of helping people settle in and helping them acclimatize
and get their head around work full time, this might
be their first full time job ever and have a
bit of trepidation about the sort of technology they might
have access to. The great thing with this program is
they get a workplace assessment, don't they, when they come in.
(10:21):
And Vision Australia sort of helps them in that way.
S3 (10:25):
Yeah, absolutely. Yep. When they come on board, we ensure
a workplace assessment is done and any equipment that will
benefit them and help them is ordered and that gets
all set up with them. You know, we're always in
contact with them along the way. There's a lot of
people involved and we ensure that's all running great. And
even after that workplace assessment, you know, we always are
(10:45):
quite clear with the graduates that we're here for them
no matter what. To contact us if they're having any
issues with that equipment or training, anything that they need.
We're really kind of hands on helping them along the way.
And that also includes the external placement. So a workplace
assessment would be done with that organization as well. Um,
and we'd ensure that they were set up at that
(11:06):
organization as much the best equipment that they need and
that kind of thing. And we're always still in contact
with them and here for them, because as I said,
they're still an employee of ours. And yeah, we want
to make sure that they have the best experience both
here and at that external placement.
S2 (11:21):
Certainly. And in terms of, you know, some of the
technology and assistive bits and pieces that people have access to,
sometimes this is not only me, but other people I've
spoken to. They come in and they think, oh, wow,
you know, there's this new thing that I didn't know about.
There's this software and it makes my life so much easier.
(11:43):
I wish I knew about it earlier, and I guess
there's raising awareness of the software and the technologies that
are out there, not only for them, but other employers
who were talking about before, who don't have as many
people from the blind and low vision community employed there. And,
you know, they always are quite surprised and think, oh, wow,
(12:03):
that's that's really cool. I didn't know about that. So
that's also a really interesting aspect of that side of things.
But in terms of how to get involved and how
to apply for a spot in the Vision Australia graduate program,
what is the best way for people to do that?
S3 (12:27):
Yeah. So on our website there's information about the graduate program,
if anyone wanted some more information. So it's great to
look there. The job ad we usually roughly around February
go out with the job ad which we currently have.
One next intake is live now. So you know, look
on your CV ethical jobs, on our careers page, on
(12:48):
our website, with our job listings. It's there. So you
just sort of go to the job ad and you
go through the application process there. So it will tell
you what to do on the job application. If there's
any questions, queries, clarification needed or you just simply can't
find the job ad, you can email careers. Org and
(13:09):
someone will get back to you, or they'll forward it
on to myself and I will get back to you.
So yeah.
S2 (13:14):
Perfect. That's Careers at Vision Australia. For all your questions
regarding the Vision Australia graduate program. I've been speaking today
with Rachel Ramsdell, Equity and inclusion advisor from Vision Australia,
about the upcoming Vision Australia graduate program kicking off mid-year. Rachel,
(13:41):
thank you so much for your time today. It was
great to catch up and chat all about the graduate program.
S3 (13:47):
Yeah, thank you for having me. It was great chatting.
S2 (13:55):
I'm Sam Kelly and you're listening to Talking Vision on
Vision Australia Radio, Associated Stations of Reading Radio and the
Community Radio Network. I hope you enjoyed that conversation with
Rach there. If you missed any part of that conversation
or you'd love to hear it again. Talking vision is
(14:17):
available on the Vision Australia Radio website at. That's VA radio,
or you can find the program on the podcast app
of your choice or through the Vision Australia library. A
few weeks ago, you heard from Maureen from the library,
(14:37):
telling us a little bit about the upcoming events at
the Vision Australia Library in 2025. Well, the time has
come again for another library update, this time with the
manager of the Vision Australia library, Sarah Bloedorn, who I'm
(14:57):
very pleased to be joined by right now. Sarah, welcome
back to Talking Vision. Great to have you.
S4 (15:04):
Thanks for having me.
S2 (15:06):
Now today we're here as always to have a bit
of a chat about the library. So let's start off
with some exciting events that are coming up.
S4 (15:16):
Yeah, absolutely. I feel like every year we have more
events and we've got lots of new things happening this year.
So really excited about what the year will hold. And
we certainly we have events for people who just love
to read. And we also have events for those that
might want to have a little try at writing something themselves.
So kind of hope that everybody will find something they'd
like to do with the library in 2025. Our first
(15:39):
one is a new program for this year. It's called
Book Chat with the Vision Australia Library. So each quarter,
we're going to hear our talented librarians provide a review
of newly released books. I think I'm doing the February 1st,
so I don't know how talented I will be. So
it's an hour long session which will feature, um, recommendations
(15:59):
from our librarians. I don't know about you, Sam, when
you read, I love if somebody loved a book and
they tell me to read it, I'm so grateful because.
S2 (16:06):
Oh, absolutely.
S4 (16:07):
Yeah. If it's someone you know and you know that
you like what they read, it's always going to be
a good pick. So that's what we hope to do
for everyone to be able to share those. But also
we love to open it up and make it interactive.
So at the second part of the event or of
the hour, you'll have an opportunity to talk about what
you've been reading. Um, so whatever that might be, you
don't have to stick to a genre or talk about
(16:27):
a popular book. It can just be what what you've
picked up. Maybe you're reading it for the 10th time.
Maybe it's something you've just enjoyed. We also love to
hear about the books you haven't enjoyed because that's always
interesting too. And the great thing about a book chat
is that we often will disagree on whether we like
a book or not. So this is a free online event.
So wherever you are in are in Australia, please feel
free to join. It's at 1 p.m. our first one
(16:49):
is this Thursday, the 20th of February. But don't worry
if that's too soon, because you can catch us every
quarter and join in for our book chat. And then
we have another great program for readers. So this is
where you get to get a bit up close and
personal with one of your favourite authors. So each quarter
again we're going to invite one of our amazing authors
(17:10):
might be an Australian or an international author. Our first
one is on the 24th of March, 1230 to 130,
and it's with New Zealand author Jacqueline Bublitz. So she's
quite an incredible author. I don't know if you've heard
of her, Sam. Um, she her debut novel, which is
a crime thriller, Before You Knew My Name, has gone
on to be one of the best selling books of
(17:32):
the last few years. She's an absolute firecracker, and she's
recently released her second novel. So Jacqueline will be coming along,
and she'll talk a little bit about how she writes
and her and her processes, etc. but the really exciting
bit about this is that Jacqueline is going to do
a reading from her newest release novel, which is called
(17:52):
Leave the Girl Behind. For about 20 minutes. And I
don't know about you, Sam, but I love being read to.
There's something.
S2 (17:57):
So. Oh, absolutely.
S4 (17:59):
About it?
S2 (17:59):
Yeah. For sure.
S4 (18:00):
Absolutely. And, you know, to hear it from the author
is so special. And then there's also an opportunity to
ask Jacqueline questions. So if you want to know about
her books, if you want to get some plot points,
or maybe you want to know about what it's like
to write a novel, she will be available to answer questions.
So we're really excited about that one. And then the
third one I wanted to mention is a course for
our writers or hoping to be writers. Um, so it's
(18:23):
called Let's Get Creative with Writing Fiction. Now it's just
a short course, but I'll just note that throughout the
year we have so many writing courses. So if you
come along to this one and you're completely inspired, please
sign up for another one. There's no limit on how
many you do. And of course, with all things with
the library, there's no cost at all to you. So
please feel free to join up. They're also all online,
(18:44):
and the reason we do that, it means that if
you're in Perth or if you're in South Australia or Tasmania,
you can join in and not miss out on all
the amazing programs. So this program is with Andrea Rowe,
who is an amazing author. So we invite our budding
writers to join us on a journey of creating fiction.
In this course, you will learn how to develop your
(19:06):
own personal writer's toolbox, and it's a fantastic opportunity to
equip yourself with the tools to embark on your own
creative writing journey. So it's actually a four week program.
It kicks off in March, but it will go over
four weeks, an hour and a half each time. So
lovely to take that time out of your day, if
you can, to commit to doing something. Maybe that's on
your 2025 New Year's resolutions.
S2 (19:29):
Well, there's a lot of fantastic events there, and as
Sarah has mentioned, they're all free, and that's an amazing
aspect of them as always. But also, you know, that flexibility.
You can head along to the library or you can
join online. So lots of options out there for people.
(19:50):
And Sarah, we were talking about crime thrillers before. And
that's a sure thing really in the library. It's an
absolute winner. There's a lot of very popular crime, thriller
and mystery novels that people out there love to access
through the Vision Australia library. Let's have a bit of
(20:10):
a chat about some new releases that have come through,
not only in, you know, those mystery genres, but a
couple of other things as well.
S4 (20:19):
Absolutely. Yeah, it's exciting to think about what the writing
world will look like this year. As you've noted, crime
is always popular, so we're looking forward to new releases
from kind of our popular American crime authors like James
Patterson and Lee Childs. And we're also continuing to see
an absolute rise and celebration of Australian crime writers, which
I think is super exciting. So we have writers like
(20:42):
Jane Harper who writes like a rural noir. We also
have Chris Hammer, who's now become a real feature of
that genre in Australia, and Benjamin Stevenson, who is a
bit more of a funny, I guess. Yeah, a funny writer,
but again, very clever and great Australian stories. But there's
another genre that's really come to the fore, and I
would love to know if you've heard of this genre. Sam.
(21:02):
It's called romantic.
S2 (21:05):
I have heard of that. Yeah. Yeah, it's sort of
taking off. It's quite a bit of a new kind
of thing, which people are really enjoying. It's fantasy with
a bit of a romantic flavour, a bit of a
love interest, a bit of a, you know, couples going
on adventures and the relationship blossoming and or, you know,
(21:25):
things going rocky and it's yeah, it's really cool, really interesting.
S4 (21:29):
And it's just taken off. It's taken the world by storm.
So I thought I should talk about it and you've
nailed it. It's exactly that. So it's your romance story
set in a fantasy world. So it's kind of kind
of a bit of both. All the best of both worlds,
and it's one of those genres I think that really
appeals to both men and women, because the fantasy aspect
can be a little bit kind of Lord of the rings,
and people love the adventure, but it's lovely to have
(21:51):
a bit of romance too. So a couple of the
really big authors in that space, if you're interested in
reading this, Sarah J. Maas. So she has a series
which is just blown up. I believe there's quite a
number of them. I think it's over ten in her
series now. So if you want to start from the beginning,
that will keep you going for a while. And another
one is Laura Thalassa. So we've recently got her series in.
(22:12):
And again, it's kind of quite a large series. Um,
it should come with a warning that they can get
a little bit saucy. So that's, you know, up to
you if you enjoy that. But certainly it's kind of
what everybody's talking about and a lot of fun, ultimate escapism.
So that's another thing I think we'll see featuring heavily
this year.
S2 (22:28):
Now, Sarah, just finally, let's get some details about how
people can get in touch with the library if they
have any questions, recommendations, requests, anything like that?
S4 (22:41):
Yeah, absolutely. So I would send you to our website first.
That's where you're going to find all the information about
the events we have. As I mentioned, they're all free,
but they do require registration. So I would encourage you
to jump on to Vision Australia. You can see everything
upcoming things that I haven't mentioned that are kind of
further along in the year. Please register if any of
those have interested you. If you'd like to call and
(23:03):
speak to someone, please do. We open kind of business
hours Monday to Friday and the number to call is 1300Â 654Â 656.
I'll just say that one again. 1300Â 654Â 656. And the last
kind of best way to get in touch is through
our email. So that's Vision Australia at Vision Australia. So
(23:25):
please feel free to send us an email on any topic.
If you'd rather email about a book request or just
to have a chat with a librarian, we can also
organise a call back if you'd like to have it.
A more in depth chat about what you might like
to like to read next.
S2 (23:37):
And that email. Vision Australia. At Vision Australia, I've been
speaking today with Sarah Bloedorn, manager of the Vision Australia Library.
Here to chat with me about some upcoming events and
the latest releases from the library for people to look
(23:57):
forward to. Sarah, thank you so much as always for
catching up with me. It's been great to chat with you.
S4 (24:05):
Lovely. Thank you.
S2 (24:12):
This April joined Paralympians Katja Dedekind and Jess Gallagher for
100 K away. Walk, run, ride, roll or swim 100
your way your pace to support people of all ages
who are blind or have low vision. Every kilometre helps
raise vital funds for Vision Australia, empowering people to live
(24:35):
life on their own terms. Plus, you can win fun
rewards from books made by Fresco and Mary people. So
get moving and make a difference. Register now at 100
your way.org. That's 100 K your way.org. You can also
(24:55):
register your workplace 100 K. Your way is a fantastic
way to motivate staff, boost teamwork, and encourage a healthy,
active lifestyle, all while raising vital funds for an important cause.
100 K away invites individuals and teams to move 100
KS over the month of April. Run, jog, walk, ride,
(25:19):
roll or swim your way and make every kilometer count
by raising vital funds for Vision Australia. Activity is tracked online,
so it's perfect for hybrid workplaces and offers a fun,
accessible fitness challenge that benefits a great cause. Every dollar
raised will help empower Australians who are blind or have
(25:43):
low vision to move more freely in the community by
funding services such as occupational therapy and support. So register
your team today. Because last year, more than 900 generous
supporters across the country moved 116,000km and raised over $120,000
(26:07):
for Vision Australia. An incredible effort. So will you join
us in our fourth year to make this our biggest
event ever? If you sign up before the 31st of March,
you have the chance to win some fantastic rewards. And
there's also great team incentives and custom merchandise for our
top fundraisers. So you can move in style. If you'd
(26:32):
like to register today. Build your workplace team and get
set to join us in April for our best 100
cool way yet! And finally, you can also register your
school this April. Vision Australia is inviting schools to team
up and get active to join us for our fastest
growing national fundraising challenge 100 by challenging students, families and
(26:58):
faculty to move 100km in a month. Schools can keep
students active and off screens this April while promoting leadership,
teamwork and inclusion in the community. Every dollar raised will
support Australians of all ages who are blind or have
low vision to stay active and independent. This includes vital
(27:20):
student programs to support children and teens who are learning
to navigate life with low vision. So register your school
today at 100 your way. away.org. And that's all the
time we have for today. You've been listening to Talking Vision.
Talking vision is a Vision Australia radio production. Thanks to
(27:42):
all involved with putting the show together every week. And remember,
we love hearing from you. So please get in touch
anytime on our email at Talking Vision at. That's all.
One word at Vision Australia. But until next week it's
Sam Corley saying bye for now.
S1 (28:07):
You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during
business hours on one 384 746. That's one 384 746.
Or by visiting Vision Australia. That's Vision Australia.
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