How the neglect of peripheral visual awareness can affect your reading ability
BIRDHAVEN – Bellavista S.H.A.R.E which is a training centre at the non-profit organisation and remedial school, hosted an evening talk to focus on the importance of vision.
A talk on peripheral visual awareness at Bellavista S.H.A.R.E. highlighted this often neglected aspect of vision, which can have a significant impact on an individual’s ability to read.
The talk was presented by Casha Meintjes, an optometrist and member of the Neuro Optometric Association. “There is more to vision and reading than what people realise and this is often due to a poor understanding of the visual process. Vision is not just about being able to see clearly.”
She went on to highlight the role of the ambient visual pathway and explained how it could impact on an individual’s ability to read and learn. The optometrist explained that ambient vision enables people to move their eyes from one point to another without seeing the world shift or jump.
“It can affect the way children see words on the page. We conduct eye tests first to rule out any ocular vision difficulties and then, where appropriate, improve visual pathway integration difficulties with colour filters and lenses, syntonics, bi-nasal occlusion, motion sensitivity training and visual pathway training,” she explained.
The talk was one of nine evening talks that will be hosted by Bellavista S.H.A.R.E this year. S.H.A.R.E. is an acronym for ‘Share what we know; Help where we can; Advise and assist; Resource and equip; Educate others’. It is the education resource centre of Bellavista School, an independent school in Johannesburg that is widely regarded as a centre of excellence in the field of remedial education.
With this initiative, the school harnesses the collective capacity it holds within its own staff to improve the quality of educational delivery in southern Africa by sharing its professional knowledge, experience and collective expertise with the community of educators and health professionals working with children in the region.
In addition to evening talks, the resource centre provides regular workshops, conferences and other professional development opportunities for educators and health professionals working in education, explained Jeandré Cooke, the director of Bellavista S.H.A.R.E.
They are also proud to offer an Award in Literacy and Dyslexia. This parttime course, offered over an 18 to 24 month period, enables teachers and therapists to screen and remediate literacy difficulties, including dyslexia, in school-aged children. The course is accredited by the Health Professional Council of South Africa, the South African Council for Educators and the British Dyslexia Association.
Cooke concluded by stating, “It is our intention to equip professionals working in schools with the knowledge and skills that they need to support learners with barriers to education in their educational setting, furthering the goal of inclusive education.”
Details: www.bellavista.org.za
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