BLENNZ welcomes contact about our enrolment and enquiry process, if you know of ākonga who are blind, deafblind or have low vision. Generally speaking, ākonga who are referred to BLENNZ will have a documented eye condition that reduces their vision to around 6/18 or less, and which impacts on their learning and development.
Referrals
Referrals to BLENNZ can come from a number of sources including, but not limited to:
- Parents
- Teachers
- Ophthalmologists
- Health professionals
- Blind Foundation
- Ministry of Education
All referrals must have parent/caregiver consent and should be accompanied by ophthalmic information. Referral forms are available from each Visual Resource Centre or you can contact us through info@blennz.school.nz and we will send your query through to your local centre.
No cost is involved in this process.
Enrolment criteria
Who may be enrolled with BLENNZ?
- Ākonga will have a documented eye condition that reduces their vision to around 6/18 or less, and which impacts on their learning and development.
- A documented eye condition means that the child has seen an eye specialist who reports that this condition exists and the child has impaired vision.
- An acuity of 6/18 or less means that the child cannot read the bottom (smallest) three lines on the regular eye chart from the normal 6 metres distance, even with their glasses on (if they wear glasses).
The Resource Teacher Vision from your local Visual Resource Centre will liaise with the parents and the school to identify the effect of the vision loss on the child’s learning, and what specialised input may be required
The age of the child being referred is not important. Infants from birth may be enrolled if they meet the criteria, as are children of compulsory school age.
Please be aware that while many children wear glasses, few are enrolled with their local BLENNZ Visual Resource Centre. This is because their glasses will correct any error in their vision, and there is therefore no need for specialist intervention.
