Tertiary studies are set to become more accessible and less stressful for Canterbury’s Timothy Boye thanks to a technology grant through Vision Australia’s Further Education Bursary program.
Timothy lives with low vision due Oculocutaneous Albinism has been provided with a portable video magnifier and MacBook laptop computer through the bursary program to assist him as he completes a Bachelor of Information Technology by correspondence Melbourne’s RMIT University.
RMIT assists Timothy with digital versions course materials such as textbooks, but he said the technology provided by the bursary will help him overcome some of the challenges he still faces.
“There are a lot of diagrams and other technical things in the textbooks I use and they don’t translate well to the digital forms. The video magnifier means I can put it on the page of a book and zoom in to see them,” Timothy said.
“The nature of my degree and doing it by correspondence means it’s very computer intensive, so the new MacBook means I’ll have the processing power to complete my course work and use zoom and voice over software programs,” he said.
Oculocutaneous Albinism impacts Timothy’s vision via nystagmus, which is the involuntary movement of the eyes, and an increased sensitivity to light. The level of vision Timothy has can vary significantly, with the 28 year-old sometimes unable to see anything.
Despite the challenges that come with that, Timothy holds a grade point average at RMIT of 4.0 out of 4.0 and he is looking forward to a year where studying is more enjoyable thanks to the bursary technology.
“My vision means that getting work done in time can be difficult sometimes. The new technology will really let me work faster and that’s going to make things a lot less stressful and that’s something that I’m looking forward to.”
This is the 21st year Vision Australia has been providing bursaries to people with vision impairment who are undertaking further education. To date, more than 320 students have been supported by Vision Australia through a bursary.
The bursary allows students to access assistive technology such as specialist computer software and braille displays, helping students like Timothy study alongside their sighted peers.
Vision Australia is a leading national provider of blindness and low vision services in Australia. We work in partnership with Australians who are blind or have low vision to help them live the life they choose.
More information on Vision Australia’s Further Education Bursary program can be found here.
Information on previous bursary recipients can be found here.