VISION AUSTRALIA
Created in 2004 through the merger of four smaller organisations Vision Australia later amalgamated with another three organisations including Seeing Eye Dogs Australia ( SEDA ). It emerged as a truly national organisation to reach each of Australia ’ s eight states and territories and support the needs of many of Australians who are blind or have low vision through 800 paid staff and more than 4,000 volunteers .
Like any business formed by mergers , it had much to do in the way of integration and finding a viable identity for its clients and staff . It also faced dramatic changes in the way it was funded . The Vision Australia board recognised that moving from receiving large amounts of money to provide services to assist blind and partially sighted clients was a very different matter from the government giving the money to individuals to select and purchase the services they wanted .
In January 2013 Vision Australia appointed a new CEO with the brief of delivering transformational strategic change . Ron Hooton had 20 years of board level experience behind him much of it as a CIO in the banking and government sectors , and latterly as CEO of a large primary healthcare provider in his native New Zealand .
An orientation and mobility specialist , Luke , works with 12-year-old Dominic who has low vision
130 July 2016