From Vision Australia. This is talking vision. And now here's your host Sam Colley.
Hello, everyone. It's great to be here with you. And for the next half hour we talk matters of blindness and low vision.
I would just get used to using a system and be able to function a little bit faster. And then I'd get another vision decline, and it was like starting all over again. So it was really frustrating. And I had to say to myself, look after your wellbeing, take time out, do a little bit at a time, have a break and then come back to it. And, you know, eventually I got there.
Welcome to the program. This week we hear from a couple of women achieving amazing things in the blind and low vision community, starting off with Joanne Cabot, a community leader from the Fraser Coast region in south east Queensland who's also a mental health and wellbeing advocate for people in the blind and low vision community, through her Instagram
livewell with vision loss. And then after you hear from Joanne, it's my great pleasure to be joined by 100 Kia Ambassador and Paralympian Jess Gallagher, who chats to me all about the upcoming 100 K Your Way challenge in April and how to get involved. I hope you enjoy this week's episode of Talking Vision. Kicking off the show this week.
Our first guest has really been super busy over the past year and a bit she's organised a screening of The Blind see Matt Formston movie alongside director Daniel Fenech. She's set up a blindness and low vision hardship fund for people in the Fraser Coast region in south east Queensland. She's hosted her own mini disability expo, all of this while experiencing vision loss due to macular degeneration. But she's
not stopping there because 100 K is coming up. She's taking part in that and setting up a dinner in the dark in Hervey Bay. Her name is Joanne Kabat and she joins me now. Jo, welcome to Talking Vision. Thanks so much for your time.
Thank you so much, Sam. I'm excited to be here and chatting with you today.
And we're very excited to have you. Now, Joe, you've been quite busy in the local community up in the Fraser Coast. You know, you've created quite a few events and, you know, this has been a really good opportunity to create awareness, promote inclusivity and accessibility. So what sort of things have you been up to?
Yes, yes, it has been a busy period, I must say. I've been doing multiple things at once, which is kind of what I tend to do. I never stop at just doing one thing. It's like, oh, what next? What else can I do? All of these add ons. So it began last year when The Blind See was released with Matt Formston obviously surfing the the biggest waves in the world, and it didn't come to the Fraser Coast.
And I thought, oh, that's really disappointing because whilst I can't see a lot, I was, you know, just hoping to enjoy the experience of attending that movie. So I mentioned something on Instagram and immediately the director of the Blind See reached out to me and he said, This is Daniel.
That's right. Thanks. I've had a chat to Daniel. He's great. A lot of fun to chat to. Daniel's the best. Yeah, he's so good.
He's so good. And he basically said, Joe, I can make this happen if you can make it happen and game on. And so it began. So from there it was months of trying to find a venue. The cinemas here weren't overly helpful and I was working with I don't know if you spoke to JP, he's the movie distributor.
No, I haven't spoken to JP. I did speak to Daniel.
Right. Oh, Daniel. Daniel linked me to JP because he'd be the best person to help me with the distribution and, you know, finding a venue and everything. And JP was amazing. But both of us didn't get very far with, like, the local cinemas, the Fraser Coast, the council here, they were amazing from the beginning, but we were talking more about outdoor locations, which would be great for awareness but not for weather up here on the Fraser Coast in tropical Queensland.
Yeah, that.
Wasn't going to work. So I went around to a few locations and eventually I applied for a grant with the Hervey Bay RSL, and that grant was approved. And so that's how we came about to having the film screened there at the RSL. And they paid for the screening costs, they paid for the venue, and they also paid for some low vision and community awareness badges that I wanted to create and hand out to anybody who had low vision or blindness in our community, which was just incredible.
Yeah. It is. That's fantastic. And you've been involved in a mini disability expo as well. You've sort of that's been in the pipeline recently.
So I decided, okay, so we've got the movie coming to town. This is fantastic. But it's also another opportunity to add another.
Layer, which.
Was to hold a mini disability expo for anybody with any disabilities, families, friends and to create more awareness to any of the community attending Blind See. So what I did is I reached out to just around eight organizations in the community who not only just offered like support workers, but I wanted to actually show the types of things people could do. So we had team rehab there and they provide exercise, physio, which is something with my legal
blindness I've really appreciated doing. I had a transportation organization there, Health Cabin Co. They were fantastic. Fraser Coast Support Coordination who offer incredible support in the community, trying to connect people to the NDIS and achieve their goals through the NDIS. So we had a bunch of different organisations attending this and for the ones that couldn't attend, like Vision Australia and Quantum and National Plan managers here who also work
with NDIS, they all sent brochures, which was incredible. And I also had a stack of brochures that I contributed to because I reached out to the local community and they were incredible in offering donations to people with low vision and blindness, as well as goodie bags, which we collated together, which just had a few discounts and some
recommendations and some more information for anyone attending. With low Vision and Blindness and Quantum and Vision, Australia had a bunch of brochures along with Paralympic Sports, goalball, Disability Sports Australia. So it was quite a mix of different things for the Disability Expo.
And how have you gone over that past five months navigating numerous things, including, you know, doing all this while experiencing vision loss and the series of challenges that presents. How have you managed to adapt and navigate your way through that?
Yeah. Good point. I have had two vision declines. I have myopic macular degeneration. So as a high myopic child, as I became older, unfortunately it changed into myopic macular degeneration, which is mainly degeneration of the central vision. So that's the key part I've lost in both of my eyes, which is very similar to Matt Formston, our world famous blind surfer. So we kind of see a little bit similarly, which was interesting to get two people the same together.
It's been hard, I must say, because as I'm working through this, it was mostly alone with some assistance from my incredible support worker Renee from Health Cabin Co. And I think the hardest part is how slow I was. And I would just get used to using a system and be able to function a little bit faster, and then I'd get another vision decline and it was like
starting all over again. So it was really frustrating. And I had to say to myself, look after your wellbeing, take time out, do a little bit at a time, have a break and then come back to it. And, you know, eventually I got there.
Yeah it is. It does present so many different challenges, but there's also always ways to get on top of it and make things achievable. Bite off small parts and that can do attitude. That's just helped everything go from strength to strength. And you're absolutely right. It is hard. It is challenging. You know, you can't all be on top of everything. You can't be happy all the time and it's okay to be frustrated. It's okay to feel down. It's okay to think, oh no, I have to go
through this again. But then you get over that hump and you keep going and you achieve all these amazing things. Like you've recently opened the Fraser Coast Low Vision and Blind Community Hardship Fund. That's quite interesting.
Yes, yes, it's really exciting. And I think having had a degenerative eye disease. So I'm 55 now and I'm at the point where I am legally blind. I've wanted to give back and help other people who are experiencing severe vision loss. And I'm really aware, and I have been since Covid, to be quite honest, that a lot of people aren't on NDIS, they're struggling to get on, they've been waiting for a long time, or they're not getting the supports that they need through the aged care
system either and living regionally combats that too. Um, we struggle with particularly when you can't drive getting around accessing our ophthalmologists. Vision Australia to our closest is Sunshine Coast and Brisbane. So through the Fraser Coast Low Vision and Blind Community Hardship Fund. I'm hoping that we can actually help people who are struggling, for example, if they're not able to afford a long cane or they can't get to the long cane training on the Sunshine Coast or
in Brisbane. Hopefully we can assist through getting them there and navigating the life the way that they want it to be.
And you've got a couple of really exciting events coming up, including 100 K your way, which is just sort of kicking off over here in Vision Australia or ramping up to do 100 K our way in April. So that's all very exciting. A lot of people joining up and enthusiasm is really building. So that's pretty cool.
Yeah, I actually I did it for the first time last year. Sam and I absolutely loved it, and I seized it as an opportunity to create awareness in the community. I'd only been using my cane for a year approximately, and being a fairly sporty person, I thought, okay, let's mix this up. I'll get out to the local pool and I'll swim, and I'll do some of the tourist sites in the Fraser Coast and just be walking around with my cane, clocking up those 100 k's that way.
And I also got on my bike, so it was a great opportunity to get outside, do some exercise, join a couple of friends in doing it, sometimes create some awareness as well as fundraise for Vision Australia. Because this initiative means a lot to me as far as the funds are going to help so many people access mobility. Services, which is such an incredibly important thing for us when we're. We have vision loss, and it's also about our balance,
those mobility. Services help us learn to walk more safely and feel more confident when we're. Out in the community.
And we'll get a feel of those details later on at the end. But I'm keen to just hear about your dinner in the dark in Hervey Bay. That's coming up.
Oh yes. Absolutely. I am so excited to let everybody know that there's another fundraising initiative, and it came out of a joint sponsorship for a dinner with the Lions Club and the vineyard, which has recently opened here, which is a stunning, stunning location on the Esplanade where you can eat and drink, you know, wonderful food. Really have a special evening with some of your friends and family.
So I approached the vineyard. I think it was last Friday because I knew that they were quite interested in actually doing something with me after they'd heard about the blind See event. And they are. So we're going to collaborate on a dinner in the dark event. We're looking at the end of April at the moment, the 24th of April, but we're yet to put that one in stone.
So stay tuned for the date for this one. And basically it's going to be a blindfolded dinner and a major fundraising event once again for the Fraser Coast low vision and blind community.
Oh, perfect. And if people would like to get in touch with you, Joe, what's the best way for them to do that?
Yeah, yeah, unfortunately, I don't have the link to my 100 K page. That's okay. Put it up today because I have been promoting Andrew K your way and trying to encourage more people to get on board. And because I love Vision Australia. They've been incredibly supportive to me right from the outset, which is so important when you're on this vision loss journey. So I'll put that up today on my Instagram and Facebook handles, which are at
livwell with Vision Loss. So that's live well with vision loss. So you'll see me doing all sorts of promotions. You'll even find me doing all of my 100 K exercises from last year. And it's basically an inspirational motivational page for anyone experiencing vision loss so that you know, you don't feel alone in that journey. So there's that one there. And I also have a try booking fund. And that's where the Fraser Coast Community Fund is, my latest fundraiser
from the Blind See event. We fundraised over $1,000, which is an incredible start for.
That fund certainly.
So the try booking fundraiser is try booking. Try Booking.com and once again I'll put that up on my Instagram page. So it's really easy for everybody to find.
That's all happening. That'd be. Yeah, that'd be fantastic. Looking forward to hearing how that goes.
Yes, yes, I'll reach out just before the event and provide some more information if you like, as well as a wrap up afterwards, and by then too. So stay tuned for everybody who is on social media, because I'm in the middle of creating my YouTube page.
Oh, okay.
Which yeah, that's going to be an inspirational motivational page where I'm also doing balance activities and interviews and connecting with other people experiencing low vision and blindness, and also organizing my website right now so that one soon to go live. But I'll post those on my Instagram Live well with Vision Loss page once they're ready to go.
Perfect. Well, I've been speaking today with Joanne Cabot, the founder of the Livewell with Vision Loss Instagram page and fundraising extraordinaire on the Fraser Coast. It's been an absolute pleasure to catch up with you today, Joe, and hear about what you've been up to and what's coming up in the future. So all the very best.
Thank you so much, Sam. It's just been wonderful to talk to you and to share my story as well as my vision.
I'm Sam Culley and you're listening to Talking Vision on a Vision Australia Radio, Associated Stations of Reading Radio and the Community Radio Network. I hope you enjoyed that conversation there with Joe Cabot. If you missed any part of that chat with Joe or you'd love to hear it again. Talking vision is available on the Vision Australia Radio website. Simply head to VA radio.org. That's VA radio.org. Or you can find the program on the podcast app of your
choice or through the Vision Australia library. With the 100 Koa challenge kicking off in just under four weeks time, what better time than to chat with our next guest? She's done it all. She's been a summer and winter Paralympian, a Vision Australia ambassador and now ambassador for 100 K your way. It's none other than Jess Gallagher, who returns to Talking Vision to chat with me right now. Jess, welcome back to Talking Vision. Thank you very much for your time today.
Thanks, Sam. It's always good to chat.
Now, Jess, to start off with, we're here to chat about 100 K your way. Of course. Now, people may have heard of this over the years, but for people new to the idea out there, what is hundred K your way?
Well, this April we're encouraging people to run, walk, swim, roll whatever form you feel like doing 100km your way, and it gives us the opportunity to raise some funds whilst having fun moving around at the same time for Vision Australia. And all funds raised will be going to helping people who are blind or have low vision live the life they choose. So I'm really excited to be on board as an ambassador this year and seeing how I can push out that 100 K in April.
Oh, perfect. And Jess, how did you become an ambassador? How did that all sort of come about? Was there one sort of event or one day where you thought, you know what, I want to get behind this cause this is, you know, such an amazing organization that's been so important to me and both of us. You know, we've really benefited over the years. But how did that come about?
Well, really, my relationship with Vision Australia started over 20 years ago when I was diagnosed as legally blind. And the first person that my ophthalmologist doctor, Lisa Reddington, put me in touch with was Vision Australia. And they really enabled me to understand my low vision, what it meant, how I could at the time I was in year 12. So they sent a occupational therapist out to the school to help educate the teachers on the things I could
and couldn't see. And it really opened my eyes, and no pun intended, to really what the world of low vision could be for me as a person, and to ensure that I was able to live the life that I dreamt about and whilst understanding it was now looking a little different. It didn't mean that I couldn't chase those dreams. They just took me down a different pathway, which is how I ended up becoming a Paralympian. As someone who was a really sporty kid and a talented
netballer at the time, as a as a youngster. And really, it was 15 years ago this year that I became an ambassador for Vision Australia, and it came about after I won my first Paralympic medal at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Paralympics. I was still utilizing the services of Vision Australia, and the CEO at the time, I think was one the CEO at the time, I can't remember, it's been so long now. Yeah. Asked if I would would get on board and help support the organisation and it was
a no brainer for me. Having been the recipient of so much love and support from the Vision Australia community, it was a very natural fit to be able to put my hand up and hopefully give back to others. So they've been asking me for a couple of years to get involved with the hundred K your way, but being a Paralympian and with a lot of travel, it has been tricky trying to find the time as I'm
often overseas. But this year was the year I'm not overseas in March or April, so it meant I could really dedicate myself to helping the cause and promoting a really worthwhile activity.
And we'd love to have you. And as you've mentioned there, you know, you've been a Paralympian. You've done it all really. On the skiing, rowing, cycling, what have you. Now tying into that, how are you going to be doing your hundred K this April?
Oh, it's a big question, Sam.
I've been thinking about it and I feel like it's somewhat cheating. If I included my training that I'm currently doing as a paracyclist, I feel like that would just sort of be taking the easy option if I included the full time training I already do as a professional athlete, so I'm leaning towards doing the 100 k walking. I
have to be a little bit careful. Running is a little bit tricky at the moment given my training for cycling, so I think I might be hitting the pavement and trying to notch up those KS through walking.
Let's go into the background of 100 K and why it is so important for Vision Australia and funding the vital services that they are able to provide. Why is something like 100 K so important to raise funds for Vision Australia and the programs they provide for people around the country who are blind or have low vision?
It's a really good question, Sam. I think it can be difficult to truly understand the impact that not for profit organisations like Vision Australia play for those individuals who benefit from their support. But if I take my own individual experiences, when I was diagnosed as legally blind, I knew nothing about the sector of people with low vision
or blindness. It was this whole new world. And really, in order to enable myself to continue the life that I was living, to continue chasing my dreams, I needed to learn how to access support services. How was I going to get around as a person who was legally blind, and all these sort of intricate things that you may not think about until you're now in that situation for
yourself as an individual. And so for me, being able to come into Vision Australia to meet people who are similar to me, who have similar lived experiences, to learn the little tricks and tips that they might use to help access technology, the latest adaptive technology that they might find on a phone or a tablet that enables reading or typing easier. All those little things are just hard to access if you're not in the know with where
the sector is going. And so for me, Vision Australia has really played that pivotal role in ensuring that I can always continue to push and challenge myself to reach my dreams with low vision. And so 100 K your way. It really encompasses the full spectrum of an experience for someone with low vision or blindness. You know, the funds raised might go to a young child who is newly diagnosed to helping support that child, and their parents navigate
through this experience and moving into a schooling system. Or it might help an older person who needs to be able to access their daily pills, or to be able to continue knitting or moving around and staying mobile. So there's the full spectrum of support that is available to someone. And so these funds that are raised really enable those supports to be provided to individuals who are blind or
have low vision. So I think it's a wonderful way with 100 K your way, you can enter as an individual, you can enter with teams, you can enter with your school. And so everybody can get involved and enjoy the positive elements that exercise provides for us, whilst also raising some money for a really, really good cause.
And following on from that, Jess, if people would love to head to your hundred K page or the numerous other 100 K your way pages that are now live for people to head along to donate, what's the best way for people to do that?
The simplest way is just to pop it straight into Google or whatever your search engine might be. Pop in Vision Australia 100 K your way and you will find the website. And the website is really easy to access. It has explainers on how it works. There's a leaderboard for those of us that might feel a little bit competitive and want to see how we're going in amongst everybody else taking part, and there's also some rewards that
you can receive. So for those out there that are striving to really raise some significant funds, there are rewards along the way as well. So the website is fully accessible and allows you to really understand the impact that you might be making by raising those funds for Vision Australia.
Perfect. Well, I've been speaking today with Jess Gallagher, Paralympian and 100 K your way, ambassador. Jess, thank you so much for your time today. It was great to catch up with you again and chat all about 100 K your way.
Thanks, Sam.
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 all involved with putting the show together every week. And remember, we love hearing from you. So please get in touch any time on our email at Talking Vision. At Vision australia.org. That's talking vision all one word at Vision australia.org. But until next week it's Sam Colley saying bye for now.
You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during business hours on 1300 847 406. That's 1300 847 406 or by visiting Vision australia.org. That's Vision australia.org.