Mandy Lau, Design engineer & founder of Reach & Match

Achieving inclusion among children with and without vision impairment - Reach & Match Fun for All

Mandy Lau have carried out a study of the global trend of braille applications, resources for braille learning, and social, physical and cultural barriers that blind children are facing in mainstream settings. Mandy wanted to encourage young blind children to develop pre-braille skills but also social skills with their peers in classes. She has collaborated with educators and specialists to develop a Reach & Match Learning Kit in her Master’s research. It is an education kit with a comprehensive program to empower children with vision impairment and facilitate an inclusive education setting. The project is exceptionally well-accepted and received the Monash Social Inclusion Design Award, Good Design Award (Social Innovation), James Dyson Award (Assistive Technology) and Red Dot Design (Education).

The research and findings are valuable for early childhood educators, specialists and parents to understand the true meaning of inclusion and to develop an inclusive learning environment for children with vision impairment and diverse needs in classes. In this session you will learn about the relationship between pre-braille literacy, spatial concepts and body movement, and how to encourages children with vision impairment to explore and develop active learning.